The search warrant in the Mar-a-Lago Raid was so overly broad that it allowed the feds to rummage through vast areas of the complex and to seize almost anything in sight.
That reading of the warrant is confirmed now that the Judge has unsealed the Investigative Team Status Review And Detailed Inventory that the Court had required under its prior Preliminary Order.
The investigative team status report as of August 30, reflects, among other things:
As of the date of this filing, the investigative team has completed a preliminary review of the materials seized pursuant to the search warrant executed on August 8, 2022, with the exception of any potentially attorney-client privileged materials that, pursuant to the filter protocols set forth in the search warrant affidavit, have not been provided to the investigative team. The documents bearing classification markings that were seized during the execution of the search warrant have been segregated from the remainder of the seized materials and are being separately stored in accordance with the appropriate procedures governing the security of classified material….That said, the government can confirm for the Court that the investigative team has already examined every item seized (other than materials that remain subject to the filter protocols), even as its investigation and further review continues….
In other words, the feds reviewed everything seized, with potentially privileged documents reviewed by a Privilege Review Team.
Attached to the report was the detailed inventory required to be filed per court order. It’s not very detailed, it doesn’t tell us what any of it was about. For example, were the classified document pertaining the Crossfire Hurricane, the feds investigation of the Trump campaign, which Trump previously declassified just before leaving office.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:Section 1. Declassification and Release. At my request, on December 30, 2020, the Department of Justice provided the White House with a binder of materials related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Portions of the documents in the binder have remained classified and have not been released to the Congress or the public. I requested the documents so that a declassification review could be performed and so I could determine to what extent materials in the binder should be released in unclassified form.I determined that the materials in that binder should be declassified to the maximum extent possible. In response, and as part of the iterative process of the declassification review, under a cover letter dated January 17, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation noted its continuing objection to any further declassification of the materials in the binder and also, on the basis of a review that included Intelligence Community equities, identified the passages that it believed it was most crucial to keep from public disclosure. I have determined to accept the redactions proposed for continued classification by the FBI in that January 17 submission.I hereby declassify the remaining materials in the binder. This is my final determination under the declassification review and I have directed the Attorney General to implement the redactions proposed in the FBI’s January 17 submission and return to the White House an appropriately redacted copy….
Here are some of the non-classified items seized as described on the inventory sheet [repeat descriptions mean multiple such items were located in different boxes]:
• US Government Documents/Photographs without Classification Markings [numerous similar entries throughout the inventory]• 99 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between O 1/2017-10/2018• Documents from Office• Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 01/2020-11/2020• 68 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 10/2015-05/2017• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Item• 1 Book• 91 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 01/2019-09/2020• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Item• 30 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 10/2008-12/2019• 3 Articles of Clothing/Gift Items• 1 Book• 116 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 06/2019-08/2020• 39 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between 01/2017-03/2020• 62 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between09/2018 -08/2019• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Items• 65 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between10/2016-11/2018• 2 Books• 76 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between11!2017-12/2017• 67 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between7/2016 – 3/2017• 5 Articles of Clothing/Gift Items• 4 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between01/2018- 12/2019• 1 Book• 53 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between05/2016 – 01/2020• 5 Articles of Clothing/Gift Items• 121 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between08/2017-12/2017• 2 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated 11/2020• 109 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between06/2020 – 10/2020• 67 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media’dated between11/2016- 06/2018• 1 Book• 1 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated circa 2018• 76 MagazinesMewspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between10/2016- 11/2017• 8 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between12/2017 – 3/2020• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Items• 1 Book• 1 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between07/2016 – 9/2020• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Items• 23 Books• 2 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between2/2017 – 3/2017• 1 Article of Clothing/Gift Items• 1 Book• 86 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between10/1995 – 05/2019• 29 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between05/2020 – 09/2020• 111 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between06/2015 – 04/2019• 94 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between02/2008 – 04/2020• 1 Book• 88 US Government Documents/Photographs without Classification Markings• 83 Magazines/Newspapers/Press Articles and Other Printed Media dated between02/2017 – 02/2018• 1 Book
Based on this and prior filings, it does not appear the feds are willing to return these items. The Court or a Special Master should order them returned.
We will have a new post when the Judge rules on the motion to appoint a special master.
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