Espionage probe led to search of Trump's Florida residence

NEW YORK • US federal agents removed top secret documents when they searched former US president Donald Trump's Florida residence last Monday as part of an investigation into possible violations of the Espionage Act and other laws, according to a search warrant made public on Friday.

FBI agents seized 11 sets of documents in all, including some marked as "classified/TS/SCI" - shorthand for "top secret/sensitive compartmented information", according to an inventory of the materials seized in the search.

Information categorised in that fashion is meant to be viewed only in a secure government facility.

It was the latest revelation from investigations swirling around Mr Trump's efforts to retain power after his election loss, business practices and handling of government material that he took with him when he left the White House.

The results of the search showed that material designated as closely guarded national secrets was being held at an unsecured resort club, Mar-a-Lago, owned and occupied by a former president who has long shown a disdain for careful handling of classified information.

The documents also made clear for the first time the gravity of the possible crimes under investigation. In total, agents collected four sets of top secret documents, three sets of secret documents and three sets of confidential documents, the inventory showed.

Also taken by the FBI were files pertaining to the pardon of Mr Roger Stone, a long-time associate of Mr Trump, and material about French President Emmanuel Macron - along with over a dozen boxes labelled only by number.

The disclosure of the search warrant and the inventory made clear the stakes of the collision between a Justice Department saying it is intent on enforcing federal law at the highest levels and a former president whose norm-shattering behaviour includes exhibiting a proprietary view of material that legally belongs to the government.

It is not clear why Mr Trump apparently chose to hang onto these materials. But last year, he told close associates that he regarded some presidential documents as his own personal property.

When talking about his friendly correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Mr Trump said, "They're mine", according to a person in the know.

Even though the FBI's inventory of materials seized from Mar-a-Lago indicated that numerous files had markings like "top secret", Mr Trump said on Friday that he had declassified all the material.

Presidents wield sweeping power to declassify documents.

But even if Mr Trump did so before he left office, none of the three potential crimes cited by the department in seeking the warrant depended on whether a mishandled document has been deemed classified.

The warrant said the agents would be searching for material as they investigated potential violations of the Espionage Act, which outlaws the unauthorised retention of defence-related information that could harm the United States or aid a foreign adversary - a standard that was written by Congress before the creation of the modern classification system.

It also cited a federal law that makes it a crime to destroy or conceal a document to obstruct a government investigation, and another statute that bars the unlawful taking or destruction of government records or documents.

The existence of a search warrant does not mean the Justice Department has decided to pursue criminal charges against anyone.

Mr Trump has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong.

NYTIMES