Foreign intelligence operatives have reportedly breached the security of Donald Trump's Palm Beach private club and residence, Mar-a-Lago, according to U.S. intelligence experts. Unsecured top-secret documents containing vital national security details and identities of key U.S. agents have allegedly been at the disposal of the infiltrators.
The former President's cavalier management of highly classified military files, carelessly stashed throughout Mar-a-Lago, have allegedly been exploited by adversaries. An intelligence source terms Trump's conduct as a "historic breach of national security."
Trump now faces a 37-count indictment, including 31 instances of federal Espionage Act violations for improperly storing over 300 classified documents at his Florida property. According to the same source, Trump's "irresponsible" behavior jeopardizes "the safety of our soldiers and our allies."
Amid a prolonged struggle to retrieve the top-secret documents from Trump, federal investigators uncovered over 150 events held at Mar-a-Lago between January 2020 and August 2021. These events were attended by roughly 10,000 guests, largely unchecked, resulting in high-profile access to highly sensitive data.
Further, a source revealed that extensive background checks on staff members were rarely performed, increasing the risk of foreign and political adversaries infiltrating the premises. This lack of thorough vetting, the source claims, left the staff open to potential coercion by political and foreign enemies.
The source vehemently states, "None of Mar-a-Lago's staff was adequately vetted. The infiltration level is unthinkable," citing a Trump family chef as a recent victim.
While some infiltrations had political motivations, the leaks extend to personal information and family secrets. The source describes the property as being as leak-prone "as a sieve."
Elizabeth Goitein, executive at Brennan Center for Justice, expresses concern about the sensitivity of the leaked information, including detailed reports on America's nuclear program and the U.S. military's weapons capacity.
In addition to these concerns, Trump's relaxed approach to handling national intelligence has raised eyebrows. For example, in February 2017, then-President Trump openly discussed North Korea's missile deployments with Japan's former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, in Mar-a-Lago's dining room.
In April 2019, Chinese national Yujing Zhang was apprehended in Mar-a-Lago's lobby with spyware-containing cell phones and flash drives. Following her eight-month imprisonment, Zhang was deported to China in 2021.
Adding to the security lapses, another Chinese national, Lu Jing, was apprehended for trespassing and photographing the property. Similarly, Inna Yashchyshyn, claiming to be a Ukrainian heiress, breached the estate's security, leading to several ongoing federal investigations.
Another source concludes, "This underscores the overall relaxed security at a location where some of America's most sensitive documents have been stored. It's both embarrassing and hazardous."
Globe reported on the sources' comments.