100 years in prison? Trump first president to be CHARGED with espionage

Donald Trump indicted on history-making espionage charges

It's another first for the history books. A federal grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on seven charges relating to the mishandling of classified government files at his Mar-a-Lago estate. It's the first time a former or serving US president has faced criminal charges on a federal level. In April, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on over 30 counts of business fraud, but this time around, the consequences could be graver and significant jail time could be on the cards if the 45th president is found guilty. Click or scroll down to find out more... 

Is Donald Trump going to prison?

News of the indictment broke on 8 June, though rumours had been swirling for days leading up to the announcement. ABC News sources revealed the counts levied against him, which include a charge of willful retention of national defence information – a crime under the Espionage Act. Other charges are said to cover obstruction of justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheming to conceal and making false statements or representations. According to the publication, the maximum penalty for the seven charges could be 100 years imprisonment if Trump is found guilty. 

Trump ordered to appear in federal court

Trump himself first revealed the charges on his platform Truth Social: "The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax", he wrote, before deeming the investigation "the greatest witch hunt of all time." He also revealed that he has been ordered to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday 13 June at 3 pm. On the day of the arraignment, Trump will be formally placed under arrest, then booked and processed before going before a federal judge and entering a plea. The former president maintains his innocence. So how did we get here? A number of key developments that emerged in recent weeks have led to this moment...

Recording undermines Trump's defence

In early June 2023, multiple sources told CNN that federal prosecutors had obtained an explosive tape recording in which Trump discusses keeping classified documents after leaving the executive office. The recording was reportedly made in July 2021 during a meeting at Trump's Bedminster estate. Officials are said to have honed in on a particular two-minute section of the tape, in which the former president confirms he was in possession of a classified Pentagon document detailing a potential US attack on Iran. Sources say that Trump's comments on the recording suggest that he would like to divulge the information to the parties present, but he acknowledges that his ability to declassify files after leaving the White House is limited. The tape may undermine Trump's defence that he thought he could "automatically" declassify documents. 

Did Trump share details of Pentagon plan?

Those present at the meeting in question reportedly included Trump's aides, communications specialist, Margo Martin and two people working on an autobiography of Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows (pictured). Sources say those in attendance did not have security clearance to view classified records. Details of what is thought to be the same meeting are referenced in Meadows' autobiography. In it, Trump refers to a document he claims was compiled by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. The book says that Trump: "Recalls a four-page report... it contained the general's own plan to attack Iran, deploying massive numbers of troops, something he urged President Trump to do more than once during his presidency." Prosecutors reportedly questioned Milley about the incident in recent months.

Sources reveal suspicious movements at Mar-a-Lago

Meanwhile, information also came to light suggesting Trump may have prepared for government searches of Mar-a-Lago. According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Washington Post, Trump was anticipating a search of his Florida estate long before the Justice Department served him with a subpoena back in May 2022. Prior to this date, a new report claims that Trump and his aides carried out "dress rehearsals" at the property to practice relocating government papers. What's more, the day before the FBI paid Trump a visit at the property in June 2022, two Mar-a-Lago employees reportedly moved boxes of files across the estate.

Did Trump show sensitive files to visitors?

The Washington Post also revealed that prosecutors have collected evidence that indicates Trump may have kept classified papers in his office at Mar-a-Lago, where they were visible and accessible to those in the vicinity. At times, he also allegedly showed the documents to other people. Federal prosecutors also secured the cooperation of a mystery Mar-a-Lago employee, as reported in early May 2023. The informant purportedly handed investigators a photo of the storage room in which most of the classified documents were kept, according to The New York Times. 

What did Trump really know?

The criminal charges that Trump faces hinge, in part, on whether the relocation of classified files from the White House to Mar-a-Lago was merely a mistake or a calculated move. A letter from the National Archives to Trump's counsel, obtained by CNN, would seem to suggest the former president had prior knowledge of the correct declassification process. Archivist Debra Steidel Wall wrote to Trump: “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.”

Trump lawyer is alleged to have "interfered" with searches

It's not been plain sailing for Trump's legal team either. In May 2023, lawyer Timothy Parlatore stepped down from Trump's legal team. In an interview with CNN, Parlatore revealed that the reason for his exit was due to a clash with another Trump lawyer, Boris Epshteyn, pictured here on the far right. Parlatore alleged that Epshteyn "attempted to interfere" with the legal team's searches of Trump properties and that at times, he prevented other lawyers from conveying information to Trump. Epshteyn has been by the former president's side since he joined his 2016 campaign as an aide. 

