The FBI launched an investigation into former US President Donald Trump on Friday. The suspicion: Violation of the Espionage Act. A published document shows how deep a mess Trump could be in.
Four times the highest level of secrecy “Top Secret”, three times “Secret”, three times “Confidential” – and once even “Top Secret/SCI”. During the raid on Donald Trump’s Florida villa, the FBI secured several sets of secret documents.
“Top Secret/SCI” refers to top secret papers that may only be viewed in special government institutions.
In particular, documents with the classification “Top Secret/SCI” are usually kept in specially made facilities, as US military expert Mark Hertling explains. And not in a Florida mansion.
Now the FBI is investigating Trump. The US magazine “Politico” published the released search warrant and the list of confiscated items on Saturday night. The legitimation for the raid on the Trump estate and a list of all documents taken from the house are presented there on seven pages.
It’s this seven-page document that shows Trump’s mess. It is clear from the list that the authorities carried several boxes and sets of top-secret documents out of the house.
As the search warrant also shows, the FBI was investigating the removal or destruction of records, obstruction of justice, and violation of the Espionage Act. This can include crimes beyond spying, such as refusing to return national security documents when requested. A conviction under these laws may result in imprisonment or a fine.
The latter offense in particular does not seem unrealistic in this case. Because: At the beginning of the year it became known that the US National Archives suspected several boxes with confidential material in Mar-a-Lago. Trump finally handed over numerous documents to the authority in January.
According to US media reports, there was then a further exchange between investigators and Trump’s lawyers. The officials had suspected that Trump or his team continued to withhold important documents.
So now the raid and the discovery of several sets of secret documents. Did Trump deliberately hold her back? Or did he even do worse with it?
The Trump team is now defending itself against the allegations. On the grounds that Trump had previously always released documents that he had taken from the White House to Florida. This means that these would no longer fall under a classification level. The US President is fundamentally empowered to do so. But: Trump did this without references and without marking the release.
Former FBI agent Asha Rangappa shared her lack of understanding of the Trump defense on Twitter. “So Trump telepathically releases hundreds of documents upon his departure. And then what? Biden can also instantly telepathically reclassify them as secret. See how stupid this is getting? Markings would mean nothing. No one would know how to store things. That’s idiotic,” she wrote in a lengthy post.
And she asks the crucial question. Why is Trump supposed to have kept so many secret documents with him without voluntarily releasing them? “What was the rationale? What could be the justification for releasing our nation’s top defense secrets?” These are the questions the FBI is now trying to answer in its investigation.
