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New Delhi
A day after former US President Donald Trump claimed that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had 'stolen' his three passports during the August 8 raid, CBS News and NBC News confirmed that the passports had been returned.
Reportedly, the FBI's 'filter team' which screens the contents seized during the raids discovered the three passports.
Moreover, FBI justified its stance of taking the passports along with the documents by saying, "When executing search warrants, the bureau follows search and seizure procedures ordered by courts, then returns items that we do not need to be retained for law enforcement purposes."
They stole my passport: Trump
As reported by WION, Trump on Monday took to his social media platform 'Truth Social' to make the news public.
âWow! In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else. This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country. Third World!,â said the Republican leader.
Read more: Donald Trump claims his passports 'stolen' by FBI agents during the August 8 raid
However, after a section of media questioned Trump's statement which came a few days after the raid, his spokesman Taylor Budowich tweeted a screenshot where Justice Department's Jay Bratt sent an email to Trump's team, informing them about the FBI, indeed having the passports.
"We have learned that the filter agents seized three passports belonging to President Trump, two expired and one being his active diplomatic passport. We are returning them, and they will be ready for pickup at WFO at 2 pm today," wrote Bratt in the email.
This is how Fake News works, folks. Biden admin actively feeds half truths & lies that the media willingly amplifiesâadvancing a partisan narrative to attack Trump.@NorahODonnell, did your âsourceâ read you this email? Did you bother asking if they indeed seized the passports? https://t.co/DlzkagN0ie pic.twitter.com/VwCU7DPCvg
â Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) August 15, 2022
Ever since the raid took place, both Trump and the Department of Justice have been trading blows. While the former claims that it is a witch hunt, the latter has refused to reveal the affidavit that led to the issuance of the search warrant.
(With inputs from agencies)
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