Report: FBI searched for nuclear weapons documents at Trump mansion in Florida

The possible presence of documents relating to nuclear weapons at Mar a Lago may explain why Attorney General Garland took such an unprecedented step as raiding a president's home.

Restitution of the documents in such a case is a matter of national security

news agencies

12/08/2022

Friday, August 12, 2022, 4:59 p.m. Updated: 5:05 p.m.

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FBI agents searching for classified documents related to nuclear weapons, among other things, raided former President Donald Trump's Florida estate on Monday, The Washington Post reported, citing sources close to the matter.

According to the sources, nuclear weapons documents were apparently part of the documents the FBI was looking for at Mar-a-Lago.

They did not elaborate on the exact contents or whether it is an American or another country's weapon.

The report was published a few hours after United States Attorney General Merrick Garland said he had personally approved the search warrant request for Trump's home and that the Justice Department had filed a motion in a Florida court to publicly disclose the search warrant.

Trump issued a statement yesterday according to which he is not opposed to the "immediate release of the documents" related to "the un-American and unnecessary raid and hacking...release the documents now!"

Today (Friday), Trump stated on his Twitter social network that he believes "the nuclear weapons issue is a fraud" and compared it to other investigations that he said were frauds, including the investigation into allegations of Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

"Dodgy people are involved. Have you ever heard of planting information?"

Police officers outside the Trump mansion (Photo: Reuters)

On video: The FBI raided the home of former President Donald Trump in Florida (Reuters)

The possible presence of nuclear weapons documents at Mar a Lago may explain why Garland took such an unprecedented step as raiding a president's home.

Restitution of the documents in such a case is a matter of national security.

Trump was particularly obsessed with moving the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal when he was in the White House and prided himself on having access to top secret information.

In 2017, he told U.S. military commanders that he wanted a weapons arsenal similar in scope to the stockpile the country had at the height of the Cold War, a demand that led to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling him a "fucking idiot."

Trump has also publicly threatened to destroy North Korea and Afghanistan.

More in Walla!

"An unprecedented step, no president has done this": the night raid on Trump's mansion

To the full article

A police car outside the Trump mansion (Photo: Reuters)

In journalist Bob Woodward's book about Trump, he writes that the former president said "We have a weapon that Putin and Xi have never heard of. No one has heard - what we have is amazing."

According to the book, senior administration officials were surprised by the then president's statement regarding a secret weapon.

Trump had access to nuclear documents on US capabilities and policies detailed in the classified Nuclear Posture Review report.

A military advisor is always close to the President of the United States and holds the "nuclear football" - the suitcase that contains the codes necessary for the President to order the launch of a nuclear weapon (the Vice President always carries a backup of this suitcase with him, in case the President is incapacitated).

In order to fire the attack, the president must verify his identity by handing over a secret code that he is supposed to carry with him at all times.

The cipher is called a "biscuit" and is found on a plastic card that resembles a credit card.

In order to give the order, the president does not need the approval of anyone, not even the Congress or the military, because it is a decision that under certain circumstances may have to be made within minutes.

The code changes from carrier to president.

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