Letter sent to Congress revealed more than Trump intended

In another development, it emerged that Trump's legal team sent a letter to Congress in defence of the former president, however, its contents disclosed some interesting allegations regarding the top-secret documents stowed away at the Florida estate. In what appeared to be a political move that backfired, Donald Trump's lawyers revealed in a letter to the House and Senate intelligence committees that foreign leader briefings were reportedly among the classified papers taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of Trump's presidential term. 

Documents swept into boxes as Trump left the White House

As reported by CNN, the discovery was made in a 10-page letter that called for the Justice Department to "stand down" their investigation. Trump's legal team tried to characterise the former president's retention of government documents as accidental, claiming White House staff likely swept paperwork from offices into boxes at random during the chaotic departure of the Trump administration. But in the process, Trump lawyers inadvertently exposed something altogether more surprising in their letter.

Briefings for calls with 'foreign leaders'

The government documents in question are from the initial 15 boxes that were turned over to the National Archive in January 2022. They were moved to Mar-a-Lago when Trump left office the year before. Two Trump lawyers, Tim Parlatore and Jim Trusty, received permission to review the contents of the boxes in early 2023. They discovered placeholder pages where classified documents were once stored: "The vast majority of the placeholder inserts refer to briefings for phone calls with foreign leaders that were located near the schedule for those calls,” the lawyers wrote in their letter. The Justice Department has never revealed the specific nature of the first batch of boxes to be turned over to authorities, and it seems the Trump legal team wasn't aware of the magnitude of the details they had disclosed. 

Federal investigators hone in on 'sensitive' map

Prior to charges beings brought against Trump concerning the alleged mishandling of classified documents, the special counsel honed in on one particular document. According to The New York Times, federal investigators asked witnesses if Trump ever showed a sensitive map, which he took with him to Florida when he left the White House, to aides and visitors. The map reportedly contains confidential intelligence information, say the publication's sources. 

Did Trump share classified material with aides and journalists?

One source said that US officials seemed to believe Trump had shown the map to at least one advisor since his presidential term ended. Other sources revealed that investigators asked whether Trump had shared the map with an individual while on a plane, while another said the map may have been shown to a journalist who was writing a book. This is not the first time that the mysterious map has been raised in the case. The Washington Post previously reported that Department of Justice officials had quizzed Trump about showing the map and other classified material to his campaign donors. 

Trump reportedly told staff to move boxes of records

Back when investigators were gathering evidence to support charges of obstruction, which have since been brought against the former president, they focused on the relocation of a number of sensitive file boxes at Mar-a-Lago. Information concerning the boxes in question first came to light in October 2022, two months after the FBI raid on Trump's Florida home. Walt Nauta, Trump's valet at the estate, reportedly revealed to FBI agents at the time that Trump had asked for boxes of records on the property to be moved, both before and after he was served with a subpoena to turn them over to the government in May 2022. Nauta denied moving sensitive information, before admitting to relocating a number of boxes from a storage room at Trump's request. According to The Washington Post, proof of the removals was caught by surveillance cameras and Nauta was captured on CCTV transferring the boxes from a storage area. He has now also been indicted but the specific charges have not been revealed at time of publishing.

The case so far...

On 8 June 2023, seven criminal charges were officially brought against Trump relating to his alleged mishandling of government records. But where did it all begin? The raids in August 2022 came about after two unnamed sources confirmed that former president Donald Trump brought extremely sensitive presidential documents to his Florida resort, according to reports by The Washington Post. They say that records taken from the White House were clearly labelled as 'classified' and 'top secret', sparking questions over whether Trump has broken the law through his handling of government files.

15 boxes removed from Palm Beach estate

Pictured here, aides carry boxes to Marine One before the then-outgoing President Trump departed the White House at the start of 2021. Prior to the raids, officials from the National Archives and Records Administration had already removed 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago in January 2022. Under the Presidential Records Act, such documents are the property of the US government and should’ve been turned over when Trump left office in January 2021. 

