Tipsheet

Media Takes a Hit After FBI Returns Trump's Passports

According to a Department of Justice spokesperson,  three passports belonging to President Donald Trump have been returned after they were improperly confiscated by the FBI  during a raid at his Mar-a-Lago home last week. 

Trump reported the confiscated passports Thursday. They were not itemized by the FBI as items taken. 

"Wow! In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else. This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country. Third World!" Trump said Monday on Truth Social.

Members of the media claimed "DOJ sources" refuted the claim, but have been disproven. 

The passport returns come less than 24-hours after DOJ prosecutors urged a judge not to release the affidavit that led to the raid. 

"The affidavit supporting the search warrant presents a very different set of considerations. There remain compelling reasons, including to protect the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security, that support keeping the affidavit sealed," DOJ presented to a federal judge. "Information about witnesses is particularly sensitive given the high-profile nature of this matter and the risk that the revelation of witness identities would impact their willingness to cooperate with the investigation. Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations."

Trump is demanding the affidavit be released.