FBI searched for documents Trump has reportedly held for years — including 'Russiagate' documents: report

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) search of Mar-a-Lago was specifically focused on the recovery of a "personal 'stash' of hidden documents" reportedly kept by former President Donald Trump, according to two high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials.

Speaking to Newsweek, inside sources shared details about the FBI's investigation. The FBI agents reportedly justified the highly publicized search by going "into Trump's residence on the pretext that they were seeking all government documents, says one official who has been involved in the investigation."

"They collected everything that rightfully belonged to the U.S. government but the true target was these documents that Trump had been collecting since early in his administration," said the source, who spoke anonymously.

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A former official for the Trump administration also shared details about the specific documents that were being sought.

"Trump was particularly interested in matters related to the Russia hoax and the wrong-doings of the deep state," one former Trump official told the news outlet. "I think he felt, and I agree, that these are facts that the American people need to know."

Another official, who also opted to remain nameless also weighed in on the classification status of the documents and the legal requirements for those documents.

"All official documents, regardless of classification, are required to be returned to the Archives under the Presidential Records Act," one official said. "And surely the FBI was going about its business of retrieving everything."

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Explaining the sensitive nature of the documents, one official also explained why these documents are particularly important.

"What we're talking about here is not just documents that the Archives was seeking to fulfill the provisions of the Act," one official said. "They were also after some number of documents that they considered more sensitive, but also documents that they felt the former president had no intention to return."

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