New details of the search of Mar-a-Lago reinforce the unique risk posed by Trump’s apparent retention of classified material.
Within the first two months that he was president, Donald Trump had already visited his estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, five times. His weekend jaunts, in addition to being pricey, were a scramble for the Secret Service, tasked both with protecting the president personally and the presidential entourage generally.
In March 2017, Politico published one of the first reports detailing the unusual challenge posed by Trump’s regular trips to the club.
“While Trump’s private club in South Florida has been transformed into a fortress of armed guards, military-grade radar, bomb sniffing dogs and metal-detection checkpoints,” Darren Samuelsohn wrote, “there are still notable vulnerabilities, namely the stream of guests who can enter the property without a background check.”
Because Trump operates a club on the property, members are allowed to explore the grounds with guests. It plays host to numerous events — political fundraisers, weddings, you name it — which provides a level of access that is otherwise unheard of for a presidential (or even post-presidential) residence.
In 2019, the perils of the scenario were manifested when a Chinese national was arrested after gaining access to the facility while in possession of several phones and other electronic devices. She made it to the reception area after bypassing security by saying she was going to the pool.
That situation carries a new weight this week.
On Monday, as you are no doubt aware, the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and procured a number of boxes of material from the property. It was the latest stage in a protracted effort to secure material that Trump took with him when he left office, including, it seems, classified documents.
