This weeks search and seizure at Mar-a-Lago was NOT the first. There was one in June as well.

[Yorkie Mom]

Link to tweet

Feds seized documents from Mar-a-Lago in June with grand jury subpoena

CNN)The FBI search at Mar-a-Lago this week came months after federal investigators served an earlier grand jury subpoena and took away sensitive national security documents from former President Donald Trump's property during a June meeting, people familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Investigators executed Monday's search in part because they had developed evidence, including from at least one witness, that there were potentially classified documents still remaining at the Palm Beach, Florida, property months after the National Archives arranged for the retrieval of 15 boxes of documents that included classified information in January of this year, a person briefed on the matter said.

More: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/politics/mar-a-lago-search-subpoena-latest/index.html?utm_source=twcnnbrk&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2022-08-11T16%3A08%3A51&utm_term=link

Witness = Informant

[Goodheart]

1. Guess he must have thought that was the end of that...

and that he got away with some things.

[Yorkie Mom]

2. Or he WANTED the drama.

You know how he loves drama, and it puts him back in the news.

I hate to be such a skeptical person, but it's Trump.

[FBaggins]

3. Subpoenas and search warrants are not the same thing

If they "served an earlier subpoena and took away documents" then Trump's lawyers provided the documents. It wasn't a "search and seizure"

[Yorkie Mom]

5. Maybe reread the article?

This was posted by an attorney.

Link to tweet

[FBaggins]

6. An attorney got something wrong? What a shocker

Note that with legal issues, there are usually attorneys on both sides. Saying that someone is an attorney (particularly a personal injury lawyer) really doesn't add any weight to an argument.

Once again... a subpoena is not a "search", nor does accepting the production from a subpoena constitute a "seizure". The title of the OP was flat wrong even if you find another ambulance chaser to retweet it.

[Jarqui]

4. So multiple requests from National Archives starting in 2021

ultimately produces 15 boxes of documents. The National Archives identify what documents they know are missing at that time.

National Archives files a complaint with the DoJ when they review the 15 boxes as many documents are still missing. Again, more documents are specifically listed as missing.

More efforts are then made by the DoJ to get the documents.
DoJ interviews Trump staff about the documents.

The DoJ convenes a Grand Jury to examine the criminal complaint over the missing documents.
DoJ feels Trump is not cooperating and dragging it out.

A subpoena from the Grand Jury produces more classified documents in early June which the FBI/DoJ takes away at that time. DoJ orders the basement room with documents to be locked (classified docs unprotected since Jan 2021).

An insider tips off the FBI on the location of more documents in Trump's safe, bedroom and basement.

That is what preceded the search warrant assisted by the insider tip that produced 12 more boxes of documents on Monday.

There is a very good chance that some of the documents the National Archives originally identified as missing in 2021 were contained within the 12 boxes they collected Monday.

And yet Trump maintains he was 'cooperating' all along and the FBI 'planted' the missing documents the National Archive identified in 2021?

I doubt Trump is going to get as much mileage out of this BS as he did with the big lie.

The DoJ can shut Trump down on this pretty close to whenever they want. They already have the National Archives who filed the complaint and a Grand Jury behind them - who issued the subpoena and backed the search warrant. They collected 12 more boxes of evidence on Monday. They appear to have an eyewitness insider. All they have to do now is follow the money and dot the i's and cross the t's on an indictment.

[mackdaddy]

7. Only if the DOJ is going to prosecute for crimes around the documents, still need to keep quiet.

If they now have the basically stolen government documents returned, they could release the warrant and inventory of what they took and why...

Unless they are doing further investigations or a grand jury for the crimes committed by taking and withholding these documents, and lying to investigators about still having some of them. Unless they gave access to these documents to some bad actor. Or were even planning to do this which would be a conspiracy.

Will be interesting to see if they stop at retrieving them or go for the crimes committed.

[Jarqui]

8. Trump apparently declassified on his way out the door

One of the areas he declassified was the Russia probe.
Trump got the author of the hit piece on Ambassador Yovanovitch access.

They're looking at CCTV to see who had access to the documents.

They would be stupid not to look at whether financial favors came Trump's way.

They're going to be looking at this for a while because they need to understand Trump's motives and collect evidence of them.

Whatever went on here, the DoJ was upset.

[mackdaddy]

9. He could have decassified, but he still had no right to take them per Presidential Records Act.

He may have declassified them which would take that off the table. But he is kind of stupid so maybe not since there were so many document.

But these documents still had to be turned over the the National Archives because they belong to the government and the people, not him. He basically stole them.

And refused to return them, apparently only partially complied with a subpoena to return them, and lied to investigators that he still had some of these documents.

So still lots of felonies to choose from.

[Jarqui]

10. Yep

Some of the Russia documents may have been incriminating and he didn't want folks to see them ...

Mueller didn't get beyond reasonable doubt. Mueller felt Trump had obstructed.
But the preponderance of the evidence Mueller collected probably had Trump guilty of collusion (for a possible example)