FBI Retrieved Top Secret Documents from Trump’s Florida Home
Ask Students: Who is interviewed in this story, and what are their backgrounds? Where did the FBI search within Trump’s home and resort, according to this story?
Summary
A federal judge on Friday unsealed and made public the search warrant for former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. A review of the warrant reveals that the FBI collected more than 20 boxes of items, including some material classified as top secret. The search got underway after the National Archives notified the Justice Department that some of the content from about 15 boxes it had collected from Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House contained serious national security information. For a transcript of this story, click here.
Discussion Questions
- Who is interviewed in this story, and what are their backgrounds?
- Where did the FBI search within Trump’s home and resort, according to this story?
- What were some of the documents removed from Mar-a-Lago, according to the warrant?
- How do documents labeled “top secret” differ from other documents taken, according to this story?
- Why did the FBI conduct the search? Why did Trump’s supporters claim the search of his home was improper?
Focus Questions
Do you think documents produced during a presidential administration should be available to the public? How should the government decide which to keep secret? Should the former president be allowed to keep documents his- or herself?
Media Literacy: What expertise does Renato Mariotti bring to this discussion? What other sort of expert do you think might be important to hear from?
What is the National Archives? Check here to find out!
Additional Resource
For more reaction to the FBI seizure of documents from Mar-a-Lago, and how it fits into a larger historical and political framework, see this conversation between Jonathan Capehart and David Brooks.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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