According to sources familiar with the investigation, boxes containing documents protected by attorney-client privilege were taken by the FBI in a raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. They revealed that Trump lawyers had asked for an independent special master to review records.
The FBI took classified records from Trump’s Palm Beach home in a rare Monday morning raid. Some of the records were marked top-secret. Trump disagreed with the classification and claimed that the records had been classified.
Attorney-client privilege protects confidential communications between an attorney and their client.
Sources told Fox News that some records could be protected by executive privilege. This gives the president and other executive officers the power to withhold sensitive advice or consultations between him, senior advisors and the president.
It is unclear at this point if the records include communications between Trump’s former President and his private lawyers, White House counsel during Trump administration, or any combination thereof.
Fox News sources claimed that Trump’s team asked the Justice Department for clarification on their position regarding whether or not they would support an independent third-party special master to review the records. Fox News sources claimed that Trump’s team received a response from the DOJ saying that they wouldn’t approve of the request.
Both the FBI and Justice Department have declined to comment.
Fox News reached Trump’s spokesperson, but he didn’t immediately respond.
Bruce Reinhart was a Magistrate Judge and released the search warrant as well as property receipts from Friday’s FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago.
Fox News reviewed the warrant and received before releasing the documents. The FBI had seize classified records from Trump’s house, including top secret documents. Trump is disputing the classification.
Fox News obtained a property receipt and found that approximately 20 boxes of items were removed by FBI agents from the premises. One set of documents was marked with the “Various classified/TS/SCI Document” designation, which means top secret/sensitive compartmented data.
Records that contain intelligence or information could jeopardize relations with the United States. National security information can also be included in this classification.
The property receipt also shows that FBI agents seized four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents, and three sets of confidential documents.
The property receipt does not reveal any information about the records.
The list also includes a “leatherbound containers of documents”, binders with photographs, handwritten notes and miscellaneous papers.
Espionage Act refers to the allegation of “gathering defense information”
Merrick Grland, Attorney General, said this week that he personally approved the request to search the former President’s private residence.
Trump was served with a grand jury subpoena. It was for classified documents he allegedly stole in 2021 from the White House.
According the source, a subpoena was issued to a “custodian presidency” and related materials that the National Archives and Records Administration was trying collect after Trump allegedly took classified records from Washington D.C. and Mar-a-Lago.
Fox News was informed by a source close Trump that Trump had been cooperating in the NARA investigation since over a year.
Fox News reports that the FBI visited Mar-a-Lago in June to retrieve documents required by the subpoena. According to a source, Trump agreed.
They visited the resort in Florida and saw some documents. The investigators then visited the Florida resort and examined some documents. Fox News was also informed by two separate sources that at most one federal investigator had suggested that the storage room could contain more sensitive material.
FBI agents requested a tour of the storage area where the records were kept that day. They did.
This source claims that Trump and his staff have committed to following the Presidential Records Act. This law requires that presidential administrations maintain certain documents.
Trump received the subpoena two months prior to the FBI raid at the home of a former President — which took place early Monday morning.
Sources were unsure if Trump’s federal magistrate judge approved Monday’s warrant for the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago. They suggested that another subpoena might be issued if the FBI needed additional documents. Trump and his team cooperated and provided records and documents in response to the spring subpoena.
