Trump did not voluntarily allow the FBI to search his home. That’s a lie.
FBI search of Mar-a-Lago - Wikipedia
FBI search of Mar-a-Lago
In January 2022, NARA retrieved 15 boxes of documents, gifts, and other government property from Mar-a-Lago that should have been transferred to NARA at the end of Trump's term.
[50][57][58] The boxes included documents from the CIA, the FBI, and the
National Security Agency on a variety of topics of national security interest. Archivists and federal agents determined that 184 unique documents (totaling 700 pages)
[59] had classification markings, of which 25 documents were marked "
top secret", 92 "
secret" and 67 "
confidential".
[60][61] This material included:
"sensitive national security information",
[62][63][58][57] including
signals intelligence[64] and the Kim letters
[50]
documents governed by
special access programs (SAP), a type of protocol reserved for extremely sensitive U.S. operations conducted abroad, intended to significantly limit access to the information
[65][66][67]
documents marked as "
HCS,
FISA,
ORCON,
NOFORN, and
SI"
[61][68]
The document about Iran that he showed off at Bedminster in July 2021 may have been among the documents surrendered at this time; a military document marked "TOP SECRET//NOFORN" was in Trump's possession until January 17, 2022, and Trump was eventually charged with possessing it.
[69]
Trump attorney Alex Cannon helped to transfer these 15 boxes to NARA.
[70] The documents were stored in a
sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) while DOJ officials considered how to proceed.
[57]
Trump's statement regarding return of records
After transferring the 15 boxes, Trump dictated a statement that "everything" requested by NARA had been returned, and he told Cannon to send a similar statement to NARA. Cannon declined because he was not sure it was true, and a different statement was released three days later, saying that "[t]he papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis".
[70]
NARA makes criminal referral
On February 7, 2022, NARA put out a news release acknowledging the receipt of the 15 boxes and the claim by Trump's representatives that they would look for more material.
[71] On February 8, NARA lawyer Gary Stern told colleagues that Cannon had told him he was unsure whether all relevant documents had been turned over.
[70][72][73] NARA itself had noted "reams of classified material and disorganized boxes" and remained suspicious, according to the
Washington Post.
[42] On February 9, NARA sent a criminal referral to the
Department of Justice (DOJ).
[50][61]
www.nbcwashington.com
