Judge Aileen Cannon, the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s Florida classified documents criminal trial, has unsealed a trove of documents related to the FBI’s investigation into the former president and the agency’s raid on his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach in 2022.
These documents provide a glimpse into the investigation and the raid, revealing the personnel involved and the sequence of events.
One document shows that the operation was nicknamed “Plasmic Echo,” and it was a sensitive investigation matter related to the mishandling of classified or national defense information as reported by Raw Story on April 23, 2024.
The FBI initially codenamed the Trump investigation as “PLASMIC ECHO,” indicating the seriousness of the allegations against the former president.
The unsealed documents also reveal that Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the investigation into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents from his time as president.
The documents show that agents entered a safe at Mar-a-Lago and took the seized documents back to D.C. The agents involved in the raid consisted of personnel from the FBI Washington Field Office, FBI Headquarters, FBI Miami Field Office, DOJ Counterintelligence and Export Control Section attorney, and an attorney from the United States Attorneys Office Southern District of Florida.
The FBI search warrant, 22-mj-8332-BER, was executed at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022, at 10:33 a.m., according to one of the documents.
The document also reveals that local U.S. Secret Service (USSS) leadership facilitated entry onto the premises, provided escort and access to various locations within, and posted USSS personnel in locations where the FBI team conducted searches.
The unsealing of these documents comes as Trump faces multiple investigations and legal challenges, including the New York hush money case and the classified documents case.
In the hush money case, Trump is accused of violating a gag order directed by Judge Juan Merchan to prevent tampering with potential witnesses and jurors, leading to a series of tense back-and-forths in court.
In the classified documents case, Trump is accused of breaching the Espionage Act by retaining the documents, with his legal team arguing that the Presidential Records Act granted Trump the authority to classify presidential documents as personal.
However, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed their argument in her ruling that the PRA does not offer a pre-trial basis for dismissing the case.
I believe if you do a crime…you must face the time. 45’s been doin wrong for a long time and the roosters are coming home. I’m a strong believer in cause and effect.
Now w hat has she got up her judical sleeve, I wonder. How does she plan to spin this in his favour??