Mar-a-Lago FBI raid

When the FBI executed their search warrant on Mar-a-Lago on Monday 8 August 2022, Donald Trump was reportedly at Trump Tower in New York. "My beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents," Trump said in a statement at the time. In the wake of the raid, the former president also revealed that agents had broken into his safe. But what did they uncover?

Mar-a-Lago 'was ransacked'

Returning home to Florida following the raid in August, Donald Trump took to Truth Social: “Arrived in Florida last night and had a long and detailed chance to check out the scene of yet another government ‘crime’, the FBI’s Raid and Break-In of my home, Mar-a-Lago,”. “I guess they don’t think there is a Fourth Amendment anymore, and to them, there isn’t. In any event, after what they have done, the place will never be the same.” Going on to say that it “was ‘ransacked, and in far different condition than the way I left it,” he said that FBI agents “didn’t even take off their shoes in my bedroom.” 

Biden administration played a part in raid authorisation

Meanwhile, insight concerning the execution of the Mar-a-Lago raid has proven interesting. America First Legal, a group run by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, reportedly discovered that the Biden administration played a part in giving authorisation to the FBI to carry out the search. They obtained the information through a Freedom of Information Request. It revealed that the FBI initially got hold of Trump's records via a special access request, which was granted by Biden's office. America First Legal is now asking the National Archives and Records Administration to hand over all their material concerning Biden's involvement with the raid. 

Trump watched on CCTV

The Epoch Times reported that while the agents searched his home, Trump and family members watched them via CCTV cameras from New York. Thanking his supporters, Trump wrote: “Thank you to all of the many people who greeted me last night on my way from the Airport to Mar-a-Lago. I will never forget the great people of this Country. MAGA!!!” During the raid, the former president has also claimed the FBI took his medical records, tax documents and even passports. 

Over 100 classified documents retrieved

The Independent gave a full breakdown of what was taken in the FBI raid, and it included "over 100 classified" and, astonishingly, "nearly 11,179 government-owned documents". In the wake of the raids, Donald Trump’s spokesperson accused The Washington Post of "colluding" with the FBI after it reported that the former president kept details of a foreign country’s nuclear capabilities at his Mar-a-Lago home. Taylor Budowich, the former president’s communications director, took to Twitter saying that The Washington Post: "Continues to serve as the propaganda arm of the Biden administration, and instead of operating openly and honestly, they collude in never-ending leaks and lies at the expense of the integrity of the FBI and DOJ.”

Report on Iran's missile program among seized papers

In September 2022, it was reported that FBI agents had found a top-secret document describing a foreign government’s defences, including its nuclear capabilities, when they searched Mar-a-Lago. According to The Washington Post, anonymous sources "familiar with the matter" revealed that at least one of the classified documents recovered from Trump's Florida property includes details of Iran's missile program. It's considered among the most sensitive pieces of information retrieved in the raid. 

Documents detailed China intelligence work

Other classified documents uncovered at Mar-a-Lago are said to describe covert US intelligence work "aimed at China", says The Washington Post. Here, Trump is pictured in 2017 during his time in office, alongside China's President Xi Jinping. The scope of the documents regarding China and Iran is unclear, however, if these highly sensitive papers got into the wrong hands, the fallout could be catastrophic. Not only could any diplomatic efforts be derailed, but in some cases, agents could be placed at risk and sources compromised.

Trump tries to sue after FBI raid

Trump took legal action in August 2022 following the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago, which he labelled at the time as a “shockingly aggressive move”. The lawsuit aimed to stop the ongoing investigation into the government files seized from his home. Presiding Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the legal challenge, citing “lack of jurisdiction”. The lawsuit had requested the installation of a third-party individual to assess the documents and remove any privileged information. Consequently, special master Judge Raymond Dearie was dismissed on 8 December 2022. This was a catastrophic move for Trump, as it enabled the Justice Department to examine all the confiscated records taken from his Palm Beach home without an independent arbitrator filtering out privileged information. 

Classified items discovered in storage unit

At the end of 2022, Donald Trump's legal team enlisted independent investigators to conduct a number of searches of his properties to ensure all sensitive documents had been handed over to the authorities. According to The Washington Post, the investigators found at least two items with classified markings in a storage unit in a private facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Shortly after the discovery, the sensitive materials were submitted to the FBI, according to the newspaper's sources.

