Special Counsel Jack Smith filed his response to Donald Trump’s request to have a SCIF installed at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s members-only geriatric supper club and flop house. While Smith defers to the CISO–chief information security officer–to determine what location would be best, Smith notes there are many reasons to ban Trump from putting the SCIF where he wants to:
In making this request for the creation of a secure location for his personal use, Trump continues to seek special treatment that no other criminal defendant would receive. In essence, he is asking to be the only defendant ever in a case involving classified information (at least to the Government’s knowledge) who would be able to discuss classified information in a private residence. And of course, The Mar-a-Lago Club is even less suited than most residences to host a secure location, because it is a social club. In addition to Trump’s residence and office, The Mar-a-Lago Club contains more than 25 guest rooms, two ballrooms, a spa, a gift store, exercise facilities, office space, and an outdoor pool and patio. See ECF No. 85 at 5. As of January 2021, The Mar-a-Lago Club had hundreds of members and was staffed by more than 150 full-time, part-time, and temporary employees.