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.
It is clear that from the seizure of picture books to passports to attorney-client privileged documents, this unprecedented and unnecessary raid has resulted in the DOJ BEING THE ONES in possession of items they have no legal authority to possess. https://t.co/P4bLy2sAf3
— Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) August 15, 2022
Members of the media claimed "DOJ sources" refuted the claim, but have been disproven.
NEW: According to a DOJ official, the FBI is NOT in possession of former President Trump's passports. Trump had accused the FBI of stealing his three passports during the search of his Mar-a-Lago home.
— Norah O'Donnell ???? (@NorahODonnell) August 15, 2022
This is how Fake News works, folks. Biden admin actively feeds half truths & lies that the media willingly amplifies—advancing a partisan narrative to attack Trump.@NorahODonnell, did your “source” read you this email? Did you bother asking if they indeed seized the passports? https://t.co/DlzkagN0ie pic.twitter.com/VwCU7DPCvg
— Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) August 15, 2022
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.
Trump calls for release of affidavit used to justify the sham warrant for the Biden political raid on his home. https://t.co/Gd5e6lIISn pic.twitter.com/tuGg0kw6sA
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 16, 2022