By Samuel A. Lopez – USA Herald
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In a dramatic turn of events, President Trump announced Friday evening that boxes of material seized in the August 8, 2022, FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate were finally being returned. Trump described the event as a symbolic victory, claiming it was a politically motivated witchhunt.
“The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about. They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library. Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our Country will now be restored,” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social.
The exact contents of these boxes remain unclear, though reports indicate they may contain some of the classified documents at the heart of Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of presidential records. MSNBC’s Kyle Cheney reported that approximately 15 boxes were loaded onto Air Force One.
“Trump White House staffers were seen loading around 15 boxes of documents onto the rear of Air Force One. Team Trump says the boxes contain the classified documents the FBI seized from Trump’s Florida home in 2022,” Cheney reported.
Trump’s legal team wasted no time in celebrating the event. Alina Habba, Counselor to the President, took to social media to post an image of herself handling the documents, stating:
“I just personally loaded the infamous ‘boxes’ back onto Air Force 1 to head home where they belong. Justice has been and will continue to be restored in this country under President Trump. TRUTH AND JUSTICE ALWAYS WIN IN THE END. God Bless America.”
Trump’s team is leaning into the narrative of vindication, portraying this as proof that the raid was unnecessary and unjust.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, issued a statement confirming the retrieval of the documents, calling the raid “unlawful and illegal.”
“The FBI is giving the President his property back that was taken during the unlawful and illegal raids. We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force One,” Cheung stated.
Trump announced that it’s his indication that the returned documents would be housed in his future presidential library. While Trump has yet to formally unveil his plans for a Trump Presidential Library, reports suggest that he is raising tens of millions of dollars for its establishment.
Some of this funding, notably, comes from lawsuits Trump has won or settled with media outlets. If these documents are eventually included in the library’s archives, they could become a centerpiece of his legacy, reinforcing Trump’s claim that he was unfairly targeted.
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