FBI Monitored Trump Family Travel and Lawyers in Secret Inquiry
WHO:
Fox News - The FBI monitored Melania Trump and Barron Trump.
NY Post - The FBI tapped Susie Wiles' cell phone; she is identified as a future White House Chief of Staff.
WHAT:
Alternet - The FBI had a series of nine training videos that show agents how to redact investigation files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Alternet - The Justice Department requested a 90-day delay in response to a FOIA request regarding the training videos.
Alternet - The FBI paid millions in overtime to more than 1,000 agents to sift through files and redact them in March 2025.
Alternet - The FBI's training videos total about 75 minutes in length.
Alternet - The FBI's brief included a table listing the nine training videos and their descriptions, with specific instructions on how to flag documents containing names, including Trump.
Fox News - Declassified records reveal the FBI tracked the travel of Melania and Barron Trump.
NY Post - The FBI's actions were part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into whether Trump illegally hoarded national security papers at Mar-a-Lago.
WHERE:
Fox News - The investigation pertains to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence in Florida.
WHY:
NY Post - The investigation was initiated to determine if President Trump illegally retained classified documents after his first term.
HOW:
Fox News - The FBI tracked the travel of the Trump family while planning the classified documents search at Mar-a-Lago.
(UPDATED October 5, 2026 23:58 UTC)
The FBI has developed a series of nine training videos, totaling about 75 minutes, to instruct agents on how to redact investigation files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In response to a FOIA request concerning these training videos, the Justice Department has requested a 90-day delay. Additionally, in March 2025, the FBI paid millions in overtime to over 1,000 agents tasked with sifting through and redacting these files, which included specific instructions on how to flag documents containing names, including Trump.
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(UPDATED October 5, 2026 23:02 UTC)
Declassified records reveal that the FBI monitored Melania Trump and her son Barron, tracking their travel as part of the investigation into whether President Trump illegally hoarded national security papers at Mar-a-Lago. Additionally, the FBI tapped the cell phone of Susie Wiles, who is identified as a potential future White House Chief of Staff, as part of special counsel Jack Smith's inquiry into the retention of classified documents after Trump's first term. This investigation, centered around Trump's Florida residence, aims to determine the legality of his actions regarding classified materials.