In a Truth Social post on Friday, after the warrant was made public, Trump disputed whether the documents the FBI seized were classified.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Former President Trump's lawyer certified in June that no classified material remains at Mar-a-Lago
Trump lawyer claimed no classified material was at Mar-a-Lago in signed letter to Justice Department
One of former President Donald Trump's attorneys signed a letter in June asserting that there was no more classified information stored at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The letter signed by the attorney raises fresh questions about the number of people who may have legal exposure in the ongoing investigation into the handling of classified materials from Trump's time in the White House.
The probe reached dramatic heights earlier this week when the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, with agents removing 11 sets of classified documents, some of which were marked as "top secret/SCI" -- one of the highest levels of classification.
That inventory list contradicts the attorney's letter. The removal of that classified information after the letter was sent could explain why prosecutors cited an obstruction law in their search warrant request.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Trump says "it was all declassified" — how declassification usually works
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-classified-records/
It is also unclear how central a legal question the classification process and the president's role in it could be. As the New York Times points out, none of the statutes cited in the warrant rely on whether the records were classified or not. The search warrant signed by the Florida magistrate judge entails items "illegally possessed in violation of 18 U.S.C. § § 793, 2071, or 1519."
Trump claims Mar-a-Lago documents were 'declassified.' Why experts reject that argument.
Altered image of Bruce Reinhart, Ghislaine Maxwell circulates after FBI search of Mar-A-Lago
Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image that purports to show Reinhart with Maxwell. The original image shows Maxwell rubbing Epstein's foot, and it was released in 2021 amid her sex-trafficking trial. A 2017 photo of Reinhart watching a football game was edited into the image in the Facebook post in place of Epstein.
Judge who approved FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search represented clients linked to Jeffrey Epstein
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/09/judge-mar-a-lago-epstein-00050739
He worked as a federal prosecutor until Jan. 1, 2008, when a day later he became a defense attorney representing employees of Epstein, according to a 2018 story by the Miami Herald. According to the Herald, the employees included pilots for Epstein, his scheduler and a woman who had been described by some of Epstein’s victims as his sex slave. Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Trump is pushing us toward the abyss
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/8/12/23302835/trump-fbi-mar-a-lago-search-warrant
Conservative media has taken a similar line. Fox News has been leading the charge against Judge Bruce Reinhart, who authorized the FBI search warrant, on grounds that he represented clients with ties to Jeffrey Epstein over a decade ago. On Thursday night, Fox host Brian Kilmeade displayed a fake picture of Reinhart on a plane with Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell. Little wonder, then, that Reinhart and his synagogue have been receiving threats.
Trump's 'Declassified' Defense After FBI Raid 'Is Going to Fail': McQuade
https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-declassified-defense-after-fbi-raid-going-fail-mcquade-1733438
Speaking with The Washington Post, one source close to the situation claimed that some of the documents pertained to the country's nuclear arsenal. If true, this would also invalidate Trump's declassification defense, as presidents lack the authority to declassify nuclear information. The search warrant also revealed that the ex-president is under investigation for potentially violating the Espionage Act.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Trump allies say he declassified Mar-a-Lago documents. Experts say it's unclear whether that will hold up.
Madison Cawthorn Comparing Biden's FBI to Roman Leader '100% Wrong'—Experts
https://www.newsweek.com/madison-cawthorn-comparing-bidens-fbi-roman-leader-100-wrongexperts-1732607
Nuclear Weapons Documents Among Items Sought From Trump in FBI Raid: Report
https://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-weapons-documents-among-items-sought-trump-fbi-raid-report-1733092
FBI agents who descended upon Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate were searching for classified documents concerning nuclear weapons that the former president was suspected of improperly removing from the White House.