Sources tell ABC News the search was related to 15 boxes of documents that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago when he departed the White House.
In January, Trump handed over the documents to the National Archives, and attorneys for Trump said they were searching for any more records they may have.The action marks a dramatic escalation in law enforcement scrutiny of Trump and comes as he has been laying the groundwork to make another bid for president.
Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search, including about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized the search. There are multiple statutes governing classified information, including a law punishable by up to five years in prison that makes it a crime to remove such records and retain them at an unauthorized location. Another statute makes it a crime to mishandle classified records either intentionally or in a grossly negligent manner.
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