President Donald Trump reclaimed items seized during a 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which was executed by former special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump staff members were seen loading boxes onto Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews Friday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) returned them to the president’s possession.
“The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about. They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday evening.
“Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our Country will now be restored.”
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The FBI agents seized 33 boxes of documents in August 2022 from Mar-a-Lago, spurring a legal battle that Trump has called a “scam.” Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the investigation, resulting in 40 felony counts against Trump, including his alleged violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements to investigators and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
The FBI at the time told a judge there was “probable cause to believe” that classified documents at Mar-a-Lago were being improperly stored and that investigators would find “evidence of obstruction.”
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and slammed the case as an “Election Inference Scam” promoted by the Biden administration and “Deranged Jack Smith.”
“The FBI is giving the President his property back that was taken during the unlawful and illegal raids,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said. “We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force One.”
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Trump counselor Alina Habba told reporters during a gaggle Friday the boxes were with the FBI and contained personal items.
For example, Habba said the FBI raided Trump’s son Barron’s closet and wife Melania’s closet and went through drawers, making a mockery of the justice system.
She reiterated that personal items like pictures, newspaper articles and things “completely irrelevant” to lawsuits were removed from the home and are now being returned to Trump.
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Returning the items to the president, she explained, brought the issue full circle.
“I personally actually carried some of the boxes with the team to get them back to where they belong, which is where they were unlawfully taken from, and that is Florida,” Habba said. “So, it is truly an honor and full circle to be on this trip.
“The boxes are going back, and frankly, this was a hoax, as we knew. So, I think that the biggest message in America today is that justice is going to be restored.”
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