Documents released by a White House transparency task force indicate that the FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump’s travel schedules before the August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. The White House called the actions an abuse of power.
Documents released by a White House government transparency task force indicate that the FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump’s travel schedules before the August 2022 search of the Mar-a-Lago estate. The investigation into the handling of classified documents was conducted under the Biden administration under the codename Plasmic Echo.
The materials also refer to the collection of information about calls involving Susie Wiles, who at the time led Donald Trump’s political operations and now serves as White House chief of staff. The contacts concerned her communications with lawyers, political advisers and journalists. The published text does not support a claim that the FBI listened to the contents of the conversations.
According to the report, the measures were authorized by Attorney General Merrick Garland on the recommendation of FBI Director Christopher Wray. The White House described the actions as an abuse of government power and surveillance of political opponents.
A court dismissed the classified-documents case against Trump in July 2024, ruling that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unlawful.