Court Documents Reveal ‘Loose Surveillance’ of Former President Trump

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A federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case unsealed a new trove of documents on Monday, revealing the FBI’s code name for the investigation and how the FBI spoke about performing “loose surveillance” on the former president’s aircraft before an unprecedented raid in 2022.

The unredacted court filings  made public by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon revealed Trump’s codename in the FBI as “Plasmic Echo.”

A February 2022 case file that was attached was marked with, “[Redacted] PLASMIC ECHO; Mishandling of Classified or National Defense Information.”

Notably, the FBI has used unusual names for prior investigations such as Crossfire Hurricane, Varsity Blues, Tin Panda, and Lemon-Aid.

Among the documents the judge released Monday also included an FBI claim from June 2022 in which a counterintelligence official, whose name was not included, talked about carrying out “loose surveillance” on President Trump’s plane to see if “boxes were loaded onto the plane.”

It is not clear what aircraft was being discussed. The Trump Organization notably owns a Boeing 757 dubbed “Trump Force One,” which he has used for various campaign stops.

The documents that were made public on Monday were part of a motion that the former president’s attorneys had submitted earlier this year to obtain more discovery evidence in the case, brought by special counsel Jack Smith who has accused the former president of illegally retaining classified documents.

Previously, Judge Cannon ruled that the documents should be made public but stipulated that the witness names and other details should be redacted.

The judge also unsealed an FBI document that detailed the FBI raid targeting the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in South Florida in August 2022 when agents combed through his property to retrieve the documents. The documents describe the individuals who were involved, including details on when the agents arrived at Mar-a-Lago.

“Prior to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team’s entry onto the MAL premises, FBI leadership informed and coordinated with local United States Secret service (USSS) leadership. Local USSS facilitated entry onto the premises, provided escort and access to various locations within, and posted USSS personnel in locations where the FBI team conducted searches,” the file said.

The word “document” derives from the Latin verb docere, meaning “to teach,” indicating its role in providing information or proof. Documents are meant to impart knowledge or serve as evidence, and their etymology underscores their purpose of instruction and validation. This is applied to official or legal contexts as a way to record facts and decisions. In the case of the unsealed FBI documents, the etymology is especially pertinent as these documents not only educate the public on the details of the investigation but also serve as legal evidence in the ongoing case regarding former President Trump’s handling of classified information.

“Surveillance,” on the other hand, comes from the French word surveiller, which stems from sur- (over) + veiller (to watch), which is from the Latin vigilare, meaning “to stay awake or vigilant.” This reflects the act of watching over someone or something, often in a protective or supervisory manner. This etymology strikes an ironic note in the case of Trump, as before he was the President of the United States of America, he was best-known as a reality television star—a role in which he was “watched” by many people. However, the surveillance highlights a darker suggestion of the word, reflecting upon the president whose chief attribute is that people, whether they love or hate him, can’t seem to keep their eyes off of him.