Newly unsealed portions of Mar-a-Lago search warrant shed light on Jack Smith’s federal case against Trump

06 July 2023

Wednesday, July 5 brought some important developments in special counsel Jack Smith's 37-count federal case against former President Donald Trump.

Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ruled that "additional portions" of a federal search warrant affidavit for Mar-a-Lago should be unsealed and made public. And that unsealing, according to Daily Beast reporter Matt Young, offers "several new unredacted details" in the case.

Young, in an article published on July 5, reports, "It reveals the Department of Justice had several clues, including visual evidence, to mount their argument for an additional search of Trump's Florida residence — even as he continued to state he had declassified all documents or returned them in their entirety….. Those include a new picture of 61 boxes in the Mar-a-Lago's storage room, as well as a recounting of CCTV video that shows the boxes being moved. In fact, the document reveals that federal authorities were in possession of the CCTV video before they (searched) the property."

Reinhart, however, denied a request for the entire search warrant affidavit to be unsealed; parts of it are still redacted. But the newly unsealed portions, according to Young, offer valuable insights on the case.

"In one newly unredacted section," Young explains, "FBI investigators write that 'it was always FPOTUS' practice to store accumulated documents in boxes, and that continues to be his practice.' The affidavit also reveals that between January 21, 2021 and late August 2021, the initial set of boxes were stored in at least two different rooms at Mar-a-Lago — including a storage room and Trump's residential suite."

The Daily Beast reporter adds, "It describes how, on June 3, 2022, three FBI agents along with the Department of Justice arrived at Mar-a-Lago and were met by Trump's legal counsel along with a 'custodian of records for FPOTUS' post-presidential office'…. During that June 3 visit, Trump's counsel turned over a Redweld envelope of 38 classified documents and told investigators that all of the documents in the subpoena were being handed over and that a 'diligent search' of the home had been done. However, investigators found evidence to the contrary."

Smith alleges that Trump endangered the United States' national security by storing top-secret government documents at Mar-a-Lago — documents that, according to Smith, should have remained in Washington, D.C. The indictment includes allegations of obstruction of justice, and 31 or the 37 counts are for alleged violations of the Espionage Act of 1917. Trump has pled "not guilty" and maintained that any documents he stored at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office had been "declassified."

Young reports, "The newly unredacted content details how the Department of Justice obtained surveillance camera footage of the boxes in the storage room being moved over a number of days before and after the FBI and Department of Justice visits. Then, on June 29, a padlock is installed on the storage room door. The FBI noted it discovered the existence of the footage after being handed the contents of a hard drive produced by Trump Organization representatives. The CCTV included four cameras in the basement hallway between April 23, 2022 and June 24, 2022."

Trump is also facing a 34-count criminal prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. in New York State. And the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results are the focus of two separate criminal investigations: one by Smith for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the other by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for the State of Georgia.

The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

From Your Site Articles