Documents.. "FBI" Monitored the Trump Family and Spied on His Aide During Biden's Term

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Documents released by the White House revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) monitored the movements of First Lady Melania Trump and Barron, the son of President Donald Trump, as well as the phone of Suzy Wiles, the current White House Chief of Staff, during the presidency of former President Joe Biden. This was part of the investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding Donald Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

According to documents published by the American newspaper "New York Post", FBI agents tracked the movements of the Trump family in May 2022, aiming to determine the appropriate timing for executing a raid on Mar-a-Lago. The internal instructions for the investigators included specifying the type of aircraft and the schedule for the movements of Trump, Melania, and Barron, in addition to coordinating with the Department of Justice and the Secret Service.

The FBI executed the raid on August 8, 2022, which included Trump's office and the bedrooms of him and his wife Melania. The documents indicate that the secret investigation was named Plasmic Echo, and that then-Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the surveillance based on a recommendation from the FBI Director at the time, Christopher Wray.

In a memo dated May 2022, Wray warned that the investigation could involve prominent figures associated with the Trump administration, and that disclosing it before the elections could be "destabilizing to the democratic process". However, he wrote at the end of the memo recommending approval of the procedures.

The documents reveal that the FBI monitored Suzy Wiles' phone between February and May 2023, recording her communications with about twenty attorneys connected to Trump, in addition to aides in his campaign, political consultants, and some journalists. At that time, Wiles was managing Trump's political operation in preparation for the 2024 elections. Investigators also recorded communications between Wiles and Trump, including a call on May 19, 2023, that lasted 16 minutes and 11 seconds.

Records showed that Wiles was in frequent contact with attorneys, campaign staff, and media. In April 2023, the FBI interviewed her in Florida, then reviewed her communication records before and after the interview, including her communications with Trump and several of his lawyers.

Smith's investigation focused on the possibility of obstruction of justice and whether Trump made false statements regarding the return of classified documents to the National Archives.

In July 2024, the document case was dismissed after a federal judge ruled that Smith's appointment as special counsel was illegal. The White House, in a statement, described the surveillance operation as "a shameful abuse of government power," considering that spying on political opponents represents "the weaponization of law enforcement," and called for accountability for those responsible.