Why did the FBI raid the residence of a former president for the first time in history? Because Donald Trump is under investigation by the Department of Justice for a possible violation of the “Espionage Act”, a section of the American Criminal Code which notably covers the unauthorized retention of documents related to national security, according to the statutes listed on the warrant, published by the Breitbart website.
According to the search list obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the FBI seized around 20 boxes at Mar-a-Lago, including 11 sets of confidential documents, some classified as “top secret”. The warrant lists three statutes of the United States Criminal Code justifying the operation: 18 USC, section 793, 1519 and 2071.
“Everything is declassified”, assures Trump
The first, titled “Gather, transmit or lose defense information”, means that Donald Trump “is under investigation for violation of the Espionage Act”, specifies to 20 Minutes national security attorney Bradley Moss. The other two refer to “obstructing justice”.
On his Truth Social network, the former president assured that “everything was declassified”. But there is, in theory, a procedure to follow. In particular, the stamp must be changed on the documents, which seems not to have been done and could be the subject of a battle in the courts over presidential powers.