A lawyer for former US President Donald Trump made a written statement in June that the politician had returned all classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida to the US government, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the document.

According to the media outlet, the existence of such a statement, which has not earlier been reported, could have made law enforcement officers think that Trump was not completely honest with investigators concerning the issue. It also might explain the criminal articles on the basis of which a search warrant was issued.

In addition, the US Justice Department had access to security footage from Trump's residence, which raised concerns about documents being misused, the New York Times reported.

Federal court unseals search warrant

The US federal court unsealed the search warrant, signed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on August 5, which authorized a raid on Trump's residence until August 19. The Federal Bureau of Investigation ultimately searched the facility on August 8.

A receipt included with the search warrant shows that investigators took various documents, some of which included materials labeled "Top Secret".

In a statement, Trump claimed on Friday that all materials kept at the residence were declassified and securely stored.

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The search warrant indicates that the raid was conducted as part of a federal probe into potential violations of the Espionage Act, removal or destruction of records, and obstruction of an investigation.

Under US law, the destruction of records charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the defense information violation up to 10 years, and the concealment of records up to three years.

And the list goes on… #Trump pic.twitter.com/1NdUthK3Dd

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 11, 2022

FBI took 11 boxes worth of papers from Trump's residence

Days after the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago property, the contents of the search warrant were made public. The FBI took 11 boxes worth of papers, including data deemed to be so secret that they could not be stated individually in the "receipt" of what was taken.

In addition, about 20 boxes of materials were retrieved from Trump's residence, including handwritten notes, executive orders, and other documents, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

On Friday, Trump, 76, dismissed a report that the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago residence with the aim of searching for classified nuclear weapon documents.

"Nuclear weapons issue is a Hoax, just like Russia, Russia, Russia was a Hoax, two Impeachments were a Hoax, the Muller investigation was a Hoax and much more. Same sleazy people," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He also questioned why the FBI wouldn't allow his lawyers to be present during the inspection, accusing them of "planting" evidence in the mansion. 

Trump reiterated his claim that the search was an "unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement."

The former US President has offered no details about how the supposed declassification took place, and a former Trump administration aide, Kash Patel, has said that even though Trump did declassify the records, the White House counsel’s office never provided the required paperwork.