Trump's seized passports could be a problem for him, legal experts say
Donald Trump has complained that FBI agents' seizure of his passports showed that investigators ran amok as they searched his Florida resort, but new information about how and where the documents were found could spell major trouble for the former president, legal experts told NBC News.
In a footnote in Tuesday's court filing pushing back against Trump's demand for a special master to sort through the evidence that was seized at his Mar-a-Lago property, Justice Department officials countered his contention that it was an overreach to take three passports that were later returned.
Consistent with the terms of the search warrant, the Justice Department said in the filing that "the government seized the contents of a desk drawer that contained classified documents and governmental records commingled with other documents."
"The other documents included two official passports, one of which was expired, and one personal passport, which was expired," it said. "The location of the passports is relevant evidence in an investigation of unauthorized retention and mishandling of national defense information."
NBC News legal analyst Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney, said the reason the passports are "relevant evidence" is clear — they point directly to Trump.
“In most searches you look for identity documents to tie a suspect to the evidence you’re looking for — photographs, IDs, utility bills. If you find the contraband in the same room as the identity documents, there’s a fair inference that person had dominion and control over the documents,” said McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School.
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It also makes it difficult for Trump to argue that movers or aides mishandled the documents or that he was unaware of their presence, McQuade said, arguing, "That's pretty damning evidence."
More at
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trumps-seized-passports-problem-legal-experts-say-rcna45726
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