Topline
Intelligence documents regarding China and Iran are among the most sensitive files the FBI uncovered in its raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
PALM BEACH, FL – AUGUST 08: Secret Service and Palm Beach police are seen in front of the home of … [+]
Key Facts
The documents included information about Iran’s missile program and intelligence-gathering operations in China, according to sources who spoke under the condition of anonymity to the Post.
The documents, if leaked, could pose serious risks to U.S. intelligence-gathering operations and prompt retaliation from adversaries, according to sources cited by the Post.
A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to the paper’s inquiry regarding the findings, but Trump has said he personally declassified all of the documents in his possession. (Forbes has reached out to Trump and the DOJ).
Key Background
The Department of Justice executed a search warrant at Mar-A-Lago on August 8 as part of its probe into whether Trump violated federal law by taking documents to Florida, rather than turning them over to the National Archives. Trump voluntarily turned over 15 boxes of documents to the National Archives in January, and the federal investigation was opened a month later when the DOJ learned Trump did not hand over all of the files. The Washington Post reported previously that some of the documents contained information about foreign nuclear programs. The special master appointed to review the documents, U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, found that some of the files were not privileged and will be returned to Trump. Earlier this month, Trump lost his bid to have Dearie review the classified documents uncovered by the FBI, meaning he can continue his examination of the unclassified documents, while the classified documents are in the DOJ’s possession.
Big Number
13,000. The number of documents federal officials found at Mar-A-Lago, including 103 classified documents and 18 labeled top-secret.
What We Don’t Know
Whether the DOJ will charge Trump with obstructing the investigation. The agency believes it has enough evidence to do so, Bloomberg reported this week, but it has yet to make a formal recommendation. The DOJ has alleged in court filings Trump “concealed and removed” some documents from a storage room in Mar-A-Lago where the DOJ had asked him to keep them and did not fully comply with its subpoena request for the files.
Further Reading
Trump Mar-A-Lago Investigation: What To Know As Ex-President Goes To Supreme Court (Forbes)
Trump To Get Some Mar-A-Lago Documents Back, Special Master Rules (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/10/21/mar-a-lago-documents-included-top-secret-information-on-irans-missile-program-report/