Trump's alleged Espionage Act violations, top-secret documents seized at Mar-a-Lago

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Espionage Act violations

At around 9 a.m. on Monday, agents from the FBI, the US federal crime agency, carried out a search warrant at Trump's residence at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The raid was a part of an inquiry into the former president's removal and destruction of White House papers after he left office in 2021, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The FBI discovered documents that were labelled as "top secret" at former US president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court documents that were made public on Friday. Donald Trump is being investigated for potential violations of the Espionage Act related to the handling of information affecting US national defence as well as other potential offences connected to the management of official papers.

Even though Trump has a long list of legal issues, the FBI search marked a significant intensification in the probe into his allegedly illegal removal and destruction of White House records after he left office in 2021.

In violation of the Presidential Records Act, the National Archives and Records Administration claimed in February that it had retrieved 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago. The records were to be handed over to the National Archives when he left his position.

The property receipt also revealed that federal officials gathered additional possible presidential papers, such as an order pardoning Trump ally Roger Stone, a "leather-bound box of documents," and data on the "President of France." The search also turned up a photo binder, a handwritten note, "miscellaneous secret documents" and "miscellaneous confidential documents"

Trump has adamantly denied any wrongdoing and has opposed the FBI search on his home. Trump stated on Monday, "A President of the United States has never experienced anything like this”. He said "This surprise raid on my residence was not appropriate or reasonable”.

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