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PoliticsUnited States of America

Mar-a-Lago: DOJ unveils new details of search

September 2, 2022

Over 10,000 documents were seized by the FBI from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, according to an inventory from the Justice Department. Among the items were magazines, empty folders and items marked as clothing or gifts.

https://p.dw.com/p/4GMmt
USA | Beschlagnahmte Dokumente von der FBI Hausdurchsuchung bei Donald Trump
The FBI earlier released pictures of the classified documents found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residenceImage: Department of Justice/AP Photo/picture alliance

The US Department of Justice on Friday released an inventory of items that went box per box and room by room in itemizing what FBI agents seized during a raid on the Mar-a-Lago resort compound and part-time residence of former US President Donald Trump.

What was found at Trump's residence?

Among the items found were over 10,000 documents that included empty folders with classification markings, magazines, clothing or gift items and hundreds of pages of the US government's most sensitive and highly classified intelligence secrets.

In unsealing the inventory of items seized, US District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to unseal the records after rejecting Trump's attorneys' request that she appoint what is known as special master who can sift through material to determine what may be privileged communications between an attorney and their client.

While the list that was unsealed was thorough, it was not revealing. It provided a meticulous accounting of what specific number of items and of what type were seized and how many boxes were located at the residence, office and basement locations.

Documents belonging to the US government with the highest level of classification cover sheets commingled with magazines, press clippings and other artifacts.

US Justice Dept releases legal document

While 18 records were marked as "Top Secret," the list the Department of Justice released shows some empty folders had a banner marked "Classified," while others were labeled to be returned to a staff secretary or a military aide.

In previous filings, the Justice Department has said it has evidence that the classified documents the FBI seized in August were deliberately concealed from when the FBI previously tried to retrieve them in June.

The Justice Department has also challenged Trump's attorney's request for a special master, arguing that the former president is now a private citizen with no standing to make a claim of executive privilege.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich tweeted that the inventory proved that the raid was a "smash and grab."

ar/wd (AP, Reuters)