The U.S. Department of Justice returned to Donald Trump this Friday the materials seized during the search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022. This operation included the confiscation of classified documents. In response to the return, Trump decided to transport these materials back to Mar-a-Lago via the presidential aircraft Air Force One during his visit to the mansion for the weekend.
In August 2022, the FBI took several boxes during the search at Mar-a-Lago as part of special prosecutor Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's attempts to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. At that time, Trump faced accusations for the possession of classified documents, although these charges were dropped after his victory in the 2024 election.
Although it has not been publicly confirmed whether Trump has recovered the classified documents, the president expressed on Truth Social: "The Department of Justice just returned the boxes over which the deranged Jack Smith made such a fuss. This was simply an attack against a political opponent that obviously did not work. I did absolutely nothing wrong." Trump indicated his intention for these materials to be part of the Trump Presidential Library in Florida in the future. The former president celebrated that he considers the return of these seized materials an act of justice.
It is important to highlight that this case has generated controversy and debate regarding the legality of Trump's actions and the investigation conducted against him, as well as about Smith's integrity in his role as special prosecutor.
