Some security experts have said that Donald Trump’s seizure of secret US government documents from the sprawling Mar-a-Lago bunker highlights existing national security concerns posed by the former US president and the residence he calls the Winter White House.
A search warrant indicates that Trump is under federal investigation for possible violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it illegal to spy on behalf of another country or to misuse and share US defense information with unauthorized persons.
As President, Trump has sometimes shared information, regardless of his sensitivities. US officials said at the time, early in the presidency, while in the Oval Office, he spontaneously gave top-secret information about a planned Islamic State operation to Russia’s foreign minister.
But where American intelligence was particularly at risk was in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where members and well-heeled people attended weddings and helped with dinners, having fun in an airy courtyard. While the Secret Service provided physical security for the venue while Trump was president and beyond, they are not responsible for checking in on guests.
Former law enforcement officer Mary McCord said the US Justice Department’s search warrant raised national security concerns.
“Obviously they thought it was very serious to get these supplies back to the safe haven,” McCord said. “The mere improper storage of top secret documents – especially in Mar-a-Lago, with foreign visitors there and others who may have connections to foreign governments and foreign agents – poses a significant threat to national security.”
Trump said on his social media platform that the recordings were “declassified all” and placed in “safe storage”.
But McCord said he “sees no reasonable argument that he disqualified each of them before he left by making an informed decision.” After leaving office, he said that Trump did not have the authority to declassify information.
The seizure of dozens of boxes and information on the US defense by FBI agents on Monday and references to the “French president” presents a frightening scenario for intelligence professionals.
“It’s a nightmarish environment for the careful handling of highly classified information,” said a former US intelligence official. “It’s just a nightmare.”
source: Noticias
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