Trump claims documents seized from Mar-a-Lago were 'all declassified'

After the FBI’s search warrant was unsealed, Donald Trump issued a statement asserting that the documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago estate were “all declassified” and that he would have turned them over had the Justice Department simply asked. The claim was made despite the warrant showing agents recovered materials marked top secret and sensitive compartmented information. His classification authority as president lapsed when he left office, and it remained unclear whether any declassification process had actually occurred. The statement ignored that Trump had retained the records despite multiple requests from the National Archives and the Justice Department. Trump's declassification claim was later rebutted by court filings and the special counsel investigation, which found no evidence of a formal declassification process.

“The documents were all declassified. I would have turned them over had they just asked.” — Trump's statement after the FBI search warrant was unsealed, arguing he declassified all materials and criticizing the Justice Department for executing the search. Quote verified against source