FBI raids Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

[Rick Plant]

In all, 48 EMPTY folders labeled as containing classified information found at Mar a Lago.

[Rick Plant]

Mark Meadows handed over more texts and emails after Mar-a-Lago search: CNN

Friday evening, CNN reported former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) additional emails and text messages within a week of the FBI executing a search warrant at Mag-a-Lago.

Citing "sources familiar with the matter," CNN reported, "Meadows’ submission to the Archives was part of a request for all electronic communications covered under the Presidential Records Act. The Archives had become aware earlier this year it did not have everything from Meadows after seeing what he had turned over to the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021. Details of Meadows’ submissions to the Archives and the engagement between the two sides have not been previously reported

The documents Meadows turned over were reportedly not classified and one source told CNN it was not the type of situation that NARA should refer to the Department of Justice.

"Another person familiar with the matter said the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago had nothing to do with Meadows’ decision to turn over the materials to the Archives, as it was a separate discussion," CNN reported. "Still, it’s an awkward position for Trump’s former chief of staff to be in, as Meadows also has been engaged in efforts to get Trump to return documents to the National Archives since last year, sources tell CNN. Meadows is one of Trump’s designees to the Archives, and he got involved in the summer of 2021 after being contacted by another designee, former Trump Deputy White House Counsel Pat Philbin."

Although Meadows was Trump's final White House chief of staff and one of his NARA, the exact status of their current relationship is murky.

"In recent months, Trump has been counseled to cut contact with Meadows, whose actions leading up to and on the day of the US Capitol attack have been deeply scrutinized by the House panel investigating January 6, sources have said. A source close to Trump said that while the former President has not completely cut ties with Meadows, Trump has complained about Meadows in conversations with other allies," CNN reported.

Read the full report:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/politics/mark-meadows-texts-emails-national-archives/index.html

[Rick Plant]

'What happened to them?' Mueller prosecutor says empty classified folders are a game changer

On Friday's edition of MSNBC's "Deadline: White House," former DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissman, a veteran of the Robert Mueller investigation, claimed that the 43 empty classified document folders that were allegedly found by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago should raise alarm bells.

Some legal experts, like former CIA and State Department official David Priess, have emphasized this doesn't necessarily mean the contents of these folders are missing, and it may simply be that the FBI separated the folders and contents to itemize them. But Weissman is not so sure.

"Tell me what, as we are here at 5:00 on Friday, what is your sense of what we understand about the nature of this investigation, that even former Attorney General Bill Barr has to sort of concede and acknowledge is a pretty good case?" asked anchor Nicolle Wallace.

"Two thoughts," said Weissman. "So first thought, really revolves around those empty folders. Ever since we learned that there was a search warrant and learned that there were classified documents, what was in the back of everyone's mind was the fear that these didn't all stay at Mar-a-Lago, and was there any dissemination. That is the reason why government documents are supposed to stay with the government, classified documents are supposed to stay in a SCIF and top secret documents, more than that, are highly restricted in terms of who has access. And that is because of the concern that they get into the wrong hands."

"And when you see how many folders were empty, that is the thing that causes you to take a deep breath and really be concerned about what happened to them," continued Weissman. "It is very reason for this investigation and for the Department of Justice to be taking these actions. And the second thing that crossed my mind is we have learned a lot about Mar-a-Lago, that that is not the only place that the former president has a residence. And although he was given a grand jury subpoena that called for him to produce documents wherever located, that was not — we know that was not complied with."

"So the second thing in my head is, what steps are being taken to make sure that the government has scooped up everything, especially given the concern about these getting into the wrong hands?" Weissman added. "You can be sure that our adversaries are looking at this and having a field day, and figuring out how they might be able, if they haven't already, gained access to these documents."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

William Barr, on Fox, says there's no legitimate reason for classified docs to be at Mar-a-Lago and doubts Trump declassified
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/politics/barr-trump-documents-fox/index.html

[Rick Plant]

What’s missing from the stolen documents

MSNBC’s Ali Velshi speaks to former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, and Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston about what we learned from the FBI inventory of the classified government documents that were seized from Mar-A-Lago and how Donald Trump fits into a classic “Law & Order” archetype.

