Trump Under Investigation For Violating Espionage Act, Search Warrant Shows
The FBI’s search warrant for Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence shows the former US president is under investigation for possibly violating the Espionage Act.
The search warrant, which a federal judge unsealed on Friday at the request of the Justice Department, also states Trump is being investigated for potentially removing or destroying records and obstructing an investigation. All of those crimes may be punished with fines or imprisonment.
A list of documents the FBI gathered from Trump’s Florida home, reported that some of the documents collected were marked “Various classified/TS/SCI documents” ― an acronym for “top-secret” and “sensitive compartmented information” that indicates one of the highest levels of government classification.
The Espionage Act was established in 1917 to prohibit anyone from obtaining defense information with the possible intent of using it against the U.S. or to further the interests of a foreign country.
Twenty boxes were taken in total, including 11 marked with various degrees of classification. The list alsodenoted binders of photos, a handwritten note, the executive grant of clemency for Trump’s campaign advisor Roger Stone and information about French president Emmanuel Macron. No further information about the materials was included.
