Inventory reveals new details about documents seized from Trump

A US federal judge allowed this Friday the disclosure of a detailed list of government documents and other materials seized from the former president Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, last month.

The eight-page inventory does not describe the contents of the seized materials, but confirms Justice Department claims that highly sensitive and secret documents were interspersed with other items at Trump’s residence, an apparent violation of federal law.

Federal Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida ordered the inventory to be unsealed after hear thursday arguments of Trump’s lawyers and federal prosecutors at the request of the former president.

The inventory released Friday by the Justice Department reveals broadly the contents of 33 boxes and containers seized during the Aug. 8 raid at Mar-a-Lago.

Although it does not describe the contents of the documents, the inventory reveals the amount of classified information, even labeled “top secret”, in boxes, mixed with newspapers, magazines, clothing and other personal items.

It also reveals for the first time how many unclassified documents Trump was keeping in the house even though they were supposed to be turned over to the US National Archives and Records Administration, which had been trying to get hold of them for months.

The Justice Department has said there was no safe place at Mar-a-Lago to store state secrets and has launched a criminal investigation into their being held there and what it sees as months of attempts to obstruct the investigation.

In addition, it investigates possible violations of another law that criminalizes the mutilation or concealment of government documents, secret or not.

In another document also released this Friday, federal prosecutors said the classified materials, which number more than 100, were separated to “store them in accordance with the appropriate procedures that govern” for that condition.

However, in a footnote, they expressed their apparent displeasure with Cannon’s order to release the information.

The evidence seized from Trump’s property, they explained, “contains the kind of information that would not ordinarily be shared with the owner of a place that has been searched under a court order.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice conducts a criminal investigation, intelligence agencies assess the potential harm caused by the mishandling of classified information, and Judge Connor considers whether to appoint an independent special monitor to review the documentation.

“The seized materials will be used to further the government’s investigation, and the investigative team will continue to use and evaluate the materials as it takes further investigative steps, such as witness interviews and grand jury practices,” the Department said.

He added that “additional evidence regarding the seized materials,” including how they were deposited, “will serve the government’s investigation.”

^{* With information from Masood Farivar, a VOA journalist, and the AP agency.}

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