Watch:

https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/how-donald-trump-fits-the-law-order-criminal-profile-147647557682

[Rick Plant]

With Top Secret documents found at, & classified documents missing from, Mar-a-Lago, DOJ must act

By stealing classified documents from the White House and unlawfully concealing them at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has potentially compromised our national security in so many ways. Now, US intelligence officials and agencies are scrambling to determine how much damage Trump may have done. Of course, there is one person who knows precisely who had access to the classified documents that were at Mar-a-Lago . . . Donald Trump.

If any other person on the planet had committed the offenses Trump committed, that person would have been arrested, interrogated and compelled to divulge information that could mitigate the damage to our national security. However, our law enforcement and intelligence communities continue to deal with Trump with kid gloves.

Here is how and why the Department of Justice must now act to hold Donald Trump accountable and protect our national security.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

FBI found more than 11,000 government records at Trump's Florida home

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI recovered more than 11,000 government documents and photographs during its Aug. 8 search at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate, as well as 48 empty folders labeled as "classified," according to court records that were unsealed on Friday.

The unsealing by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in West Palm Beach came one day after she heard oral arguments by Trump's attorneys and the Justice Department's top two counterintelligence prosecutors over whether she should appoint a special master to conduct a privilege review of the seized materials at Trump's request.

Cannon deferred ruling immediately on whether to appoint a special master but said she would agree to unseal two records filed by the Justice Department.

Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who was appointed by Trump, questioned the usefulness of such an appointment.

"I think at this stage, since they've (FBI) already gone through the documents I think it's a waste of time" to have a special master, Barr said in an interview on Fox News.

Barr, who left the post in late December 2020, defied Trump by not backing his false claims that the presidential election that year had been stolen from him.

In the interview, Barr added that he saw no "legitimate reason" for Trump having documents at his Florida estate if they were classified.

He added, "I frankly am skeptical of this claim (by Trump) that 'I declassified everything.' Because frankly I think it's highly improbable and second, if he sort of stood over scores of boxes not really knowing what was in them and said 'I hereby declassify everything in here,' that would be such an abuse, show such recklessness that it's almost worse than taking the documents."

One of the records https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763.39.1_1.pdf, released on Friday, provides a little more detail about the 33 boxes and other items the FBI found inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, as part of its ongoing criminal investigation into whether he illegally retained national defense information and tried to obstruct the probe.

It shows that documents with classification markings were at times co-mingled with other items such as books, magazines and newspaper clippings.

Also found were unspecified gifts and clothing items.

Of the more than 11,000 government records and photos, 18 were labeled as "top secret," 54 were labeled "secret" and 31 were labeled "confidential," according to a Reuters tally of the government's inventory.

"Top secret" is the highest classification level, reserved for the country's most closely held secrets.

There were also 90 empty folders, 48 of which were marked "classified," while others indicated that they should be returned to staff secretary/military aide.

It is not clear why the folders were empty, or whether any records could be missing.

The other record https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763/gov.uscourts.flsd.618763.39.0_2.pdf that was unsealed is a three-page filing by the Justice Department updating the court about the status of its investigative team's review of the documents seized.

That filing, dated Aug. 30, said investigators had completed a preliminary review of the materials seized and will investigate further and interview more witnesses.

The Justice Department's criminal investigation could be potentially put on pause if Cannon agrees to appoint a special master to come in and conduct an independent third-party review of the seized records.

However, Cannon signaled at Thursday's hearing she might be willing to permit U.S. intelligence officials to continue reviewing the materials as part of their national security damage assessment, even if a special master is appointed.

The Justice Department has previously said in court filings it has evidence that classified documents were deliberately concealed from the FBI when it tried to retrieve them from Trump's home in June.

The Justice Department also opposes the appointment of a special master, saying the records in question do not belong to Trump and that he cannot claim they are covered by executive privilege, a legal doctrine that can be used to shield some presidential communications.

© Reuters

[Rick Plant]

Judge unseals inventory of Mar-a-Lago raid

A federal judge unsealed inventory of the Mar-a-Lago raid, revealing agents gathered more than 11,000 documents and dozens of folders marked "classified" were empty..

Watch: