Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

FBI 'raided Donald Trump's estate for classified nuclear weapons documents'

The FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in search of top secret intelligence documents relating to nuclear weapons? US Attorney General said he 'personally approved' the search of the former president's estate.

The removal of such sensitive and highly classified information from the White House could explain why the federal agency took the extraordinary step of searching the home of a former president on Monday.

Classified information pertaining to nuclear weapons has its own designation under the Atomic Energy Act called Restricted Data. Violations involving restricted aata, like other classified information, are investigated by the Department of Justice Counterintelligence unit.

The Washington Post reported that the FBI feared any such documents getting into the wrong hands, particularly as Mr Trump is known to host foreign visitors at his Florida home.

The paper’s sources did not specify whether it involved weapons belonging to the United States or some other nation. Publicising details about US weapons could provide an intelligence road map to adversaries seeking to build ways of countering those systems.

The Monday search of Mr Trump’s home has sparked a political furor, with the former president and many of his Republican defenders accusing the FBI of acting out of politically motivated malice.

Senior figures in the GOP, which had broadly come out in Mr Trump’s defence, are now said to be bracing themselves. If the reporting turns out to be accurate, the scandal could be far more damaging to Mr Trump than previously acknowledged.

An unnamed official quoted by the Post also claimed signals intelligence - intercepted electronic communications like emails and phone calls of foreign leaders — was among the documents the FBI was seeking to recover.

Fox News separately reported that an insider, most likely a Secret Service officer, at the sprawling resort had provided the FBI information of the whereabouts of the some dozen boxes of documents, including some marked “top secret”.

Mr Trump called for the "immediate" release of the federal warrant the FBI used to search his estate late on Thursday, hours after the Justice Department had asked a court to unseal the warrant.

In messages posted on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: "Not only will I not oppose the release of documents ... I am going a step further by encouraging the immediate release of those documents."

Earlier on Thursday, America’s chief law enforcement official said he personally approved the search of Mar-a-Lago and vowed to pursue the investigation of Mr Trump’s handling of government documents “without fear of favour”.

Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, in a rare public appearance, also gave a forthright defence of the integrity of the FBI.

He responded to criticism from Republicans by saying the search warrant would be made public, which would reveal why the Justice Department believed a crime may have been committed.

Mr Garland said: “I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter. The [Justice] Department does not take such decisions lightly.

“Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear of favour. Under my watch that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.”

He said “all Americans are entitled to the presumption of innocence”.

Mr Garland also criticised “unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors,” saying those men and women were “dedicated, patriotic public servants” and he would “not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked”.


Threats against FBI

Police in Ohio were engaged in a standoff with an armed man who allegedly tried to storm the Cincinnati office of the FBI before he was shot dead.

He was identified in various US media as Ricky Shiffer, 42, who was believed to have been wanted in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

On the same day the FBI executed a warrant on Mar-a-Lago, an account under his name made a call on Mr Trump’s Truth Social website to "be ready for combat" and to "kill the FBI on sight."

“People, this is it,” the message said. “Leave work tomorrow as soon as the gun shop/Army-Navy store/pawn shop opens, get whatever you need to be ready for combat. We must not tolerate this one. They have been conditioning us to accept tyranny and think we can’t do anything for 2 years. This time we must respond with force.”

In his statement on Thursday, Mr Garland defended FBI agents as “dedicated, patriotic public servants” and said he would not “stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked.


New lock fitted

A few days later Jay Bratt, the department’s counterintelligence chief, wrote to Mr Trump’s lawyers asking for a better lock on the door where remaining White House documents were stored.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Bratt also asked that “all the boxes that were moved from the White House to Mar-a-Lago (along with any other items in that room) be preserved in that room in their current condition until further notice”.

The lock was fitted the next day, but at some point after that the informant was said to have contacted the FBI with specific information, leading them to get a search warrant.

There were said to have been weeks of high-level FBI and Justice Department deliberations about going ahead with a raid against a former president.

It was eventually timed to take place while Mr Trump was away, and agents did not wear clothing marked “FBI” in an attempt to keep a low profile.

Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer for Mr Trump who was at Mar-a-Lago during the raid, said: “There were about 30 to 40 FBI agents that I saw, five of which were wearing suits, the rest were in cargo pants, masks and gloves.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×