Photo: Court of the Southern District of Florida / Getty Images
There are several dimes and diretes the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, but the order of the judge of the Southern District of Florida, Bruce Reinhart, allows to recognize the scope and importance of the federal investigation and why the former president could be concerned.
The order is divided into two parts, one in which it establishes the search area that the FBI established and for which it received authorization from the judge reinhart.
This included the office of former President Trump, marked “Office of the 36”, that is, the “Office of the President 45”, in addition to other spaces.
However, the most important thing is what agents were looking for , for which four items were created that specify the type of documents and information to which they should pay attention on the search and delivery of files on August 8 , according to a document signed by the former president’s lawyer, Christina Bobb.
Classified documents.- The order specifies the search for “any physical document with classification marks”, which could be found in “any container/box (including any other contents) in which said documents are found”. The wording of this part of the order seeks to allow searching in containers, within containers, and anything that functions as such.
National defense information.- The search for information and “communications in any form, related to the recovery, storage or transmission of national defense information or classified material” was ordered.
Official documents.- Each president must deliver to the National Archives office the documents produced during his mandate, including those written by hand that have to do with government affairs. The search warrant stated that agents should search for “any government and/or presidential records created between the 20 January 2017 and 20 of January of 2021″. That coincides with the start and end day of the Trump Administration.
Evidence of alteration.- Agents were also to look for “any evidence of knowingly altering, destroying, or concealing any government and/or presidential record, or any document with classification marks.”
The classified documents can be of different types, but those related to national security range from those on weapons, to actions or negotiations with other governments . The range is very wide, but each document specifies its scope.
Espionage investigation?
The detail on the recovery of documents reveals 28 types of information found by agents and recognized at 6: 19 pm by former President Trump’s attorney.
The list includes, an executive order of presidential pardon to Roger Jason Stone Jr., documents about the president of France; a leather folder with TS/SCI classified documents; potential record on the president; two bound with photographs; a handwritten note; 21 boxes labeled with different information; various secret documents, and other highly confidential documents.
Due to the type of documents that former President Trump had in his possession without authorization, it is possible that the FBI was applying the Espionage Law to obtain the authorization of Judge Reinhart, citing the search based on the Chapter 36 Of code 18 of the United States, specifically Section 1200.
“Collection, transmission or loss of defense information”, says the title of that Section, referring to “anyone who, in order to obtain information regarding national defense with the intention or reason to believe that the information will be used to the detriment of the United States.”
Who is the judge who authorized
Judge Reinhart has received several attacks on social networks and even threats against him have been reported, as occurred against the FBI after the operation in Mar-a-Lago.
Even Senator Marco Rubio (Florida) has questioned Judge Reinhart’s impartiality, and the Republican joined the conspiracy theories about support from the judge to former President Barack Obama, not to mention that the magistrate has also been a Republican campaign donor, supporting Jeb Bush in 2016.
“They found an Obama donor judge, not even a judge, a magistrate, to give them the search warrant,” Rubio said on Fox News.
The verbal attacks or threats of aggression against Judge Reinhart are worrying after the actions of MAGA supporters against FBI agents.
Last Thursday, a man died after being shot by the Police in Ohio, after attacking an FBI office in Cincinnati, after the operation defended by the Department of Justice.