Author Topic: DOJ: Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago ‘likely concealed and removed’  (Read 1335 times)

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 DOJ: Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago ‘likely concealed and removed’
by Zach Schonfeld - 08/31/22 7:52 AM ET

Federal agents searched former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after developing evidence that government records were “likely concealed and removed” in defiance of a grand jury subpoena, according to Department of Justice (DOJ) court documents filed late Tuesday evening.

The filing details the chronology of federal officials’ monthslong attempt to recover presidential records and classified documents from Trump’s Florida home, casting doubt on the former president’s team’s claims that a “diligent search” was conducted and all documents requested by the subpoena were returned.

Trump has claimed the search warrant of Mar-a-Lago was unnecessary since he was cooperating with the National Archives and federal officials. But the new filing is the most detailed account from DOJ yet contesting Trump’s claims of cooperation.

“The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the storage room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation,” DOJ wrote in its filing.

Trump’s representative on June 3 certified that the former president’s team had returned all responsive documents to the subpoena asking for classified documents still in his possession, the court filing states.

But DOJ said the FBI seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified records when it searched Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, including classified documents found in desks in Trump’s office. Trump’s team had said all presidential records taken from the White House were stored in the storage room.

DOJ also included in its a filing a photo that shows some of the seized documents, including markings on some that indicate the documents were top secret/sensitive compartmentalized information.

“Terrible the way the FBI, during the raid of Mar-a-Lago, threw documents haphazardly all over the floor (perhaps pretending it was me that did it!), and then started taking pictures of them for the public to see,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, also reiterating his claim that he declassified the documents.

The judge had approved the search warrant for federal agents to investigate whether Trump and his team violated the Espionage Act, concealed or removed government records or obstructed a federal investigation. Those statutes do not rely on the documents being classified.

Some FBI counterintelligence personnel and DOJ attorneys that reviewed the seized documents had to receive additional clearances to view the materials, according to the filing.

“That the FBI, in a matter of hours, recovered twice as many documents with classification markings as the ‘diligent search’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to perform calls into serious question the representations made in the June 3 certification and casts doubt on the extent of cooperation in this matter,” DOJ wrote.

The filing marks DOJ’s response to Trump’s request that the court appoint a special master to review documents seized by federal agents in the search. Trump has claimed the documents are covered by attorney-client and executive privileges.

Prior to DOJ’s response, the judge overseeing the case said she was inclined to grant Trump’s request.

DOJ said it opposed such a move, arguing Trump has not asserted executive privilege, and even if he did, he could not lawfully do so.

A filter team at the department has already reviewed the seized materials and separated out those protected by attorney-client privilege, and investigators have already reviewed all the remaining documents Trump would potentially assert executive privilege over, according to the filing.

“It would do little or nothing to protect any legitimate interests that plaintiff may have while impeding the government’s ongoing criminal investigation, as well as the Intelligence Community’s review of potential risks to national security that may have resulted from the improper storage of the seized materials,” DOJ said of Trump’s request.

–Updated at 8:57 a.m.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/3622203-doj-classified-documents-at-mar-a-lago-likely-concealed-and-removed/
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READ IN FULL: Justice Department's filing in response to Trump's raid demand
by Misty Severi, Breaking News Reporter
August 31, 2022 08:18 AM
Washington Examiner
Quote
The Department of Justice released its response to former President Donald Trump's petition for a special master to review materials seized by federal officials in the raid of his Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month.

Included in the response was a photograph of classified documents on the floor of Mar-a-Lago, several of which have "TOP SECRET" written on them. The DOJ said the image was a "redacted FBI photograph of certain documents and classified cover sheets recovered from a container in the '45 office.'"   ...
Were the framed magazine covers also "top secret" and "classified"? Let's throw stuff on the floor and take a photo, that'll prove we're serious.

Offline EdinVA

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The doj's venom is "likely" based on speculation and wishful thinking rather than fact or evidence

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The doj's venom is "likely" based on speculation and wishful thinking rather than fact or evidence

 :yowsa: And NY Times/WAPO "News".
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This is an admission the Feebs found absolutely nothing.
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This is an admission the Feebs found absolutely nothing.

