Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Mar-a-Lago is the ‘worst place in the world’ to store anything safe as there’s hardly any security, says filmmaker who interviewed Trump there<!-- wp:html --><p>Police outside of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.</p> <p class="copyright">Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images</p> <p>Filmmaker Alex Holder interviewed Trump in Mar-a-Lago last year for a documentary.<br /> He told "The Bulwark Podcasts" that the club "the worst place in the world" to store anything safely.<br /> His comments come after the FBI confiscated classified documents from Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.</p> <p>Mar-a-Lago is "the worst place in the world" to store anything safe because there is hardly any security there, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/documentary-maker-doesnt-know-why-trump-aides-surprised-by-film-2022-7?r=US&IR=T">the British filmmaker</a> who followed former President Donald Trump at the end of his presidency said.</p> <p>Alex Holder spent months <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-kids-split-between-denial-and-rage-after-election-filmmaker-2022-7?r=US&IR=T">interviewing the former president and his three eldest children</a> — Ivanka, Eric, and Don Jr. — as part of a project documenting the 2020 presidential election.</p> <p>For his documentary series, titled "Unprecedented," Holder interviewed Trump on three different occasions, including once in Mar-a-Lago after the insurrection on January 6, 2021.</p> <p>Holder told <a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast-episode/alex-holder-a-weird-simple-man-3/">"The Bulwark Podcast"</a> in an episode released Tuesday that when he visited Trump there, he was able to walk around the entire resort freely thanks to the lack of security.</p> <p>"Obviously, Mar-a-Lago is the worst place in the world to ever store anything safe because it's a members club and people are playing golf and you can obviously bring your guests in as well," Holder told The Bulwark Podcast.</p> <p>"Security is only around him ... and it's obviously at the entrances and things but people are walking all over the place, I was walking around all over the place."</p> <p>Holder's comments came after the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and seized about 20 boxes worth of material from the estate, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-secret-trump-mar-a-lago-what-are-classified-documents-2022-8?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including 11 sets marked as classified.</a> The search was part of an investigation into whether the former president violated three federal laws, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-investigating-if-trump-violated-espionage-act-classified-records-2022-8?r=US&IR=T">including the Espionage Act</a>.</p> <p>Holder also hypothesized that Trump was "probably just showing off [classified documents] to people as to how cool it is, I mean that's the kind of guy it is." </p> <p>Holder did not say whether he saw any government documents lying around.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/23/trump-records-mar-a-lago-fbi/">The Washington Post</a>, FBI agents seized some documents from the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mar-a-lago-fbi-searched-melania-closet-trump-angry-report-2022-8?r=US&IR=T">former president's bedroom</a>, office, and a first-floor storage room.</p> <p>The Florida golf club is notorious for its security problems. In 2017, Trump held sensitive foreign policy discussions with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in full view of other guests eating dinner at the club.</p> <p>"Trump turned his table into an al fresco situation room," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-turns-mar-a-lago-club-terrace-into-open-air-situation-room/2017/02/13/c5525096-f20d-11e6-a9b0-ecee7ce475fc_story.html?utm_term=.9d8e8a4f182f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Washington Post reporter</a> wrote at the time.</p> <p>Two years later, a Chinese woman <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mar-a-lago-a-nightmarish-place-security-former-intel-offical-2022-8?r=US&IR=T">trespassed into the club carrying a USB drive</a> and a device for detecting hidden cameras. The Secret Service found that she was able to enter the club because the name on her passport partially matched that of a club member. </p> <p>"It's a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mar-a-lago-a-nightmarish-place-security-former-intel-offical-2022-8">nightmarish environment</a> for a careful handling of highly classified information," an unnamed former US intelligence officer <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/trumps-mar-a-lago-security-nightmare-that-housed-classified-documents-2022-08-13/">told Reuters</a> earlier this month. "It's just a nightmare."</p> <div class="read-original">Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mar-a-lago-worst-place-for-safe-storage-alex-holder-2022-8">Business Insider</a></div><!-- /wp:html -->

Police outside of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Filmmaker Alex Holder interviewed Trump in Mar-a-Lago last year for a documentary.
He told “The Bulwark Podcasts” that the club “the worst place in the world” to store anything safely.
His comments come after the FBI confiscated classified documents from Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.

Mar-a-Lago is “the worst place in the world” to store anything safe because there is hardly any security there, the British filmmaker who followed former President Donald Trump at the end of his presidency said.

Alex Holder spent months interviewing the former president and his three eldest children — Ivanka, Eric, and Don Jr. — as part of a project documenting the 2020 presidential election.

For his documentary series, titled “Unprecedented,” Holder interviewed Trump on three different occasions, including once in Mar-a-Lago after the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

Holder told “The Bulwark Podcast” in an episode released Tuesday that when he visited Trump there, he was able to walk around the entire resort freely thanks to the lack of security.

“Obviously, Mar-a-Lago is the worst place in the world to ever store anything safe because it’s a members club and people are playing golf and you can obviously bring your guests in as well,” Holder told The Bulwark Podcast.

“Security is only around him … and it’s obviously at the entrances and things but people are walking all over the place, I was walking around all over the place.”

Holder’s comments came after the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and seized about 20 boxes worth of material from the estate, including 11 sets marked as classified. The search was part of an investigation into whether the former president violated three federal laws, including the Espionage Act.

Holder also hypothesized that Trump was “probably just showing off [classified documents] to people as to how cool it is, I mean that’s the kind of guy it is.” 

Holder did not say whether he saw any government documents lying around.

According to The Washington Post, FBI agents seized some documents from the former president’s bedroom, office, and a first-floor storage room.

The Florida golf club is notorious for its security problems. In 2017, Trump held sensitive foreign policy discussions with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in full view of other guests eating dinner at the club.

“Trump turned his table into an al fresco situation room,” a Washington Post reporter wrote at the time.

Two years later, a Chinese woman trespassed into the club carrying a USB drive and a device for detecting hidden cameras. The Secret Service found that she was able to enter the club because the name on her passport partially matched that of a club member. 

“It’s a nightmarish environment for a careful handling of highly classified information,” an unnamed former US intelligence officer told Reuters earlier this month. “It’s just a nightmare.”

Read the original article on Business Insider

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