(Newsweek) A new court filing unsealed Tuesday provides a behind-the-scenes look at how federal agents prepared for and executed the raid on Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022, including “deadly force” being within the mission’s guidelines.
The raid led to the search and seizure of hundreds of documents containing classified information, ultimately leading to criminal charges against the Trump. Last June, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee pleaded not guilty to 37 charges associated with his alleged lack of returning classified material after his term in the White House concluded.
The former president’s motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida challenges the legality of the FBI‘s raid, in addition to the Special Counsel’s Office allegedly violating his attorney-client privilege.
An “operations order” of the 9 a.m. raid that was produced in discovery contained a “policy statement” regarding the “use of deadly force,” which said in part: “Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary.”
Agents at the scene of the raid, who were instructed to wear unmarked polo or collared shirts, had planned to bring “standard issue weapons, ammo, handcuffs and medium and large sized bolt cutters.”
A contingencies plan was also created in cohesion with the raid, showing that a paramedic be at the scene in case someone is “injured.” The name of the nearest local trauma center, complete with an address and a phone number, was included on the same form.
Contingencies also said that agents “will be prepared to engage with” Trump and U.S. Secret Service should he have arrived at Mar-a-Lago.
