(RoyalPatriot.com )- The records recovered from the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump, according to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), must be briefed to the Senate Intelligence Committee, which he chairs.
Warner stated in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” that aired on September 11 that “people will die” if some of these documents contained human intelligence and the information leaked.
“If there’s intelligence that has been shared with us by allies, and that is mishandled, all of that could be in jeopardy,” Warner said.
The details of the documents taken during the raid on August 8 have not been provided by the FBI or the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a heavily redacted affidavit released last month by DOJ prosecutors, they stated that there was “probable cause” to believe that allegedly classified materials were still at Mar-a-Lago. They also included a picture showing “TOP SECRET” documents scattered across the floor of Trump’s Florida residence.
In remarks on social media, Trump suggested that the “TOP SECRET” documents seen in a published image might have been fake. In addition, the former commander in chief indicated that the declassification of some FBI Crossfire Hurricane materials may have occurred while he was still president, citing a memo he signed to that effect.
Warner acknowledged that “today, we don’t know what’s in those documents” but said that “it is critical that the leadership of the intelligence committee at least gets a briefing of the damage assessment.”
Trump said that during the raid, FBI agents also took his passports, financial documents, and personal and medical records. The former president noted that DOJ personnel had leaked information about the investigation to the mainstream media and claimed that the department had searched the belongings of former First Lady Melania Trump.
The DOJ attempted to stop the appointment of a special master to evaluate the documents, but last week a federal judge in Florida, Aileen Cannon, sided with Trump’s attorneys. Trump and the DOJ presented Cannon with their special master candidates on September 9.
In agreement with Trump’s attorneys, Cannon expressed her worries about potential DOJ leaks and claimed that such revelations would be detrimental to Trump.
Attorneys for the DOJ have signaled the department will challenge Cannon’s decision regarding the special master, contending that since Trump is no longer president, the hundreds of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago cannot be protected by executive privilege. They stated in a notification (pdf) on September 8 that those materials are not Trump’s “personal records” and that he has no legal authority to possess them.
Warner told CBS that the Intelligence Committee would decide “after we have clarification from the judge in Florida.”
He said he doesn’t think we should have a briefing on the ongoing investigation. He said it is their duty to determine whether their capacity for gathering intelligence and maintaining secrecy has been harmed. He said even the Florida judge has stated that this damage assessment is valid and can go on.
