1/ The Justice Department obtained the search warrant for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after receiving evidence that highly classified government documents were “likely concealed and removed” from a storage room as part of an effort to “obstruct” the FBI’s investigation. In a 36-page court filing, federal prosecutors said Trump’s representatives falsely claimed that a “diligent search” had been conducted and all sensitive material had been returned. “The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation,” Justice Department counterintelligence chief Jay Bratt wrote. More than 100 additional classified items were found during the Aug. 8 search, including three classified documents in desks inside Trump’s office and material so sensitive that “even the FBI counterintelligence personnel and DOJ attorneys conducting the review required additional clearances before they were permitted to review certain documents.” In total, more than 320 classified documents have now been recovered from Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s team has a deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday to respond to the government’s filing. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / NPR / CNN / Wall Street Journal)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2022/08/31/day-589/