WASHINGTON - The FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate sent reverberations across the country, even before court papers were unsealed Friday showing agents recovered documents labeled "top secret" as they investigated potential violations of three laws, including one that governs defense information under the Espionage Act.Trump has said the documents seized by agents were "all declassified," and argued that he would have turned them over to the Justice Department if asked.
It was unclear, however, whether the documents had been declassified or whether he had the power to do so. Trump also had kept possession of the documents despite multiple requests to turn them over in accordance with federal law.RELATED: Trump search: FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Mar-a-LagoA police car is seen outside former US President Donald Trump's residence in Mar-A-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida on August 8, 2022. (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images) Here's a look at how the monthslong investigation unfolded and the rapid drumbeat of what's happened since:Mid-January 2022: Fifteen boxes of presidential records are retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in a transfer arranged by the National Archives and Records Administration.
The transfer came after a Trump representative told the agency in December 2021 there were records in Florida nearly a year after he left office.
The agency says that under federal law, all records have to be preserved, a process that is "critical to our democracy."Trump calls the discussions "collaborative and respectful" and says it was a "great honor" to work with the National Archives.