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| Photo Credit: AP. |
The Justice Department said the passport of former President Donald Trump was seized because it was kept in the same desk drawer with classified documents during a raid by FBI agents at the former president’s Palm Beach estate.
In an August
30 court filing, the FBI argued that the former President’s claim it improperly
took three of his passports while looking for “top secret” documents and other
sensitive records Mr. Trump had removed from the White House at the end of his
presidency to his Florida Mar-a-Lago home is “incorrect,” Newsweek reports.
The
Department of Justice (DOJ) said the passports seized by the FBI as they were kept in
a desk drawer in Trump’s office which also included classified documents, and
therefore within the scope of the search warrant and relevant to the investigation.
"The
government seized the contents of a desk drawer that contained classified
documents and governmental records commingled with other documents,"
prosecutors wrote, according to Newsweek.
"The
other documents included two official passports, one of which was expired, and
one personal passport, which was expired. The location of the passports is
relevant evidence in an investigation of unauthorized retention and mishandling
of national defense information."
Trump said
the FBI “stole” three of his passports in a Truth Social post on August 18,
adding "this is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen
before in our Country. Third World!”, according to Newsweek.
Mr. Trump
later admitted the FBI had returned his passports.
"Unfortunately, when they Raided my home, Mar-a-Lago, 8 days ago, they just opened their arms and grabbed everything in sight, much as a common criminal would do. This shouldn't happen in America!" Trump wrote.
The FBI said
in a previous statement that "In executing search warrants, the FBI
follows search and seizure procedures ordered by courts, then returns items
that do not need to be retained for law enforcement purposes."