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According to a presidential historian, it is exceedingly unusual how former President Donald Trump kept confidential materials at his home.
Former President Trump's handling of secret papers after leaving office, according to presidential historian Michael Beschloss, did not fit with the acts of his predecessors.
On Monday, the FBI executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of its investigation into his handling of secret data and if he violated the Espionage Act.
National Archives Rejects Trump's Claims That Obama Kept Classified Docs
According to newly disclosed court records, the agency took 11 sets of secret documents, including one designated "various classified/TS/." Following the search, Trump justified himself by stating that he declassified the records and that the Biden administration armed the agency. He also alleged, without providing evidence, that former President Barack Obama stored 33 million pages of records, many of which were classified.
The National Archives and Papers Administration (NARA) also refuted Trump's assertion, stating that classified Obama records are kept in a federal facility in the Washington, DC, region, as per The Hill. Following a search of former President Donald Trump's Florida property last week, the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have alerted law enforcement agencies of an uptick in threats.
The DHS acknowledged to Reuters that it had delivered a bulletin on the threats on Friday, but declined to disclose it. According to sources, the majority of threats originate online. The warrant, which was made public on Friday following the unusual search on Monday, revealed that Republican Trump had 11 sets of sensitive information at his residence and that the Justice Department had probable cause to conduct the search based on potential Espionage Act breaches.
Republicans increased their requests on Sunday for the publication of an FBI affidavit outlining the reasons for the papers' seizure. Trump, his friends, several Republicans in Congress, and many conservative commentators have responded with rage directed at the FBI and personnel engaged in the Trump probe, as well as messages to their fans alleging that the FBI will target them next, despite the lack of proof.
Some Trump supporters have compared the FBI to the "Gestapo," while others have called for its funding to be cut, and still, others have accused the agency of being politically motivated. Following a vehicle pursuit, a gun duel, and a standoff in a cornfield, police shot dead an armed man who attempted to break into the FBI headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday, Reuters via MSN reported.
Republicans Continue Railing Against DOJ's Trump Mar-a-Lago Raid
Efforts by the nation's top law enforcement officer to offer clarification on the FBI's unusual search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home have done nothing to assuage Republican legislators' outrage.
After Attorney General Merrick Garland's unprecedented press appearance and the unsealing of the order that permitted FBI agents to grab highly sensitive papers from Trump's private residence, top Republicans continue to criticize the DOJ's conduct and want greater openness into the material used to get the warrant.
Following claims that the FBI had gotten political, Garland issued a rare public statement last week defending the agency's actions, which he approved. The White House kept silent over the weekend. Officials refused to comment on the search that resulted in the FBI removing 11 sets of classified files, allegedly containing information regarding nuclear weapons development.
According to administration sources, Biden heard of the raid through media accounts. Many influential Republican lawmakers have threatened to delve further or revenge against the Justice Department. Others, like Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have taken a more restrained tone as more information emerges. They have openly counseled their Republican colleagues to tone down their anti-law enforcement rhetoric, according to Washington Times.
Related Article: Report: Several Department of Justice Officials Upset on Silence over Raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago Home
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