The FBI has returned three passports belonging to former President Donald Trump that federal agents seized during their search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last week, a Justice Department official told NBC News on Monday.
On Monday, Trump said that FBI investigators took his passports when they raided his Florida home last week.
“In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country. Third World!”
It’s not clear why the FBI would have taken his passports or why he apparently has three of them. Trump said one was expired.
In the news: Eric Trump Says Family Is In Possession Of Raid Surveillance Tapes “Absolutely” Will Release Them
Trump lashed out at the DOJ, including the FBI, saying its unprecedented raid of his Palm Beach home was a “sneak attack” that has left Americans “angry, hurt, and greatly embarrassed.”
The former Republican president posted the comments Sunday on Truth Social, his social media platform.
A platoon of FBI agents raided Trump’s home last week, searching for classified information. Recent media reports have said agents recovered about 10 sets of records that ranged in security classification from top secret to confidential, which is the lowest category.
As of Monday, the Justice Department was resisting Trump’s demand to publicize the affidavit that led to the search warrant granted for the investigation of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
In the news: Twitter Fact Checks Florida Gov. DeSantis Clip Criticizing Trump As Phony
As NBC News reported on Monday, federal prosecutors refused to release the document, saying its secrecy is necessary “to protect the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security.”
Prosecutors also maintained the affidavit contained “highly sensitive information about witnesses, including witnesses interviewed by the government; specific investigative techniques; and information required by law to be kept under seal.” U.S. Attorney Juan Gonzalez said in court records, “Disclosure at this juncture of the affidavit supporting probable cause would…cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation.”
Such comments will do nothing to appease Trump and his allies, who watched the FBI’s politically motivated pursuit of Trump during the Russia-collusion hoax, which was based on a dossier that was made up.
Trump somehow seemed to think this moment was worse than that, based on his Truth Social posts Sunday night.
“America has never suffered this kind of ABUSE in Law Enforcement!” Trump said on social media.
“For the FBI to RAID the home of the 45(th) President of the United States, or any President for that matter, is totally unheard of and unthinkable,” he continued. “This Break In was a sneak attack on democracy (our Republic!), and was both unannounced and done at a time when the President was not even present.”
In echoing recent comments that the raid was little more than a political “witch hunt,” Trump added the FBI probed his compound for “political, not legal reasons, and our entire Country is angry, hurt, and greatly embarrassed by it.”
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Press.
Visit Tampafp.com for Politics, Tampa Area Local News, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GiveSendGo or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here.
Copyright 2022 The Free Press, LLC, tampafp.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments are closed.