FBI agents who searched Mar-a-Lago made a big mistake and missed ‘hidden’ room: Report

After seizing several classified documents from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, special counsel Jack Smith’s team became concerned it may have made a mistake by skipping two areas during its search.

In the lead-up last year to indicting Trump for his possession of classified documents, many interviews included questions hoping to determine whether there were additional documents in a locked closet and secret “hidden” room off of the former president’s bedroom, according to ABC News.

A former federal prosecutor and national security official at the Department of Justice said it was “a bit astonishing” that the two spaces hadn’t been included in the initial search. “You’re searching a former president’s house. You [should] get it right the first time,” he said.

Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters Friday, June 9, 2023, in Washington. Smith's investigations of Donald Trump's retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9 million over the first several months, according to documents released Friday, July 7.
Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters Friday, June 9, 2023, in Washington.

The FBI executed a search warrant on the estate in August 2022, but shortly after, it reportedly became concerned that the two areas had been missed, possibly also concealing important information. The closet had not only been locked during the search warrant’s execution, but Trump had allegedly changed the lock on his own attorney when he had been looking for documents at Mar-a-Lago.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The team of prosecutors was told that following the search, rumors circulated to employees that one room had been missed by FBI agents. A senior official with the FBI explained, “Based on information gathered throughout the course of the investigation, areas were identified and searched pursuant to the search warrant,” per ABC News.

It’s unclear if documents were kept in those spaces and whether any remain. It’s also unknown whether Smith’s team was looking to get an additional search warrant approved for Mar-a-Lago.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Telegram
Tumblr