FBI Monitored Trump Family Travel and Susie Wiles' Communications During Investigation

<p>The FBI monitored First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump's travel, as well as the phone of President Trump's future Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as part of a classified documents investigation, according to newly declassified records released by the White House.</p><p>The documents detail "Plasmic Echo," the investigation later led by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Trump improperly retained classified documents after leaving office. The records indicate that agents tracked the travel of the First Lady and First Son while planning the Mar-a-Lago search and monitored Wiles’ calls with defense lawyers, campaign advisers, and journalists.</p><p>The surveillance reportedly collected call details rather than the contents of the conversations.</p><p>White House spokesperson Lauren Bis stated, "Jack Smith’s surveillance operation was a disgraceful abuse of government power. Spying on political opponents is weaponization of law enforcement, plain and simple. Those responsible must be held accountable."</p><p>The disclosures follow a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where Smith faced scrutiny over investigative tactics used in a separate probe into Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 election. This investigation, referred to as Arctic Frost, involved the collection of phone record information from Republican lawmakers, while the newly released records pertain to the Plasmic Echo investigation that led to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago in 2022.</p><p>This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.</p>