AP U.S. History classes have discussed the repercussions the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago could have on the country. As students practiced AP themes at the beginning of the year, juniors in Ashraf’s AP U.S. History class analyzed the issues surrounding the raid. 

One of the main points of contention for the students was how Mar-a-Lago could impact America’s relations with other countries. The Washington Post reported that according to the FBI, former President Donald Trump may have been holding the nuclear secrets of a foreign nation. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search on former president Donald Trump’s resort in Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8. The search warrant was issued as part of an investigation into classified presidential documents. 

The National Archives confirmed at least 15 boxes of confidential presidential information were recovered from Mar-a-Lago. Removing classified information from its proper place is a federal crime. The Insider’s legal experts reported Trump could face up to 33 years in prison.

The Department of Justice searched for evidence Trump had violated the 1917 Espionage Act, which could earn him a decade-long prison sentence, as well as two other criminal statutes regarding the removal and concealment of government records.

The Associated Press reported that FBI officials retrieved over 11,000 documents, 100 of which were classified. According to the Washington Post, documents concerning government operations were among the seized files, so secretive that even many high-ranking national security officials do not know about them. Additionally, the FBI found foreign nuclear secrets. 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence conducted a “damage control” investigation to assess “the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.”

According to the Guardian, the home of a president can be a hotbed for foreign intelligence agents. Additionally, the Trumps have been known to host foreign officials at Mar-a-Lago, including Chinese president Xi Jinping and Japanese president Shinzo Abe in 2017. 

According to theBBC, Trump’s legal team called the search “unprecedented, unnecessary, and legally unsupported,” but government officials called it necessary due to obstruction from the president’s lawyers. Trump’s lawyers are continuing their battle against the warrant and the investigation is ongoing.