FBI agents recovered 11 sets of classified documents from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort when they searched the property on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The records included top secret documents — adding to documents recovered earlier this year — and others marked as “sensitive compartmented information.”
To get out in front of the story and maybe claim – “see, no documents on things nuclear”, because they know that such items would never be released for public scrutiny? They can claim that the whole affair is no big deal.
Maybe. But there are plenty of reasons why something might be SCI. Could be nuke-related. Could be the identity of an intelligence asset (soon to meet an unfortunate accident) who has been providing inside info on Saudi. All kinds of possibilities.
None of them good. Stuff doesn’t get classified at that level just for grins and giggles.
Trump has already implied the documents that make him look bad were all planted there by the FBI, so releasing the contents of the warrant can’t really hurt him any more than trying to block the official release would. And this way they can give first access to a “reputable” but GOP friendly source in the WSJ.
FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home Monday removed 11 sets of classified documents, including some marked as top secret and meant to be only available in special government facilities,” the Wall Street Journalreports.
“The FBI agents took around 20 boxes of items, binders of photos, a handwritten note and the executive grant of clemency for Mr. Trump’s ally Roger Stone, a list of items removed from the property shows.”
“Also included in the list was information about the ‘President of France.’”
“The list includes references to one set of documents marked as ‘Various classified/TS/SCI documents,’ an abbreviation that refers to top-secret/sensitive compartmented information. It also says agents collected four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents, and three sets of confidential documents.“
This information was apparently leaked and not authorized by the judge overseeing the search warrant.
From wsj article…
“The Biden administration is in obvious damage control after their botched raid where they seized the President’s picture books, a ‘hand written note,’ and declassified documents,” said Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich. “This raid of President Trump’s home was not just unprecedented, but unnecessary.”
This seems like a huge big deal. He had them for a year and a half and refused to return them. He tried to say everything was great and he was working with NARA but these are documents that never ever should’ve been out of the government’s possession. Jaysus.
The “SCI” acronym stands for sensitive compartmented information, among the most sensitive classified materials the U.S. government possesses.