Yep! Throwing everything they can think of against the wall hoping something will stick.  PURELY damage control.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

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Offline aligncare

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The doj's venom is "likely" based on speculation and wishful thinking rather than fact or evidence

If they were confident in their case against Trump they wouldn’t worry about any criticism they are getting in the media. They would simply bring charges and present their case in court. They have the facts and the law on their side, right? Instead, they release these photos, letting them hang in the air to justify their outrageous actions and preempt any criticism of themselves. What they are doing to Trump is corrupt and criminal.

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That’s basically what their filling consists of. It’s the same tired, weak excuses about “national security” in an attempt to never be held accountable. It also included a picture of the documents scattered on the floor that is causing hearts to flutter. Jonathan Turley offers some insight.


https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1564946439662346241

Quote
    The Department makes many of the same claims that it used to opposed the release of a redacted affidavit, claims shown to have been misleading and exaggerated after the magistrate ordered the release.  Notably, this filing contained details that were likely redacted in the affidavit but just released on the public record.

    In the most direct challenge to the former President’s public claims, the Justice Department claimed that he and his staff had failed to turn over classified material and that the Department had no choice but to search areas outside of the storage room. Indeed, it says that it found three classified documents in Trump’s desk without indicating the level of classification or subject matter.

Frankly, the idea that a special master would harm the nation’s security just makes no sense. This is the same DOJ that has been leaking details of what they found like a sieve, including a claim about nuclear documents. Now, we are supposed to believe that a third party with a security clearance sorting through the material and generally noting what he’s found is dangerous. That doesn’t begin to wash, and it sounds like the same weak excuse given as to why the affidavit couldn’t be released.

Besides, isn’t it a little ironic to release a picture of the classified documents while at the same time claiming they are so sensitive a special master can’t view them? I understand the cover sheets don’t say much, but the visual alone is moronic.

Quote
    It is curious that the DOJ would release this particular picture which suggests classified material laying around on the floor. The point is to state a fact that hardly needs an optical confirmation: the possession of documents with classified cover sheets. Indeed, the top of roughly half of the documents are redacted in photo. The government could simply affirmatively state the fact of the covered pages and would not likely be challenged on that point without the inclusion of this one photo.

    For critics, the photo may appear another effort (with prior leaks) to help frame the public optics and discussion. Clearly the court did not need the visual aid of a picture of documents with covers. It seems clearly intended for public consumption.

As Turley notes, the photo is going to be seen by many as another attempt to push a public narrative (because it is). The photo itself adds nothing to the DOJ’s case. We already knew classified information was found because Trump himself has admitted to having it. The only reason to release that photo is to make it seem like Trump had classified documents strewn all over the floor. The picture is clearly staged, with all the “top secret” cover sheets perfectly framed for the camera, and the DOJ isn’t even denying that they laid the documents out that way.

Trump responded to the filing on his social media network.


https://twitter.com/PartymanRandy/status/1564961234482614273

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/08/31/doj-releases-supposedly-damning-photo-in-late-night-filing-donald-trump-responds-n620527
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Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Mark R. Levin
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A: So, the FBI/DOJ claim that documents at Mar-a-Largo may have been moved and they were told they could not access them when they were executing a subpoena. And to them, this raises questions of “obstruction”. Well, I have some questions for them...

B: 1.The former president and his staff are free to look through the boxes, or even move them if the former president seeks access to them, so when you say they may have been moved, what are you claiming? That they were moved for the purpose of concealing them from you? How so?

C: Where would they have moved the boxes to hide them from you? 2. If the subpoena you sought and received allowed you to review and remove documents, the idea that one or more lawyers prevents you for doing that is crazy.

D: Were the lawyers armed, were they threatening to wrestle you to the ground, or what? How could they possibly prevent you from reviewing or removing documents if you had a lawful subpoena? It doesn’t make sense.

E: You also state that a lawyer represented that you had all classified information. The implication you are trying to create is that you were lied to. So, let me get this straight...

F: A licensed lawyer would put his freedom, career, and law license on the line by intentionally lying to the FBI about classified documents knowing full well that the FBI would eventually find him out?

