DOJ Admits Altering Mar-a-Lago Evidence, Leads to Trump's Trial Postponed Indefinitely

In a new court filing, Special Counsel Jack Smith's team admitted that the FBI altered or manipulated the order of documents seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence during the August 2022 raid.
The admission reveals that FBI agents used classified cover sheets as placeholders and props, paperclipping them to documents and staging a photograph that was later released to the public.
The FBI's actions raise questions about whether the agents had the proper security clearance, expertise, and authority to determine the classification levels of the documents on-site during the raid.
Additionally, the location of at least one cover sheet in the physical box did not match the FBI's accounting, calling into question whether the contents of the boxes remain the same as when they were seized
This admission contradicts previous statements made by Smith's team, who claimed the evidence was in its original condition.
Defense attorneys claim that some placeholders do not match the relevant documents
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan is investigating the alleged tampering, which he believes amounts to "witness tampering" and reflects "serious ethical lapses" in Smith's prosecution.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon has indefinitely postponed Trump's classified documents trial due to unresolved legal issues and deadlines involving the use of classified evidence.

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House Republicans are investigating the possibility of evidence tampering in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, following admissions by Special Counsel Jack Smith's team that the order of files recovered from Mar-a-Lago was altered or manipulated after the FBI's August 2022 raid.
Previously, Smith's team had claimed that the evidence was in its original condition when seized.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan expressed "grave concerns" about the DOJ's "commitment to impartial judgment" in a letter calling the manipulation of the boxes "witness tampering."
The alleged tampering was discovered by the legal team of Trump aide Walt Nauta, who is accused of conspiring with Trump to thwart the investigation and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jordan's letter also reveals that Jay Bratt, a senior member of Smith's prosecution team, allegedly suggested that Nauta's lawyers could receive favorable consideration for future judicial roles if they cooperated with federal officials.
Jordan is demanding that the DOJ turn over documents and communications related to potential ethics investigations into Smith and information on why the boxes of documents were manipulated, setting a May 20 deadline for compliance.
Trump has been indicted on 40 felony charges, including 32 under the Espionage Act and eight related to lying to prosecutors and obstructing justice, stemming from the 33 boxes of documents seized during the FBI raid.

In a recent court filing, Special Counsel Jack Smith's team admitted that the FBI used classified cover sheets as props and placeholders when photographing documents seized from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence during the August 2022 raid.
The admission reveals that FBI agents paperclipped cover sheets to files, laid them on the floor, and staged a photograph that was later released to the public, contradicting earlier statements that the evidence was in its original condition.
The FBI's actions raise questions about whether the agents had the proper security clearance, expertise, and authority to determine the classification levels of the documents on-site during the raid.
Defense attorneys claim, and the special counsel concedes, that some placeholders do not match the relevant documents, a potentially case-blowing mistake.
Additionally, the location of at least one cover sheet in the physical box did not match the FBI's accounting, calling into question whether the contents of the boxes remain the same as when they were seized.
Jay Bratt, a lead prosecutor on the case, initially told Judge Aileen Cannon that the boxes were in their original condition, with the exception of classified documents being removed and replaced with placeholders. However, Bratt later admitted that this statement was not entirely accurate.
The revelations about the FBI's handling of evidence in the case have raised serious concerns about the integrity of the investigation and prosecution of former President Trump.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon has indefinitely postponed former President Donald Trump's classified documents trial, which was originally scheduled to begin on May 20.
Cannon, a Trump appointee from 2020, cited unresolved legal issues and deadlines involving the use of classified evidence at trial as the reason for the postponement.
In her order, Cannon stated that setting a trial date at this point would be "imprudent and inconsistent with the Court's duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions before the Court, critical CIPA