Passports belonging to Donald Trump have been returned to the previous president after final week’s FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago residence, a Justice Division official advised NBC Information on Monday.
The FBI acknowledged it had had the passports the identical day Trump mentioned on his social media platform that FBI brokers who performed the search on Aug. 8 shops them.
In a press release on Reality Social, Trump mentioned brokers “stole my three Passports (one expired), together with every thing else.” He didn’t present additional particulars or specify whether or not the journey paperwork have been private or authorities passports. (Presidents obtain diplomatic passports after they take workplace.)
A Justice Division official mentioned Trump’s passports have been returned.
A consultant for Trump didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Trump legal professional Christina Bobb blasted federal regulation enforcement on Monday night time, telling Fox Information host Laura Ingraham that she refused to offer them a “go” for eradicating the passports.
“I feel this goes to point out the extent of audacity that they’ve,” Bobb mentioned. “I feel it goes to point out how aggressive they have been, how overreaching they have been, that they have been keen to go previous the 4 corners of the warrant and take no matter they felt was acceptable or they felt that they might take.”
An FBI spokesperson defended how the search warrant was carried out.
“In executing search warrants, the FBI follows search and seizure procedures ordered by courts, then returns gadgets that don’t should be retained for regulation enforcement functions,” the spokesperson mentioned in a press release Monday night that didn’t point out the passports.
A property receipt from the FBI search of Trump’s property in Palm Seaside, Florida, confirmed that federal investigators recovered a trove of high secret and different closely categorized paperwork however didn’t point out any passports.
In court docket paperwork made public with the property receipt, investigators mentioned they have been looking for proof of crimes that included withholding “any authorities and/or Presidential Data” from Trump’s time in workplace.