Members of Congress who have access to the government’s most sensitive information want to learn more about the documents that were seized from former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida because some of the materials were marked classified or top secret.
The request from the Gang of 8, first reported by Politico, signals Capitol Hill will take an active role in scrutinizing the unprecedented search and the potential fallout, which touches on both politics and national security concerns.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are in the Gang of 8, along with the top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate intelligence committees.
A person familiar with the request told Politico that all eight members hadn’t signed onto a specific request but that oversight doesn’t require sign-off from all eight.
The pursuit follows a similar request this month from two Gang of 8 members — Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, Florida Republican — to review the sensitive documents in an attempt to understand if they were mishandled or there were national security risks involved.
Beyond Congress, members of the media and Mr. Trump are pressing U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who signed off on the search warrant before the Aug. 8 seizure, to release the affidavit that outlines the FBI’s investigative reasons for the raid.
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The Department of Justice says the release of the affidavit could jeopardize the investigation, which involves potential violations of the Espionage Act, the Presidential Records Act and obstruction of justice.
However, the judge signaled he would like federal officials to recommend redactions so the public can see some of the document.
Mr. Trump filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal judge to appoint a special master to review items seized from his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month and return anything that wasn’t in the scope of the FBI’s search warrant.
He also says the raid at Mar-a-Lago was politically motivated and that he had a standing order to declassify documents taken from the White House to his residence.
Legal experts say that explanation is shaky, procedure-wise, and might not be relevant to the potential violations being investigated.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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