Recent declassified records reveal that the FBI under the Biden administration monitored Trump family travel, including Melania and Barron Trump, and surveilled Susie Wiles, the future White House Chief of Staff. This activity occurred during the probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents post-presidency.
Investigation Details
The investigation, termed “Plasmic Echo,” was eventually led by special counsel Jack Smith. The FBI agents tracked the movement of the First Lady and her son while preparing the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. In addition, Susie Wiles’s phone calls with defense lawyers, campaign advisers, and journalists were under scrutiny.
“Jack Smith’s surveillance operation was a disgraceful abuse of government power,” said White House spokesperson Lauren Bis to Fox News Digital.
Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
This revelation follows a controversial Senate Judiciary Committee hearing regarding Smith’s methods in a separate investigation into Trump’s attempts to contest the 2020 election. This probe, known as Arctic Frost, involved collecting phone records related to Republican lawmakers. The Mar-a-Lago investigation led to the FBI’s 2022 search of the Florida estate.
Documentation from late May 2022 indicates that agents meticulously planned the execution of the warrant by finalizing travel details for Trump’s family. The FBI conducted the search on August 8, 2022, at Mar-a-Lago, where agents accessed Trump’s office and storage areas.
Documents and Legal Proceedings
Agents seized thousands of documents, over 100 of which were classified. These detailed records show how the high-profile investigation received backing from FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland in March 2022. Nonetheless, internal disagreements arose, particularly with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which questioned the grounds for probable cause needed for the search.
Surveillance of Susie Wiles
In addition to the Trump family, documents reveal that FBI officials monitored Susie Wiles’s cellphone from February to May 2023. Using real-time tools, they logged her communications, including those with defense attorneys, political aides, the Trump Organization, and the media.
The surveillance continued through her interactions with prosecutors and FBI agents, like her April 7, 2023, interview in Jacksonville, Florida.
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