Locker contained 'suits and swords and wrestling belts'

Pictured here is part of the FBI's search warrant affidavit from the August 2022 raid on Mar-a-Lago. According to emails from the General Services Administration, a government arm that helps outgoing presidents adjust to life after the White House, the agency assisted in securing the lease on the storage locker in July 2021. It was reportedly used to store items weighing over 3,000 pounds from a Northern Virginia office used by Trump administration staffers. Speaking to The Washington Post, a source with knowledge of the contents indicated that the unit held an assortment of uncatalogued items: “It was suits and swords and wrestling belts and all sorts of things... To my knowledge, he (Trump) has never even been to that storage unit. I don’t think anyone in Trump World could tell you what’s in that storage unit.”

Save America PAC funds witnesses' legal bills

The legal bills of witnesses involved in the Mar-a-Lago investigation were also been put under scrutiny. The Washington Post uncovered filings that revealed that Trump's Save America PAC has reportedly provided financial support for a number of key witnesses. Trump's committee is said to have paid more than $120,000 (£97k) to Brand Woodward Law, who represents some of the individuals giving testimony in the case. It's not against the law for third parties to foot legal bills, as long as the client is aware of the situation, however, there have been some concerns that this assistance could sway testimony. There is no accusation of wrongdoing. A federal grand jury is currently looking into the Save America PAC's fundraising practices as part of a separate investigation. 

Read on to discover the secrets and scandals of Trump's Florida HQ...

READ MORE: The secret history of Mar-a-Lago

Mishandled government documents aren't the only dramas unfolding at Mar-a-Lago. Fit for a king, never mind an ex-president, Donald Trump has holed up at his magnificent estate since leaving the White House in January 2021. It boasts a fascinating and at times eyebrow-raising backstory, so click or scroll through as we reveal the secrets hidden within its walls, past and present...

Trump found Mar-a-Lago through a cab driver

According to the City Journal, Trump is said to have first heard about Mar-a-Lago from a taxi cab driver during a drive around Palm Beach, and knew there and then that he just had to have it. To the flashy real estate mogul, the winter retreat represented the ultimate trophy property. Trump initially offered socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, who originally commissioned the estate, $15 million (£12m).

Trump played hardball to make the deal

The offer was rejected, so Trump decided to play tough. He purchased a beachfront parcel of land between the estate and ocean for $2 million (£1.6m). According to The Independent, he revealed plans to put a building up that would block the sea view from Mar-a-Lago, thus depreciating its value and putting off rival buyers. 

Trump got the estate for a bargain

Trump's audacious move had the desired effect. In 1985, the Post family agreed to accept just $8 million (£6.5m) for the estate and all its contents. This is a fraction of what Mar-a-Lago cost to build in real terms and what it's estimated to be worth nowadays—Forbes valued the property at $160 million (£129m) in 2018. The property magnate had landed the real estate bargain of the year, if not the decade.

Trump claimed a restoration tax break

When the Trump empire ran into financial difficulties in the early 1990s, Donald Trump worked out a way of turning his money-pit estate into a money-making juggernaut—by transforming it into a member's club. To win over the Palm Beach town council and gain permission for his venture, Trump promised to carry out a sensitive restoration of Mar-a-Lago, according to the Palm Beach Post. This would also allow him to claim a massive tax break in the form of a conservation easement.

The club has an inclusive membership policy

Trump billed the club as open to all who could afford to sign up, unlike the two most established private members' clubs in Palm Beach, which, shockingly, barred African American, Jewish and LGBTQ+ people from joining. While Trump has been rightly applauded for this inclusive policy, some commentators say his motives were more about making as much money as possible and further ingratiating himself with the town council than anything benevolent. The town eventually granted permission for the club, though with some strings attached, which we will come to later.

Trump spent $7 million on a gold ballroom

Trump shelled out millions on the expensive restoration, which was given a big thumbs up by conservationists, and splurged on a number of additions to the property, including two swimming pools, a beauty salon and a spa, with the lion's share of the money going on a new 20,000-square-foot ballroom in the Louis XIV style. Trump is said to have spent $7 million (£5.6m) gilding the palatial space and $100,000 (£81k) a-piece on the gold basins in the bathrooms. 

