CBS' Norah O'Donnell sets off uproar with tweet about FBI not having Trump passports

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Rep. Turner: The FBI didn't have to go into Trump's home

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, discusses the FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago and the unequal application of the law.

CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell took heat for a tweet that stated the FBI did not have former President Trump’s passports, with critics blasting her for leaving up a tweet after it was seemingly debunked.

Trump alleged the FBI "stole" three of his passports on Monday, calling it an "assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our country."

The "CBS Evening News" anchor reported that the Department of Justice did not have Trump's passports, tweeting, "According to a DOJ official, the FBI is NOT in possession of former President Trump's passports," later adding, "If any items not contained in the warrant were retrieved during the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, they will be returned."

O'Donnell's language was technically correct at the time she wrote it, as by then the passports had reportedly been returned to Trump's possession, but it remains unclear if O'Donnell meant the FBI was not in possession of the passports at the time of her tweet, or if she was suggesting the FBI hadn’t taken them in the first place. Either way, she faced criticism for the message.

CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell alleged that a DOJ source claimed the FBI was not in possession of former President Trump's passports. (Adam Verdugo/CBS via Getty Images)

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CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell suggested the Department of Justice did not have Trump's passports, tweeting, "According to a DOJ official, the FBI is NOT in possession of former President Trump's passports."

Among those who shared O'Donnell's framing was Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., the Jan. 6 Committee member who wrote, "Lies lies lies and more lies." Former FBI agent Peter Strzok tweeted, "And unsurprisingly, Trump's statement turns out not to be true." He later deleted it.

Taylor Budowich, director of communications for the Save America PAC, shared a screenshot of an email sent earlier in the day by Jay Bratt, an official in the National Security Division of the DOJ, confirming the passports had been seized in the raid. He then scolded O'Donnell in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"This is a perfect example of how the vital institutions of media and justice are being destroyed from within by the lazy, the corrupt, and the ill intent. Sadly, it’s not going to be fixed from the outside. It’s up to the remaining good people within these institutions to expose these bad actors and hold them accountable, or else be complicit in their destruction," Budowich said.

O'Donnell took criticism from a variety of media and political watchdogs, as her initial tweet appeared to be in rebuttal of Trump's Truth Social claim.

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"When you get this burned by an anonymous source, I just don't understand why you continue to protect them. They don't look bad, you do," Fourth Watch editor Steve Krakauer wrote.

GOP communications guru Chris Barron tweeted, "Why is this tweet still up? Why don’t news outlets require reporters to delete posts once it’s clearly they are absolutely wrong?"

Fox News Digital reached out to CBS News for clarification on what O'Donnell was trying to convey with her initial tweet.

Many others took to Twitter to criticize O'Donnell:

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O'Donnell also shared an FBI statement on Twitter: "In executing search warrants, the FBI follows search and seizure procedures ordered by courts, then returns items that do not need to be retained for law enforcement purposes."

There has been a political firestorm ever since the FBI raid last week at Mar-a-Lago, where it seized documents allegedly containing classified and top secret information. It remains unclear whether the information in the collected documents had been declassified by Trump before he left office last year.

Former President Trump alleged the FBI "stole" three of his passports on Monday, calling it an "assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our country." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Attorney General Merrick Garland offered a brief statement Thursday acknowledging he authorized the raid on Trump's Florida home but refrained from giving any more details about the ongoing investigation.

The warrant obtained by Fox News showed the search was in response to potential violation of federal laws: 18 USC 793 — gathering, transmitting or losing defense information; 18 USC 2071 — concealment, removal or mutilation; and 18 USC 1519 — destruction, alteration or falsification of records in Federal investigations.

The allegation of "gathering, transmitting or losing defense information" falls under the Espionage Act.

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However, the DOJ filed a motion opposing the release of the affidavit that was used to justify the raid, arguing it could "compromise" its investigation and its release can cause harm "if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly."

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.