‘Nuclear secrets’ behind FBI raid of Donald Trump’s home, report claims

Donald Trump lashed out over wild claims that highly sensitive details about the US’s nuclear program were stashed amid boxes in the basement of his Mar-a-Lago home.

Donald Trump has railed against claims the FBI was searching for nuclear secrets during its unprecedented raid of his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

As the US Justice Department was poised to unseal the search warrant revealing its probable cause for the raid, Trump called reports of classified nuclear documents a “hoax”.

The former president compared claims made by The Washington Post to the discredited Christopher Steel dossier, which lead to the failed Russia impeachment.

“Nuclear weapons issue is a Hoax, just like Russia, Russia Russia was a hoax, two impeachments were a Hoax, the Muller investigation was a Hoax, and much more,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Same sleazy people involved. Why wouldn’t the FBI allow the inspection of areas at Mar-a-Lago with our lawyer’s, or others, present … Planting information anyone?”

Former US President Donald Trump raises his fist while walking to a vehicle outside of Trump Tower in New York City. Picture: AFP

FBI agents who searched Mar-a-Lago home Monday removed 11 sets of classified documents, including some marked as top secret, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Federal agents took about 20 boxes of items, binders of photos, and information about the “President of France,” Emmanuel Macron.

The three-page list also included a handwritten note and the executive grant of clemency for Trump’s long-time ally, Roger Stone.

Amon the lists of items was a set of documents marked “Various classified/TS/SCI” an abbreviation meaning top-secret/sensitive compartmented information.

While four sets of the top secret documents were reportedly collected by agents, the list did not include detail of the classified information or whether they related to the US’s nuclear weapons.

The FBI seized information about ‘the president of France’, Emmanuel Macron, from Mar-a-Lago. Picture: AFP

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich told the Journal that the raid of Mar-a-Lago was not just unprecedented, but unnecessary.

“The Biden administration is in obvious damage control after their botched raid where they seized the President’s picture books, a ‘hand written note,’ and declassified documents,” Budowich said.

The warrant included in the documents seen by the Journal shows FBI agents sought to search “the 45 Office,” as well as “all storage rooms and all other rooms or areas within the premises used or available to be used by [the former president]”.

A version of the warrant obtained by Breitbartshowed that two out of the 28 numbered items were each a “binder of photos”.

The three criminal statutes cited in the warrant suggest Trump is under investigation for “

Gathering, transmitting, or losing defence information”, “Destruction, alteration, or falsification of federal records”, and Concealment, removal or mutilation of federal documents”.

Some of the documents marked “top secret” were “meant to be only available in special government facilities,” the Journal reported.

As Trump’s lawyers filed a motion saying they would not oppose the public release of the documents, he took to social media to claim he had declassified the documents with his presidential authority.

“Number one, it was all declassified. Number two, they didn’t need to ‘seize’ anything. They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“It was in secured storage, with an additional lock put on as per their request......They could have had it anytime they wanted--and that includes LONG ago. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK.

The residence of former US President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach. Picture: AFP

“The bigger problem is, what are they going to do with the 33 million pages of documents, many of which are classified, that President Obama took to Chicago?” he added.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland filed a motion to unseal the search warrant documents and gave Trump until Friday afternoon local time to respond before any public release.

Trump didn’t wait that long before taking to social media to call on the court to “release the documents now!”

Trump slammed the FBI raid as “political weaponization of law enforcement”, with the unprecedented move igniting a political firestorm.

“Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the un American, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents,’ he wrote.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland moved to unseal the warrant for the search of Donald Trump’s home. Picture: AFP

In the hours before Garland’s remarks, an armed man tried to storm an FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio in an attack that appeared to be a direct response to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

The assailant, shot dead by police after exchanges of gunfire and an hours-long standoff, was identified as Ricky Shiffer.

The New York Times said a person posting on Truth Social under that name wrote “I tried attacking the FBI,” and said he hoped his actions would serve as a “call to arms.”

With AFP

Originally published as ‘Nuclear secrets’ behind FBI raid of Donald Trump’s home, report claims