The Baby House was Ivanka's childhood bedroom

Interestingly, Post had iron bars installed on the windows and placed guards at the door of the Baby House following the Lindbergh kidnapping of 1932 and wouldn't allow her daughter to go anywhere without bodyguards in tow, up until her 18th birthday. In later years, guests including 'Lady Bird' Johnson stayed in the suite, and when Trump acquired the property, his daughter Ivanka got dibs on it, though these days she prefers staying in the Banyan Bungalow on the grounds.

Trump sold some of the antiques

Although the mega-mansion itself, which had gone from 118 to 126 rooms, was restored, some of its contents were sold off at auction and replaced with reproductions. Among the items that Trump offloaded were the jewel-encrusted marble dining table, antique Spanish rug, Louis XIV chests and Venetian glasses worth a thousand dollars each. 

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley honeymooned at the club

The club has welcomed a long list of celebrities over the years, including Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, who spent their honeymoon at Mar-a-Lago. Other stars who visited the club whether for pleasure or to perform at a function include Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Tiger Woods, Billy Joel, Vanessa Williams, Liza Minnelli and Sylvester Stallone.

Celine Dion took on the chef

Laurence Leamer, author of Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace, recounts a story in his definitive book on the estate. In 2000, Trump hired top French chef Bernard Goupy, who wowed Celine Dion when she threw a baby shower at the club. Trump wasn't quite so impressed and fired Goupy not long after, having launched an expletive-packed tirade against his signature dish, a Caesar salad. The chef went on to work for Dion who renamed the dish 'Trump Salad'.

Trump doubled the joining fee after winning the election

Trump doubled the joining fee from $100,000 (£80k) to $200,000 (£162k) after he became president, prompting CNBC to report allegations that he was seeking to profit from his position. Some reports suggest the fee, which was $50,000 (£40k) back when the club opened in the 1990s, is now $250,000 (£201k). Members are also required to stump up yearly membership dues of $14,000 (£11k) and spend a minimum of $2,000 (£1.6k) per annum on food.

Trump is classed as a 'club employee'

The council's attorney reviewed Trump's residency in February 2021, coming to an agreement that he could stay. At the council meeting, a lawyer for the former president explained that Trump is a club employee, which means that he is within the decades-long agreement that states that no one can live at Mar-a-Lago unless they work there. 

Trump lost the only helipad in Palm Beach

It's not only his security that has had to be downsized since his exit as president. A helipad, which was installed for the president on the lawn of Mar-a-Lago was removed when he lost the title of president. The helipad was the only one of its kind in Palm Beach, where there is a strict 'no helicopter' rule for its residents, granted as a special privilege to Trump during his term in the White House. 

Not all club members are Republicans

The number of members is estimated at almost 500 and, contrary to what you might think, the list isn't completely dominated by MAGA Republicans. They do make up a significant proportion, though, including several who were nominated by Trump for ambassador posts. The most notable left-leaning member, Democratic Party power broker George Norcross, gave up his membership. 

A ghost is said to roam the corridors

In an interview promoting his book Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago and the Rise of America's Xanadu, writer Les Standiford mentioned that some people insist the ghost of Marjorie Merriweather Post roams Mar-a-Lago's corridors. What Post would have thought of Trump is anyone's guess and although her daughter wasn't a fan, the scion's granddaughter Marjorie Post Dye praised him for preserving the property.

The club has broken health codes

An Associated Press investigation conducted in 2017 found that Mar-a-Lago had been cited for 78 health code violations in the previous three years, with inspectors flagging up a range of issues that included chefs failing to wash their hands, dirty cutting boards, mould growing on the ice machine, as well as serving unsafe seafood and meat that had been improperly refrigerated.

Melania Trump revamped the owner's suite

Pictured here from the outside, the owner's suite contains the aforementioned Versailles Master Bedroom, an additional bedroom, the Pine Hall and the Louis XV hall, living rooms, bathrooms and offices. As well as searching for a school for Barron Trump and setting up an office at Mar-a-Lago to continue her 'Be Best' campaign, Melania Trump prepared for the family's move by overseeing the suite's expansion and revamp, opting for copious dark wood and white marble.

Trump allegedly hated the makeover

Working with her favorite interior designer, Tham Kannalikham, Melania updated some of the private quarters in her own modern aesthetic. According to a report by CNN, Donald Trump is said to have hit the roof when he saw the makeover. He reportedly ordered the immediate removal of the wood and marble. Here's how the master bedroom looked in the 1990s.

