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Trump considering releasing surveillance footage of FBI Mar-a-Lago search

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Some allies of former President Donald Trump are urging him to publicly release surveillance footage of FBI agents executing a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago residence, a proposal that has drawn mixed reaction inside his orbit, CNN has learned.
Some allies of former President Donald Trump are urging him to publicly release surveillance footage of FBI agents executing a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago residence, a proposal that has drawn mixed reaction inside his orbit, CNN has learned.
The CCTV footage has been so closely held that aides to the former President aren’t sure if he has seen it in full himself, said a person close to Trump.
« I don’t think it’s been shared by anyone outside of the attorneys, » this person said.
Yet when asked earlier this week by Fox’s Sean Hannity whether the footage would be released, Trump’s son Eric said, « Absolutely Sean, at the right time.  »
Some of Trump’s aides and allies have encouraged the former President to make some of the footage available to the public, believing it could send a jolt of energy through the Republican Party’s base. One person familiar with the conversations said there have been discussions about featuring the August footage in campaign-style ads, believing the footage could bolster Trump’s claims of political persecution.
Another person close to Trump said it’s not a matter of if the former President and his team release any of the footage, but when, noting it could be released before he makes a campaign announcement.
Others in Trump’s orbit have warned of the potential risks to the former President if he does release the tapes. A second person close to Trump cautioned that releasing the footage could backfire by providing people with a visual understanding of the sheer volume of materials that federal agents seized from his oceanfront residence, including classified materials.
« It’s one thing to read a bunch of numbers on an inventory list, it’s another to see law enforcement agents actually carrying a dozen-plus boxes out of President Trump’s home knowing they probably contain sensitive documents. I don’t see how that helps him, » said this person, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity in order the speak candidly.
Trump could also spend the next several months simply raising the specter of releasing the footage to be used as a political weapon without ever actually doing so.
CNN has reached out to FBI and Justice Department for comment.
Federal prosecutors disclosed in recent days that the investigation « implicates highly classified materials » and that their work continues on, potentially toward criminal charges.
While it is unclear exactly what the surveillance footage could show, Trump and his attorneys say they taped the August 8 search by federal investigators even after agents asked them to turn off the security cameras.

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