"FBI investigation into Donald Trump" redirects here. For the counterintelligence investigation into links between Trump associates and Russian officials, see
Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation) .
The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered classified documents at Trump's residence, the Mar-a-Lago .
Plasmic Echo [ 1] was the codename for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump 's handling of classified and national defense -related government documents beginning in 2022, looking for possible violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice .[ 2] [ 3]
In November 2022, a special counsel investigation was launched to take over the FBI investigation, under the direction of Jack Smith , a special counsel appointed by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland .
On June 8, 2023, Trump was indicted on charges related to the documents in the Federal District Court in Miami. It was the first time a former U.S. president had faced federal charges.[ 4] Trump was arraigned at the federal courthouse in Miami on June 13, 2023, on 37 criminal charges, pleading not guilty to all charges.[ 5]
^ Feuer, Alan (April 22, 2024). "Trump Was Warned to Return Records to Archives, Unsealed Documents Say" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024 . Some of the exhibits revealed, for instance, that the F.B.I. used the code name "Plasmic Echo" for its initial investigation of the classified documents that Mr. Trump took to Mar-a-Lago.
^ Polantz, Katelyn; Cohen, Zachary; Murray, Sara; Cohen, Marshall (August 12, 2022). "FBI took 11 sets of classified material from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home while investigating possible Espionage Act violations" . CNN . Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022 .
^ Thrush, Glenn; Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie (August 26, 2022). "Trump Search Live Updates: Documents at Mar-a-Lago Included Top Secret Information" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022 .
^ Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie; Rashbaum, William K.; Protess, Benjamin (June 8, 2023). "Trump Indicted: Trump Is Charged in Classified Documents Inquiry" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Documents Case" . New York Times . June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023 .