NYP: FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump's travels before Mar-a-Lago search

The FBI tracked the movements of Donald Trump's wife Melania and son Barron as part of an investigation into the possession of national security documents at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. According to The New York Post (NYP).

According to the publication, the investigation was conducted under the secret code name Plasmic Echo during the presidential term of Joe Biden. Documents released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force show that intelligence agencies tracked the travel schedules of Donald Trump's family before conducting a raid at the residence in August 2022.

For several months, the FBI had been listening to phone calls from Susie Wiles, who was in charge of the president’s political activities. She is now the White House chief of staff.

The surveillance and wiretapping was sanctioned by former Attorney General Merrick Garland on the recommendation of FBI Director Christopher Wray. The actions concerned Ms Wiles' contacts with lawyers, political advisers and journalists.

The White House called these actions “a shameful abuse of state power” and “espionage for political opponents.” The criminal case over classified documents against Donald Trump was closed by the court in July 2024 because of the illegality of the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith.