The FBI conducted a search at Mar-a-Lago, Florida for highly classified documents that were potentially not turned over to the National Archives when former president Donald Trump left office. If they find documents, it could be a violation of the Presidential Records Act that requires preservation of communications related to official duties. Fifteen boxes of documents were retrieved last January so it is not known why it was necessary to look for more. (The Washington Post, August 8, 2022, by Davlin Barrertt, Mariana Alfaro, Josh Dawsey and Jacqueline Alemany)
Martin J. Sheil in Slate, August 9, 2022, speculates that is likely that someone reported that there was evidence at Mar-a-Lago that not been retrieved in January. “Based on what might be needed to conduct this search,” writes Sheil, “it seems likely that federal investigators have a source of information that very recently observed ‘classified documents’ that have been mishandled—meaning the documents would have been observed in Mar-A-Lago and not where they should be, safely ensconced in the National Archives. This source of information would likely have to be someone in the ex-president’s circle who would have been able to recognize the markings of classified documents on papers at Mar-a-Lago itself.”