Reuters reports DOJ seeks to question FBI officials in Mar-a-Lago search probe
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The U.S. Justice Department has requested interviews with FBI officials involved in the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search as part of a probe into past investigations of President Donald Trump, four sources told Reuters on Thursday. The requests came from investigators working with Trump ally Joe diGenova, and several former career FBI officials have been approached for voluntary interviews in recent weeks.
Key Facts
- The investigation had focused mostly on a 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment that concluded Russia sought to boost Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
- Investigators have interviewed current and former intelligence employees over the last several months as part of the probe.
- The FBI search of Mar-a-Lago turned up more than 100 classified documents, including highly sensitive national security records.
- The search led to criminal charges against Trump and two associates for illegally retaining classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve material.
- A judge dismissed the case after concluding lead prosecutor Jack Smith had been unlawfully appointed.
The Investigation
The U.S. Justice Department has requested interviews with FBI officials who were involved in the 2022 search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. The requests came from investigators working with Joe diGenova, a Trump ally who began overseeing the Florida-based investigation earlier this year. The investigation has been seeking to establish that Trump was the victim of a criminal conspiracy against his rights, the sources said. The probe had focused mostly on a 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment that concluded Russia sought to boost Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. Investigators have interviewed current and former intelligence employees over the last several months.
The Mar-a-Lago Search
Several former career FBI officials who were involved in the search for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago have been approached for voluntary interviews in recent weeks, two of the sources said. The other two sources confirmed there had been outreach to FBI officials who were involved in the search. The FBI search turned up more than 100 classified documents stashed at Mar-a-Lago, including highly sensitive national security records. The search led to criminal charges against Trump and two associates who were accused of illegally retaining classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve the material.
Legal Aftermath
Trump has for years railed against the search of his resort, and his lawyers, led by now-Attorney General Todd Blanche, asked a judge to exclude evidence from it, arguing the search warrant was unlawful. Prosecutors maintained they had sufficient justification, including evidence Trump thwarted previous attempts to recover the records. A judge dismissed the case after concluding the lead prosecutor, Jack Smith, had been unlawfully appointed to the role.
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Reuters reports DOJ seeks to question FBI officials in Mar-a-Lago search probe
