The U.S. intelligence community will assess potential national security risks resulting from former President Donald Trump’s handing of allegedly classified documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago property in West Palm Beach, Florida, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stated in a letter to lawmakers.
BREAKING — The U.S. intelligence community will assess potential damages to national security stemming from Trump’s handling of documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told top lawmakers Friday
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In a letter dated Friday, initially reported by Politico, Haines wrote to Democrat Reps. Adam Schiff of California and Carolyn Maloney of New York — chairs of the House Intelligence Committee and Oversight Committee, respectively — that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will lead an “assessment of the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.”
“The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) are working together to facilitate a classification review of relevant materials, including those recovered during the search,” Haines penned, also noting that the investigation would be carried out so as not to impede the DOJ’s criminal investigation, according to Politico.
The affidavit, released Friday, used to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence disclosed that the FBI had probable cause to believe documents stored at the property contained classified information including National Defense information, according to Fox News.
“We are pleased that in response to our inquiry, Director Haines has confirmed that the Intelligence Community and Department of Justice are assessing the damage caused by the improper storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago,” Schiff and Maloney stated in a joint statement to Politico.
“The DOJ affidavit, partially unsealed yesterday, affirms our grave concern that among the documents stored at Mar-a-Lago were those that could endanger human sources. It is critical that the IC move swiftly to assess and, if necessary, to mitigate the damage done — a process that should proceed in parallel with DOJ’s criminal investigation,” the statement continued.