Empty 'classified' folders found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home

New inventory shares more details on what the FBI seized during search of former president's home

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A US federal judge on Friday unsealed a document from the FBI search of former president Donald Trump's home, providing a more detailed look at what was obtained by the government.

The inventory document shares the contents of the 33 boxes that law enforcement took from the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last month, confirming that hundreds of government documents and photographs were found there.

Some included “secret”, “classified” and “top secret” markings — indicating material with information that requires some of the highest levels of security clearance to view and obtain.

The FBI said it found dozens of empty folders with “classified” labels on them and folders saying they should be returned “to staff secretary/military aide”.

It did not say why the folders were empty or where the documents they contained may be.

The inventory provides more information than an initial FBI search warrant that was also unsealed.

It reveals how the highly sensitive documents were intermingled with clothing, stacks of magazines and newspapers, gifts, books and clothing.

Hundreds of non-classified US government photographs and documents were also found.

FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago on August 8, as part of a Department of Justice probe into whether Mr Trump and his team violated the Espionage Act, among other federal laws.

The probe has revealed that the US government believes Mr Trump's team may have obstructed formal federal requests to return documents moved from the White House after his presidency ended in January 2021.

The Justice Department has completed its review of the materials obtained in the search, and Mr Trump is still requesting a special master to oversee its review.

A judge on Thursday did not rule whether one would be assigned to the case.

Updated: September 02, 2022, 6:03 PM