The Justice Department affidavit used to obtain a search warrant on former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate said the former president had been holding papers that could have compromised US intelligence agents.
In the redacted file, the Department of Justice said papers found in the first batch of documents taken from the Florida estate in 15 boxes in January 2022 contained potentially compromising files and gave them cause to carry out another search.
The affidavit also says that the federal government is conducting a criminal investigation regarding “the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of govermnent records”.
US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered that the 38-page document be made available on Friday following controversy on the search and why permission was granted for it to proceed.
The government redacted large portions of the affidavit claiming risk to witnesses who had supplied evidence for the Mar-a-Lago search. An unidentified FBI agent signed the affidavit.
In addition, the affidavit said that Mr Trump had documents that contained national security information, including from the HUMINT Control System, also known an “HCS,” which is a system for Sensitive Compartmented Information, “designed to protect intelligence information derived from clandestine human sources, commonly referred to as ‘human intelligence.’”
“The HCS control system protects human intelligence-derived information and information relating to human intelligence activities, capabilities, techniques, processes, and procedures,” the affidavit says.
The affidavit details how from 16 May to 18 May, the FBI conducted a preliminary review of the 15 boxes of records that Mr Trump’s team turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration and found 184 documents with classification markings; including 67 marked as “confidential;” 92 marked as “secret;” and 25 marked as “top secret.”
In addition, it found documents related to HCS; the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; Originator Controlled, known as “ORCON;” Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals/Governments/US Citizen, known as “NOFORN;” Special Intelligence; and Special Intelligence, known as “SI.”
“Based on my training and experience, I know that documents classified at these levels typically contain NDI,” the affidavit writer said, referring to National Defence Information. “Several of the documents also contained what appears to be FPOTUS 's handwritten notes.”
Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the Justice Department’s investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference.
“It appears, based on the affidavit unsealed this morning, that among the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago were some of our most sensitive intelligence – which is one reason the Senate Intelligence Committee has requested, on a bipartisan basis, a damage assessment of any national security threat posed by the mishandling of this information,” he tweeted.
The affidavit’s release comes after the FBI executed the search warrant on Mar-a-Lago earlier this month to retrieve documents.
Mr Trump for his part has defended himself on his networking platform Truth Social.
“WE GAVE THEM MUCH,” he said, followed by saying the search was a “WITCH HUNT.”
“Affidavit heavily redacted!!! Nothing mentioned on ‘Nuclear,’ a total public relations subterfuge by the FBI & DOJ, or our close working relationship regarding document turnover - WE GAVE THEM MUCH,” he said.
