A person close to Trump said the surveillance footage was so secure that the former president’s aide wasn’t sure Trump had seen it in full.
“I don’t believe it was shared by anyone other than a lawyer,” the person said.
But when asked by Fox’s Sean Hannity earlier this week if the footage would be released, Trump’s son Eric said, “Absolutely Sean, at the right time.”
Some of Trump’s aides and supporters have encouraged the former president to release portions of the footage to the public, believing it could send a jolt of energy to Republican supporters. One person said there was discussion about featuring the August footage in a campaign-style ad, believing the footage could reinforce Trump’s allegations of political persecution.
Another person close to Trump said it doesn’t matter if the former president and his team release the footage, and when it might be released before the president makes his campaign announcement. rice field.
“Reading a ton of numbers on inventory lists and seeing law enforcement officers actually carry a dozen boxes out of President Trump’s house, knowing they may contain classified documents. is another thing. I don’t know how that will help him,” said the person, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity to speak candidly.
Trump could also spend the next few months simply raising the specter of releasing footage that would be used as a political weapon without actually doing so.
CNN has reached out to the FBI and the Justice Department for comment.
Federal prosecutors recently revealed that the investigation “involving highly sensitive material” means their work will continue and criminal charges may be filed.
It’s unclear what exactly the surveillance footage shows, but Trump and his attorney taped the Aug. 8 search by federal agents even after agents asked them to turn off the security cameras. Jay Bratt, head of the Department of Justice’s counterintelligence and export control division, who visited Mar-a-Lago in June, said he was the official who asked specific questions on the day of the raid, according to people familiar with the matter. a source told CNN.
The Justice Department previously subpoenaed surveillance footage from the club, including outside the room where the documents were kept, as part of an ongoing investigation.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that FBI agents “demanded that all security cameras be turned off. We said no!” It’s not uncommon for the FBI to try to make sure cameras aren’t capturing this sort of search.
The announcement of the impending 2024 presidential election could be a factor in the timing, as the former president and his team weigh whether and when to release surveillance footage, he said on the issue. A person familiar with the matter spoke on condition of anonymity. The former president is widely expected to run again, though he has yet to decide when to officially begin his campaign.
“If someone can convince him, this is good for him and bad for his enemies,” said Ty Cobb, a former White House attorney under Trump. I don’t have a lawyer to help me solve these things strategically, and I’m really thinking for myself.”
Trump’s attorney, Christina Bob, declined to comment on the record.
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is among Trump supporters calling for either full or curated surveillance footage to be released. A clear reference to the movie The Matrix.
A second Trump supporter, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, also urged the former president’s team to release the footage, telling CNN to “see FBI agents prowling around Mars.” Drive the base to bananas.” – Lago while President Trump is out of town. (The former president was in Trump’s tower in New York City when a search was conducted last week.)
Trump and his allies have taken to social media to repeatedly claim that Republicans are benefiting from a frenzy with supporters who believe the Justice Department abused its powers by executing a search warrant at the former president’s residence. There is
But releasing the tape neutralizes some of the most conspiratorial excuses for searches recently circulating by MAGA personalities, including the unsubstantiated idea that the FBI planted evidence on Mar-a-Lago. It is possible that the former president himself has made repeated claims, especially after Trump’s own lawyers approved the FBI’s seizure receipts at the end of the search, and there is no evidence to support them.
Trump claimed that “no one” was allowed to watch the FBI search his home, before revealing he had surveillance cameras on in Mar-a-Lago.
Bob told the right-wing network Real America’s Voice, “I think the people of New York — President Trump and his family — probably watched better than I did. There were surveillance cameras, so they could see.” I made it,” he said. last Thursday. A few days later, Bob told right-wing commentator Tomi Lahren that she had misunderstood the situation and didn’t know who had seen the surveillance footage, live or on tape.
Cobb, Trump’s former attorney, said he was skeptical that Trump would eventually release the footage.
“If something goes wrong, if someone plants evidence or shows something like that, it’s going to be really explosive,” Cobb said. That’s the main reason I doubt they’ll go public, because they haven’t shown that they’re planting evidence, and that insane claim has been taken off the table.”
use as leverage
As he considers a third presidential campaign, a more politically powerful move for Trump may be to tease the existence of security footage without revealing it. It would be a familiar strategy for Trump, who routinely promised to provide evidence of his innocence when he faced sexual harassment allegations during the 2016 presidential election, but rarely did.
“Once you’re out there, you lose power as leverage,” Cobb said.
Trump has already demanded the release of the warrant that prompted FBI agents to search his Palm Beach mansion last week, as well as a list of items seized on the property. The former president also urged Justice of the Peace Bruce Reinhart to release the underlying affidavit that was central to federal investigators obtaining a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago.
“In order to ensure transparency, we ask for the immediate release of a fully unredacted affidavit regarding this horrific and shocking intrusion,” Trump told Truth Social Monday.
The Justice Department this week opposed press requests for the opening of affidavits, arguing that doing so could jeopardize ongoing investigations and deter future witnesses from cooperating.
Source: www.cnn.com
