Eight search warrants and affidavits were filed in connection with the federal case involving former President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents that resulted in a slew of criminal charges against him, according to recently unsealed court motions.
The motions were filed in connection with the ongoing efforts by media organizations, including NBC News, to obtain access to much of the information in the search warrant served on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., last year.
Prosecutors filed a motion in June with the federal court overseeing the case, requesting permission to disclose the warrants and accompanying documents to the legal teams representing Trump and his aide Walt Nauta as part of disclosure requirements now that both men have been charged.
In that motion, which was unsealed on Tuesday, prosecutors said they have not disclosed the contents or locations or devices sought by those search warrants publicly and they asked the court to keep the details of those warrants under wraps.
The existence of one of those warrants was already known because it was executed on Trump’s estate last year and he announced that it happened on his social media website. The indictment in the case also made clear that prosecutors had obtained other information — including photos and messages off of cellphones — but the prosecution did not indicate who it had obtained that information, whether voluntarily or through warrants.
The seven other search warrants don’t necessarily mean the FBI agents and the Justice Department officials searched seven other physical locations.
The additional search warrants could have been for storage facilities, other parts of the Mar-a-Lago property, phones, tablets, computers, databases or digital accounts.
Federal prosecutors argued in the motion that those warrants should remain secret to prevent sensitive information from becoming public.
“The government, accordingly, has never publicly revealed the existence of any of its search warrant applications, or even the number of warrants at issue; it sought a limited unsealing of the instant search warrant application only after the former President publicly revealed its existence,” they said.
The federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Trump ruled last week that the criminal trial will begin May 20, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Trump faces 37 counts tied to allegations that he willfully retained national defense information, conspired to obstruct justice and made false statements. Nauta, a former White House valet, faces six felony counts stemming from allegations that he helped the former president hide national security files from investigators after leaving the White House. Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
