Federal agents seized 11 sets of classified documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence after executing a search warrant.
An inventory list of the items retrieved, which included a handwritten note, binders of photos, and information about the President of France.
According to The Wall Street Journal, some of the documents were only supposed to be housed in special government facilities.
In a Friday statement, Trump maintained that it was all declassified.
Official protections are required for the national security of classified documents. Criminal charges can be brought when classified information is mishandled, as it can lead to the discovery of classified information.
Only people with a security clearance can view or handle classified documents, and government employees need to go through an extensive background investigation in order to get a clearance.
The degree to which disclosure of the information would hurt national security is assessed by the government.
The lowest level of confidential information is considered to be information that would damage national security. Intelligence related to military strength is one example of confidential information.
Intelligence that could disrupt foreign relations, specific military or intelligence operations, or scientific developments related to national security are all classified as secret information.
The country's national security is at risk if the information is released. Intelligence that could cause armed hostilities against the US is included. There is special security in place when storing top secret information in a SCIF.
The system for de classification was laid out in the executive order. Some documents may be declassified or partially declassified as time passes and information becomes less relevant in a modern world.
Agencies must declassify their information after 25 years if they are covered by one of nine exemptions. Any documents that are more than 25 years old must be reviewed. Special permission must be obtained for documents older than 75 years.
According to legal experts, US presidents have the authority to classify and declassify most documents. It's not clear if Trump followed the process of showing the documents when they were classified.
In response to the FBI raid, Donald Trump has mounted a defense. Experts told NBC News that even if the former president did declassify all the documents seized from his South Florida resort, it wouldn't matter when it comes to potential legal troubles for him down the road.
Nuclear secrets can't be declassified because they are top secret. According to The Washington Post, the FBI was looking for classified documents during the raid.
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