G: The federal government tracks its classified documents or is supposed to. This entire matter is utterly preposterous. And more so as time goes on.

10:09 AM · Aug 31, 2022  Twitter Web App

Offline roamer_1

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This is an admission the Feebs found absolutely nothing.

Or at least, not what they were looking for... Which makes me laugh. I said early on that Tumpy was not fool enough to leave the dirt where they could find it... And the desperation is palpable.

Offline catfish1957

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Seems by the day, that this Biden/Garland excursion was just a massive CF.

But when you have  cover by MSM/Big Tech, does it really matter in the Court of Public Opinion?

Kind of like if a tree falls in the woods, did it make a sound?
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I wonder if Trump MAD magazine's were also in there?

Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Joel Pollak
@joelpollak

REVEALED: Top Secret docs recovered at Mar-a-Lago



2:12 AM · Aug 31, 2022   TweetDeck

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Jack Posobiec
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Notice the FBI even staged the Time Mag cover here - they made sure of it

You are watching a movie



10:41 AM · Aug 31, 2022  Twitter Web App

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It is no secret Trump reads on the floor.

Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Catturd ™
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The FBI and DOJ are redacting the truth and leaking to the press their one-sided narrative.

If you're wondering just how corrupt, rotten, and beyond repair these lawless crooks have gotten.

10:19 AM · Aug 31, 2022·Twitter Web App

Offline andy58-in-nh

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If they were confident in their case against Trump they wouldn’t worry about any criticism they are getting in the media. They would simply bring charges and present their case in court. They have the facts and the law on their side, right? Instead, they release these photos, letting them hang in the air to justify their outrageous actions and preempt any criticism of themselves. What they are doing to Trump is corrupt and criminal.

If the DOJ and FBI were concerned with lawful process, they would reserve all commentary until the investigation was completed. And they would certainly not leak anything to the news media in the hope of favorable interpretation or to promote a desired outcome.

Corrupt and criminal, indeed. 
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Offline catfish1957

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If the DOJ and FBI were concerned with lawful process, they would reserve all commentary until the investigation was completed. And they would certainly not leak anything to the news media in the hope of favorable interpretation or to promote a desired outcome.

Corrupt and criminal, indeed.

By numbers the DOJ/FBI is the largest criminal organization now in the United States
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If they were confident in their case against Trump they wouldn’t worry about any criticism they are getting in the media. They would simply bring charges and present their case in court. They have the facts and the law on their side, right? Instead, they release these photos, letting them hang in the air to justify their outrageous actions and preempt any criticism of themselves. What they are doing to Trump is corrupt and criminal.

:thumbsup:

Offline DB

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The doj's venom is "likely" based on speculation and wishful thinking rather than fact or evidence

It is also possible someone from the DOJ placed documents "to find" in Trump's files before they were moved out of the White House as a trap. How could anyone go through everything prior to moving them? And now that those documents they "knew" were there are not there they have egg on their face... And if anything remotely like that happened people should be going to prison.

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It is also possible someone from the DOJ placed documents "to find" in Trump's files before they were moved out of the White House as a trap. How could anyone go through everything prior to moving them? And now that those documents they "knew" were there are not there they have egg on their face... And if anything remotely like that happened people should be going to prison.

Garland can never admit the true purpose of the raid was to find out what dirt Trump had on them.  So, today the DoJ is seeking a friendly Special Master to take over the documents.  There are some possible really bad picks for the job.
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It is no secret Trump reads on the floor.

That pile looks like it was laid out by a right handed and a left handed scumcop.

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So staged. They even came up with fake "sooper dooper top secret, we mean it!" cover pages.

Offline Right_in_Virginia

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Re: DOJ: Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago ‘likely concealed and removed’
« Reply #24 on: September 01, 2022, 01:19:42 am »
Quote
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
·1h

There seems to be confusion as to the “picture” where documents were sloppily thrown on the floor and then released photographically for the world to see, as if that’s what the FBI found when they broke into my home. Wrong! They took them out of cartons and spread them around on the carpet, making it look like a big “find” for them. They dropped them, not me - Very deceiving…And remember, we could have NO representative, including lawyers, present during the Raid. They were told to wait outside.