After a US federal judge unsealed documents related to the FBI's search [10] of former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, fears have grown over increased threats of violence. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart unsealed the search warrant and attachments [11] Aug. 12, following a motion [12] from the Department of Justice (DoJ). Since unsealing the documents, Reinhart has become the target of violent and anti-Semitic threats [13], with his personal information, including home address, shared across Twitter and far-right platforms. Threats against Reinhart have prompted the federal judiciary to renew calls [14] for Congress to pass legislation [15] aimed at increasing security for judges.
According to the unsealed warrant and attachments, the FBI seized 11 sets of classified documents in the Aug. 8 search. They also revealed that the DoJ is investigating Trump for violating federal laws. Trump has said that the documents were declassified, although nothing suggests there is any bureaucratic record of this.
Media outlets have confirmed that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a joint intelligence bulletin [18] after the warrant was unsealed, noting an increase in threats against FBI officials. On Aug. 13, armed protesters gathered [19] outside the FBI offices in Phoenix, Ariz., ultimately dispersing without incident. On Aug. 11, an individual was killed after attempting [20] to enter the FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio, armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a nail gun.
From Jurist [21], Aug. 15. Used with permission.
Note: The unsealed court papers show that FBI agents seized one box containing "Various classified/TS/SCI documents." That’s shorthand for "Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information," the type of material that the government normally requires to be read only in a protected room by people with high-level security clearances. These included classified documents related to nuclear weapons, the Washington Post reported [22], citing sources familiar with the investigation.
On his Truth Social [23] platform, Trump retorted that "Nuclear weapons is a hoax, just like Russia, Russia, Russia was a hoax," referring to then-special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation [24] into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. (The Hill [25]. NBC [26], Bloomberg [27])
We have been monitoring the post-presidency investigations into Donald Trump here [28].
