>
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara on Wednesday joined the chorus of allies demanding that the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit be made public, a day ahead of a legal hearing to discuss the matter.
Media organizations want a Florida judge to unseal the document, revealing the evidence that the FBI used to obtain the search warrant.
But the Department of Justice argues that it should be able to protect witnesses’ identities and keep grand jury proceedings confidential.
Lara Trump said the Department of Justice and FBI should come clean on what it is doing. And she echoed other supporters of her father-in-law by saying the raid made the US resemble a ‘banana republic.’
‘We want full and complete transparency for the American people,’ she told Fox News.
‘This has been a really tough time you know the past nine days or so, since this happened.
‘I think people in America don’t even recognise the country they live in at certain points and obviously we’re frustrated as a family but as a country you have to trust the FBI. You have to trust the DOJ.
Lara Trump appeared on Fox News and added to calls for the affidavit that prompted the raid on Mar-a-Lago to be made public. A Florida judge will hear arguments on Thursday
Federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart will hear arguments about unsealing the affidavit on Thursday. The Department of Justice says it should remain sealed to protect its investigation
‘And what happened last week was unfortunately a step in the wrong direction and a lot of people are very skeptical of these organisations.
‘And I think they should be doing any and everything they can to clear the air.’
FBI agents used a search warrant last week as part of an investigation into documents taken to Trump’s Florida headquarters after he left office last year.
A property receipt unsealed Friday showed the FBI seized 11 sets of classified documents.
Some were marked not just top secret but also ‘sensitive compartmented information,’ a category designed to safeguard the nation’s most important secrets.
The court records did not provide more specific details about what the documents contained, other than that one set was labeled ‘re: the President of France’ and another included Roger Stone’s grant of clemency.
Even so, Trump and his allies have blasted the investigation, accusing the government of using all its resources to prevent him from running again in 2024.
The next phase of the legal battle comes on Thursday, when Federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart will hear arguments about unsealing the affidavit.
Federal agents searched Mar-a-Lago last Monday, triggering a political storm. A property receipt unsealed Friday showed the FBI seized 11 sets of classified documents
The documents probe is just one of a string of investigations that have dogged Donald Trump since leaving the White House last year. His supporters see a plot to stop him running in 2024
The Department of Justice in a written filing said it was opposing the application to unseal it.
‘Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations,’ the Justice Department wrote.
‘The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly.’
Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, said there was simply no need for a search.
The search warrant was approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart last week. FBI agents searched the Mar-a-Lago three days later on Monday, igniting a political storm
The ‘Receipt for Property’ lists items seized, including an ‘Executive Grant of Clemency: Re Roger Jason Stone Jr’ – a former Trump adviser who was pardoned in the last days of Trump’s presidency – ‘info re: President of France ‘ and a ‘handwritten note’
‘There was complete cooperation between my father in law’s attorneys, anyone that was handling this situation, and the FBI, the National Archives
‘There there was no concern whatsoever.
‘And then all of a sudden, you fast forward two months, there’s a raid at Mar-a-Lago.
‘So we all would like to know as well, what’s in that affidavit.’
And she said that the FBI’s actions were far more worrying than anything the former president had been accused of. The nation’s enemies would be watching with glee, she added.
‘I would say this entire raid on Mar a Lago is such a bad look overall for America, across the world,’ she said.
‘I think so often about what our allies and our enemies must think right now to see exactly what has happened, to see a potential candidate for president have his home raided by the current president’s DOJ – the person that he might be running against, should he decide to run in 2024
‘Man, that is Banana Republic type stuff. It makes America look weak.
‘It makes us look unstable as a country.’
Trump besieged by investigations from all sides: An FBI raid on White House documents, a New York tax probe, a Georgia grand jury on stolen elections, January 6 and even his CFO in court for tax fraud
When FBI agents raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last week it triggered outrage among his supporters, who accused the Department of Justice of persecuting the former president.
Trump himself accused authorities of a ‘witch hunt,’ and of trying to ensure that he could never run for president again.
Even Republicans with no great love of Trump said it was a dangerous and unprecedented step.
‘This is a very dangerous line they’ve crossed,’ said New York GOP donor Eric Levine.
