Former President Donald Trump is reportedly concerned some of his own family members like his wife Melania Trump are acting as moles for the FBI after raid on his home earlier this week.
Someone close to the 45th president, who saw FBI agents raid his Mar-a-Lago residence in Southern Florida earlier this week, reportedly tipped off authorities about more documents at the resort.
Among other classified material, FBI agents are believed to have been looking specifically for documents about nuclear weapons.
It was not specified if these particular documents involved the US' own nuclear arsenal or that of another country.
The Bureau had to seek approval from a federal judge to carry out the August 10 search, meaning they had to demonstrate ] why they thought evidence of illegality would be found.
Part of that evidence, it is believed, may have been sources close to Trump.
Reports of the ex-President's paranoia over the issue appear to be prevalent and Rolling Stone magazine said he believes he is being wiretapped by current President Joe Biden.
One official told Newsweek the raid was based on the information given to the Bureau by a trusted source, known in a Wall Street Journal report as 'CI-1'.
George Conway, the lawyer and husband of former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, took to Twitter to wonder who the source could be.
Former deputy assistant FBI director Peter Strzok responded: "And -2? And -3? So much paranoia in a mole hunt, no one to trust, so much to do, so much to lose, so many walls closing in so fast. [also, might be Melanie]."
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said before the raid: "In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021."
Under the Presidential Records Act, US presidents are legally required not to destroy evidence. Trump is reported to have had a habit of tearing up documents.
The same documents had to be preserved, meaning it is alleged aides had to tape them back together in order for them to be sent to the National Archives.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said before the raid: "In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021."
Trump has heavily politicised the raid, claiming it was carried out by the "deep state" against him.
Newsweek sources explained that the raid was schedulde to occur when Trump was not present in order to avoid this, but this did not happen.
"I know that there is much speculation out there that this is political persecution, but it is really the best and the worst of the bureaucracy in action," they said.
"They wanted to punctuate the fact that this was a routine law enforcement action, stripped of any political overtones, and yet got exactly the opposite."
The FBI insists there was no political motive behind the raid and were trying to avoid security being breached and the documents being destroyed.
