- Donald Trump boasted about Mar-a-Lago being a "highly secured facility" in a Truth Social post.
- In reality, there have been concerns about security at Mar-a-Lago for years.
- The Florida property was once described by a former FBI agent as a "counterintelligence nightmare."
Former President Donald Trump boasted about Mar-a-Lago being highly secure in a Truth Social post on Monday, despite past evidence that it was anything but secure.
"Mar-a-Lago is a highly secured facility, with Security Cameras all over the place, and watched over by staff & our great Secret Service," wrote Trump. "I have INFO on everyone!"
In the post, Trump compared Mar-a-Lago to President Joe Biden's "flimsy, unlocked, and unsecured" private residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
The post appeared to be in response to claims by the White House that there were no visitor logs available for Biden's private home, where multiple classified documents have been found.
Trump's comparison seemed to overlook a Secret Service official saying in 2017 that there were no visitor logs or other systems for tracking visitors to Mar-a-Lago.
It also ignored ample reporting over the years that showed evidence of lax security at the Florida residence. This was recently spotlighted by the Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents and presidential records at Mar-a-Lago.
The New York Times reported that of the more than 100 classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, most were located in a non-secure storage area. Documents labeled "Top Secret" were kept among beach chairs, umbrellas, and cleaning supplies in an area that may have been accessible to resort guests, The Times found.
During its August 2022 raid, FBI agents found classified documents in Trump's "45 Office" — located above Mar-a-Lago's main ballroom. The Times reported that it was unclear if there was security in place to separate partygoers from Trump's office.
Guests at Mar-a-Lago were only 60 feet away from the documents at times, according to The Times.
Mar-a-Lago, which was once described by a former FBI agent as a "counterintelligence nightmare," also presented security concerns while Trump was in office.
In 2017, Trump reportedly discussed a response to a North Korean missile test with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while sitting near other diners on a public patio at the Florida club.
And in 2019, a Chinese woman carrying five SIM cards, a hard drive, nine USB thumb drives, and a device that could detect electronic signals, was arrested after evading security. She was convicted of trespassing and deported to China.
In May 2021, another woman, posing as a member of the famously wealthy Rothschild family, was able to meet with Trump and his inner circle at Mar-a-Lago. In reality, she was a 33-year-old Ukrainian immigrant.
Meanwhile, in November 2022, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, arrived for a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with several unannounced guests, including far-right figures Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos. According to NBC News, their driver was waved into the resort after flashing a credit card instead of a driver's license.
