The U.S. Department of Justice said yesterday, Friday, August 12, 2022, that FBI agents who searched the home of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida this week seized 11 sets of classified documents.

The department explained that among the seized document sets were some classified as "top secret," while also revealing that prosecutors have probable cause to believe that Trump may have violated the "Espionage Act."

These documents were disclosed four days after FBI agents searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach based on a warrant approved by a federal judge.

Trump said in a statement on his social media platform "Truth" that the records in question were "declassified" and placed in a "secure storage."

The Republican businessman-turned-politician added, "They did not need to seize anything. They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and raiding Mar-a-Lago," according to Reuters.

The Department of Justice stated in its search request approved by Judge Bruce Reinhart that it has probable cause to believe that Trump may have violated the federal Espionage Act, which prohibits possessing or transmitting national defense information.

The department added it has concerns that he may have violated several other laws related to the mishandling of government records, including a law criminalizing attempts to conceal or destroy government documents regardless of their classification. The list also included information about the "President of France."

Earlier on Friday, Trump denied a report by The Washington Post that FBI agents were looking for documents related to nuclear weapons when they searched his Florida home this week.

Trump said on social media, "The nuclear weapons case is a hoax."

The search of Trump's home last Monday represents a major escalation in one of the many investigations he faces during his time in office and in his private business dealings.