Oversight Project Files FOIA Lawsuit for Key DOJ, NARA Documents on Trump Raid

Attorneys representing the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project are suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for refusing to grant expedited processing of the conservative non-profit’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for copies of communications at the center of the FBI’s controversial Aug. 8 raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

The government’s refusal concerned two Oversight Project FOIA requests. The DOJ request sought copies of all communications between any DOJ employees and entities outside the government, including those in the news media. The NARA request sought copies of all communications between that agency and the Biden White House, DOJ, the FBI, and staff members working for Trump.

The Oversight Project’s request for the expedited handling, which is provided under certain circumstances by the FOIA, was based on the intense public interest that exploded as soon as news broke of the raid involving more than 30 FBI agents lasting more than 11 hours and resulting in the removal of thousands of documents from the estate.

During the raid, which was based on the DOJ’s belief that Trump illegally kept highly secret, classified documents in unsecured facilities at the estate, FBI agents inspected the wardrobe of former First Lady Melania Trump.

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Agents also seized an estimated 11,000 non-classified documents and photographs. A total of 103 documents marked with various levels of classification were also seized by the agents. A photograph released by the FBI following the raid reportedly showed multiple folders bearing classification markings that were empty.

The Epoch Times has also reported that the search warrant that enabled the raid specified that agents could also seize information regarding the retrieval, storage, or transmission of national defense information or classified material; any government and/or presidential records created