Trump's presidential visits cost US taxpayers millions

Trump visited the property 32 times during his presidency, spending a total of 142 days there. Mar-a-Lago was used for important government business and hosted meetings with world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. But these trips didn't come cheap with four sojourns costing a whopping $13.6 million (£11m) or an average of $3.4 million (£2.7m) each.

Trump charged taxpayers for his security detail

According to reports from The Guardian, Trump billed the Secret Service more than $40,000 (£32k) of taxpayers' money for accommodation for his own security team detail. Former presidents are provided with Secret Service protection for life, but not one to play by the books, there are no other examples of past presidents billing the Secret Service such a large amount.

The bill to stay at Mar-a-Lago

When he left the White House to live at Mar-a-Lago on 20 January 2021, public records show that Trump charged the Secret Service $396.15 (£320) every night until 30 April. The charges are rumoured to be for a single room at the resort that was used as a workspace for the Secret Service, which has been reduced from four or five rooms when he was president. However, costs for the single room have sky-rocketed, as Trump has spent much more time in Florida, rather than previously just visiting at weekends. 

Trump and Melania 'treated like zoo animals'

Reports from Palm Beach not long after Trump left the White House shone an unexpected light on Donald and Melania's curious dinner customs at the estate. Author Michael Wolff claims that the couple were "treated like zoo animals" because they eat alone at a roped-off table in the Mar-a-Lago club, under the watchful gaze of 50 or 60 tables of diners. Wolff also says that guests "rise from their seats to applaud the arrival of the former first couple to the dining area" each evening.

‘Secret’ Secret Service meetings

The Palm Beach Post reported that the US Secret Service called a meeting on 26 October 2021 with local law enforcement officials at Mar-a-Lago to discuss security arrangements in the event of a second presidential run, according to a source who attended the meeting. It was believed to be the second gathering to discuss the subject. However, when asked for details about the meeting, public information officers for the Palm Beach Police Department and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said they “had no knowledge any such meeting took place". On 15 November 2022, Donald Trump launched his bid for the White House in 2024, so it looks like those rumoured security arrangements may soon be in place.

Trump charged forum guests up to $250k

It was also revealed that Trump asked guests to stump up a pretty penny to attend his 'Take Back Congress Candidate Forum', hosted at Mar-a-Lago in February 2022. According to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Trump charged attendees to the event, which was aimed at the midterm elections in November 2022, up to $250,000 (£202k) for entry to the forum. For that hefty price tag, top-paying guests received a photo and a private dinner for two with Trump, plus VIP seating and a two-night stay at the resort during the event. 

More funds for Trump's $122m war chest

The cheapest ticket for the forum came in at $5,000 (£4k) per couple, and is said to have covered "dinner with endorsed candidates and comments from President Trump". However, The Guardian reported that the earnings from the forum went towards Trump's own Super Pac, as opposed to those Republican candidates working to reclaim Congress. 

Trump launches Truth Social

After social media posts about the Capitol riots in January 2021, Trump was permanently banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, though since Elon Musk's Twitter takeover in 2022, he's been allowed back on the platform. On 20 October 2021, CNBC reported that Trump was launching his own media network, Trump Media & Technology Group, amid a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech.” The company lists Mar-a-Lago as its address and Truth Social claims to be "America’s “Big Tent” social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology". 

Mar-a-Lago a target for freeloaders

Once one of Trump's most vocal political opponents, Senator Lindsey Graham has become one of the former president's advisors in more recent years. But the South Carolina Republican didn't win over former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who criticised the senator in her forthcoming memoir, I'll Take Your Questions Now. In an excerpt printed in Business Insider she dubbed him one of the 'hangers-on' saying: "It struck me that he was using Trump to mop up the freebies like there was no tomorrow. He would show up at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster to play free rounds of golf, stuff his face with free food, and hang out with Trump and his celebrity pals."

Mar-a-Lago members had ‘improper influence’ over Trump government

A joint investigation by the House committees on Oversight and Veterans’ Affairs found that three members of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort improperly influenced decisions at the Department of Veterans Affairs. ProPublica reported that associates from his private club pursued a plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs to monetise patient data, according to documents newly released by congressional investigators. Those accused included Ike Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment, attorney Marc Sherman, and Dr Bruce Moskowitz. Oversight Committee chairwoman Rep Carolyn Maloney and Veterans’ Affairs chair Rep Mark Takano alleged that the three men “violated the law and sought to exert improper influence over government officials to further their own personal interests”.

