In the decades that followed, some high-profile cases were prosecuted under the law, including those of Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames, both convicted of working as double agents for the KGB while infiltrating the FBI and CIA, respectively.
In modern times, the law has most commonly been used to target people accused of leaking classified information, including former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden, as well as Reality Winner, the woman who allegedly leaked classified information showing that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election.
What about Trump’s passports?
Trump shocked this week when he said the FBI had “seized all three of his passports” during the Mar-a-Lago raid, noting that one had expired.
It is unknown if Trump has dual citizenship with any other country. At least one of the referenced passports possibly refers to the diplomatic passport issued to American presidents.
The passports had reportedly been returned to Trump as of Monday.
conflicting versions
The investigation has the potential to make or break Trump’s potential 2024 presidential ambitions, and the former president and his supporters are already touting the investigation as further evidence that he is being unfairly targeted in a government “witch hunt.” establishment.
But what a conviction could mean for Trump’s potential candidacy remains unclear — a felony charge or conviction cannot, by itself, disqualify a person from running for president.