‘And unless they come away with proof that he was plotting with Putin the invasion of New Hampshire or something, this heavy-handed manner of obtaining information on an ex-president is quite breathtaking.’
Sources said the raid was part of an investigation into whether Trump took classified documents home with him after leaving the White House, and even that they may have included nuclear secrets.
Former President Donald Trump faces a slew of legal battles that has only intensified since leaving office. They include investigations into his conduct after the election and his business practices. The probes stretch across the country
A new report on Friday claimed some documents labeled top secret were found in a storage room near the Mar-a-Lago pool. There are two pools on the Florida estate, one near the main house and the other parallel to the ocean
And it signified that Attorney General Merrick Garland and his Department of Justice now have the former president squarely in their sights.
Whether or not they have the evidence – or the political will – to charge a former president is another question.
But it is not the only legal jeopardy facing Trump or his business empire.
Two criminal investigations are under way. One is into allegations of interference in the 2020 election and another into possible financial crimes.
At the same time, a Congressional inquiry is weighing whether or not to recommend criminal charges related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.
January 6 investigation
Trump supporters overran the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 last year. The House of Representatives is collecting evidence about Trump’s role in the violence
The January 6 committee held a series of public hearings as it presents its evidence
Trump was acquitted last year by the Senate of ‘inciting an insurrection’ for the way he fired up his supporters and spread false claims about the 2020 election being stolen from him.
Republicans said he was vindicated.
But that was not the end of the matter.
The House has established a committee to sift through the events leading up to the riot, and has presented its evidence in a series of blockbuster hearings during the summer.
It has included testimony from Trump’s own aides that he knew he had lost the election, despite public claims to the contrary, and that he was told some of his supporters were armed, yet still demand they be allowed to march on Congress to protest certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
The committee has no legal power to prosecute Trump. But it could recommend that the Department of Justice press charges.
Possible indictments could include obstructing the vote count in Congress or conspiring to defraud the US.
Presidential records
Staff members carry boxes to Marine One before President Donald Trump left the White House, on Jan. 20, 2021 for his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida
Trump aides were seen carrying boxes of files to Marine One when Trump flew out of the White House for the final time last year.
But presidents are meant to hand over their documents to the National Archive at the end of their term under the requirements of the Presidential Records Act.
In February, the National Archive said some 15 boxes of government material, which should have been turned over, had been found at Mar-a-Lago.
Negotiations continued over materials that Trump had allegedly kept, but the quiet discussions exploded into public on Monday when the former president confirmed that his club had been searched by the FBI.
Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the operation and said he had signed off the search.
‘Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy,’ he said.
‘Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.’
New York tax probe
Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of tax fraud. It is one of two cases against the company in New York
New York Attorney General Letitia James is is also investigating allegations that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax authorities about asset values
A New York judge on Friday ordered the Trump Organization and its financial chief to stand trial in October on criminal tax fraud charges.
Prosecutors believe that Allen Weisselberg and Trump’s company conspired to give off-the-books compensation to senior executives for 15 years.
That included $1.7 million, including rent, car payments and school tuition, for Weisselberg, who is accused of defrauding New York out of $900,000 in unpaid taxes.
He and the company deny any wrongdoing.
At the same time, Trump faces a civil case being pursued by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She is looking into allegations that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax authorities about asset values, by raising and lowering valuations depending on whether it was for tax or investment purposes.
She questioned Trump under oath on Wednesday. But he pleaded the Fifth Amendment, repeating the phrase ‘same answer’, more than 400 times.
The two investigations are separate but James’ civil investigation could lead to a lawsuit and fines.
Georgia grand jury
Trump allies, including Rudy Giuliani (above), the former New York mayor and Trump lawyer, and Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina have been asked to appear before a Georgia grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election
Trump’s lawyers and allies are in the firing line in Georgia, where the former president and key aides allegedly tried to overturn the state’s 2020 election result.
Leaked emails and phone transcripts show how they put pressure on local officials including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to stop Georgia’s 15 electoral college votes going to Biden.
In a January 2021 phone call, Trump even called on Raffensperger to ‘find’ him the 10,000 votes he needed to beat the Democratic candidate.
A grand jury has been convened to sift the claims and decide whether there is enough evidence to bring charges.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis more than three dozen individuals to appear before the jury. They include Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump lawyer, and Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator.