FBI cites obstruction in Trump Florida house search

• Investigators said that top-secret files and newspapers and magazines were kept at Mar-a-Lago.
• The Justice Department said that the affidavit was edited to protect “a large number of civilian witnesses
• Trump said that “political hacks and thugs” were in charge of the investigation.

According to new court papers, the FBI told a judge that they expected to find “evidence of obstruction of justice” when they searched the Florida home of former President Donald Trump.

Investigators said that top-secret files and newspapers and magazines were kept at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department said that the affidavit was edited to protect “a large number of civilian witnesses.”

Mr. Trump said that “political hacks and thugs” were in charge of the investigation.

On Friday, the US Department of Justice released a heavily edited version of the affidavit that was used to explain why the FBI went to Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on August 8.

Since the court papers were filed before the search of the Palm Beach estate, they don’t have any new information about the 11 sets of classified documents that the justice department said were found at the exclusive golf club.

The FBI agent who wrote the affidavit said they had “probable cause” to believe that “evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally held” would be found. “There is also reason to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found on the premises,” the agent said.

The document shows that the unprecedented criminal investigation of a former president started when the National Archives, which keeps historic White House records, found “a lot” of classified files in 15 boxes it got from Mar-a-Lago in January.

When the FBI looked at these papers, they found 184 secret documents, 25 of which were marked “Top Secret.”

Also Read

FBI discovered 184 secret files in cartons that Trump had returned

Esmeralda Upton of Plano, Texas, charged with misdemeanor assault and terroristic threats....