Former President Joe Biden's FBI monitored Melania and Barron Trump's travel and tapped Donald Trump's future right-hand-woman's phone, according to newly released documents.
By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
Published: 23:05 BST, 5 October 2026 | Updated: 23:45 BST, 5 October 2026
Former President Joe Biden's FBI monitored Melania and Barron Trump's travel and tapped Donald Trump's future right-hand-woman's phone, according to newly released documents.
The cache of personal information was part of former Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into whether Trump illegally withheld classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after concluding his presidential first term.
While investigating the president, Smith's team traced the Trump family's movements while the FBI determined when to raid the president's home. Eventually, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022.
That year, in the aftermath of the raid, the FBI began wiretapping the phone of future White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
At that time, Wiles was the head of Trump's political operation being run out of Palm Beach.
The FBI's secret surveillance probe into the family and close associates of Trump was called 'Plasmic Echo,' according to the recently released files.
The files, released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force, included an email exchange between FBI agents in May 2022 regarding surveillance of the Trump family, including Melania and Barron.
'Finalize FBI understanding of FPOTUS/FLOTUS/minor son’s travel (type of aircraft and specific timeline),' wrote one agent whose identity was redacted.
First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump had their movements tracked by the FBI under former President Joe Biden as the agency prepared to raid their family home in 2022
The White House released documents today about the Biden administration's operation 'Plasmic Echo' which involved the Trump family
'Jack Smith’s surveillance operation was a disgraceful abuse of government power. Spying on political opponents is weaponization of law enforcement, plain and simple,' White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement. 'Those responsible must be held accountable.'
The classified documents case was eventually thrown out after a judge found that Smith was unlawfully appointed to become special counsel by Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray reportedly advised Garland to sign off on the wiretaps.
In a May 2022 memo to Garland, the former FBI boss wrote that the probe could include top Trumpworld officials, and “could potentially be disruptive to the democratic process if publicly disclosed prior to an election.'
'Merrick, I recommend you approve,' Wray, who served under Trump during the Republican's first term, wrote.
The released files also show numerous FBI-recorded call logs they got from Wiles' phone.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee recently sued Smith for accessing her phone records around the time of the 2020 election.
Blackburn and various other GOP lawmakers have accused Smith of unlawfully accessing their phone records during his search for evidence that the president subverted the 2020 election.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Трамп распорядился рассекретить порцию документов по слежке ФБР за его штабом | 0 | 0 | 19-01-2021 |
| 2 | FBI documents show Trump was probed for allegedly being 'Russian agent' | 0 | 6.73 | 05-08-2026 |
| 3 | Secret new FBI documents reveal Trump was investigated for acting as a 'Russian agent' after James Comey firing | 0 | 6.82 | 05-08-2026 |
| 4 | Адвокат Трампа считает, что спецслужбы РФ не замешаны в утечке переписки сына Байдена | 0 | 0 | 16-10-2020 |
| 5 | WSJ: неизвестный пытался выдать себя за советницу Трампа | 0 | 0 | 30-05-2025 |
| 6 | Ex-FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden probe | 0 | 10.1 | 23-10-2026 |
| 7 | Трамп распорядился рассекретить часть документов ФБР и минюста США "по делу РФ" | 0 | 0 | 18-09-2018 |
| 8 | GOP demands FBI files on Biden family's alleged Ukraine wrongdoing | 0 | 5.73 | 19-08-2026 |
| 9 | Трамп уличил ФБР в замалчивании нелицеприятных сведений о сыне Байдена перед выборами | 0 | 0 | 29-12-2022 |
| 10 | Байден поручил разведке проверить вмешательство в выборы, кибератаки и историю с Навальным | 0 | 0 | 21-01-2021 |