The FBI is reportedly returning boxes of personal belongings to President Donald Trump that were seized during the Mar-a-Lago raid, according to The Daily Wire. “The FBI is giving the president his property back that was taken during the unlawful and illegal raids,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the outlet. “We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force 1.”
It remains unclear which specific items are being returned, but the development follows the FBI’s 2022 raid on Trump’s Florida residence. The raid was conducted in response to allegations that he had failed to surrender classified documents at the conclusion of his first term. During the search, agents recovered more than 100 documents bearing classification markings that Trump maintained he was allowed to have under the Presidential Records Act.
That case against Trump was dropped by the Justice Department ahead of his January inauguration. The case had already hit a roadblock after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon threw it out last year, ruling that then-special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.
Previously, Cannon had approved Trump’s request to halt the Biden Department of Justice’s prosecution of him in Florida for mishandling classified documents following a Supreme Court ruling affirming presidential immunity, which has significant implications for the case.
“President Donald J. Trump respectfully submits this motion for (I) leave to file supplemental briefing regarding the implications of Trump v. United States for the pending Presidential-immunity motion, ECF No. 324; and (2) a partial stay of further proceedings-with the exception of the pending gag-order motion, ECF No. 592-until President Trump’s motions based on Presidential immunity and the Appointments and Appropriations Clauses are resolved,” the motion said.
“A partial stay that pauses CIPA and other litigation is warranted based on the reasoning in Trump, and such a stay would be consistent with DOJ policies and practices that the Special Counsel’s Office claims to be bound by but is largely ignoring,” the motion continued. “Resolution of these threshold questions is necessary to minimize the adverse consequences to the institution of the Presidency arising from this unconstitutional investigation and prosecution. A partial stay is also appropriate to prevent further exploitation of judicial institutions and resources by Executive Branch personnel in connection with the shameful ongoing lawfare campaign.”