The future of the 'Mar-a-Lago three'?

According to the Independent, emails obtained by the committee between Dr Moskowitz and then-Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin revealed that the group was taking efforts to cover up their activities, a move that would prove problematic after the Government Accountability Office found that the group constituted an official federal advisory committee under law and was therefore subject to records and transparency requirements. The results of the investigation could be the basis for the launch of an investigation at the Justice Department regarding potential breaches of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Explosive exposé

The revelations emerged in an excerpt of Michael Wolff's new book, Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, which was released in July 2021. The political writer's third exposé on the former president, Wolff also claims that Donald Trump had been asking visitors at his Mar-a-Lago resort for recommendations for lawyers, in the wake of charges brought against the Trump Organization for tax crimes. The Trump Organization has since been found guilty of criminal tax fraud.

A magnet for spies?

It's no surprise that security at Mar-a-Lago is something of a hot topic. The Guardian reported that since the FBI’s discovery of nuclear secrets among other highly classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, former intelligence officials have warned that Trump’s Florida residence is “a magnet for foreign spies”. Amongst the documents found there were also papers marked ‘SAP’, for Special-Access Programmes, which often detail US intelligence operations as well as others stamped ‘HCS’ (Humint Control Systems), involving intelligence gathered from agents in enemy countries. Trump denies any wrongdoing, arguing that as president he had declassified all the documents, and that they were kept securely at his Mar-a-Lago home.

Target for intelligence services?

Commenting on the FBI's findings, John Brennan, former CIA director, told MSNBC: "I know that national security professionals inside government, my former colleagues, [they] are shaking their heads at what damage might have been done." "I’m sure Mar-a-Lago was being targeted by Russian intelligence and other intelligence services over the course of the last 18 or 20 months, and if they were able to get individuals into that facility, and access those rooms where those documents were and made copies of those documents, that’s what they would do."

The fake heiress

As an example of how the documents may have been at risk, in August 2022, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project alleged that Ukraine-born Inna Yashchyshyn was able to mingle with Trump’s family and friends at Mar-a-Lago, posing as banking dynasty heiress Anna de Rothschild to gain access to the club. The "self-confessed grifter" even met and had a photo taken with the former president. While there is purportedly no evidence that Yashchyshyn was a spy, the incident highlighted how easy it is to enter the inner circle at Trump’s Florida estate. 

Convicted trespassers

The Guardian also reported that during Trump’s presidency, two Chinese women were caught trespassing on the estate on separate occasions. One of them, Yujing Zhang, was reportedly: "In possession of four mobile phones, a laptop, an external hard drive, and a thumb drive carrying malware. Investigators reportedly found nine USB drives, five SIM cards and a 'signal detector' device for spotting hidden microphones or cameras in her hotel room." She was found guilty of unlawfully entering a restricted building as well as making false statements to a federal officer and deported to China in 2021. Seen here is CNN reporter Kaylee Hartung outside the courthouse in 2019.

Mar-a-Lago named in civil fraud lawsuit

In another addition to the list of Trump's legal woes, Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and three of his adult children on Wednesday 21 September 2022, “on claims they engaged in years of financial fraud to secure favourable loans, tax benefits and other economic advantages”, the BBC reported. The civil lawsuit alleges misconduct across almost two dozen Trump-owned properties in the US and overseas, including Mar-a-Lago, which was converted to a members-only social club in 1994. The court filing states that Trump made the change because he worried the property was too expensive to use, preserve or sell for residential use. Yet his valuations treated the land as "an unrestricted home to 'be sold to an individual', rather than the heavily encumbered historical landmark restricted to club usage that it was", the suit claims.

Inflated valuation

Despite Mar-a-Lago serving as Trump’s main residence post-presidency, the BBC reports, Trump signed deeds that gave up residential development rights and restricted changes to the estate. The lawsuit claims that  Attorney General Letitia James' (pictured) office found that this false premise backed up valuations from 2011 through to 2021, with the property's value peaking at an incredible $739 million (£597m). "In reality, the club generated annual revenues of less than $25 million (£20m) and should have been valued at closer to $75 million (£61m)," the plaintiffs claim.

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