What specific items did the FBI list in the inventory seized from Mar-a-Lago in August 2022?

1. What the inventory is and how it’s organized

The document released by the court does not recreate every page seized but breaks the FBI seizure into 33 entries — each an itemized box, container or grouping — and describes them in general terms (for example “box of documents,” “container with books and clothing,” or “group of individual documents”), a format confirmed in the Justice Department filing and subsequent press reproductions ^{[2] [1]}.

2. Classified documents and disagreement over counts and levels

Multiple outlets report that among the items were documents bearing classification markings at the highest levels, but the public accounting diverges: one widely cited media breakdown lists roughly 100+ documents with classification markings seized in August — variously reported as 102 documents (with Presidential records tallies elsewhere putting the August-seized classified document count near 100) — and different reports attribute between 7 and 18 “top secret” items alongside dozens marked “secret” and “confidential,” reflecting inconsistent summaries published after the inventory was unsealed ^{[4] [5] [6]}. The Washington Post and PBS noted “partially redacted documents with classified markings” among material recovered ^{[7] [1]}.

3. Empty folders and what that implies

The unsealed inventory specifically lists dozens of empty folders stamped with classification banners or instructions to return items to White House staff or a military aide — The Guardian reported 90 empty folders total (71 from the office area and 19 from a storage room) and the inventory itself highlights empty folders as a notable category among the 33 entries ^[3]. Reporting emphasized that empty folders raise questions about whether labeled documents once existed and where they went; the inventory does not explain those gaps ^[1].

4. Non-document items: how classified materials were stored

Beyond loose pages and folders, the inventory documents that potentially sensitive materials were commingled with non-governmental items: newspapers, magazines, books, gifts, pieces of clothing and other personal effects appear in boxes and containers seized, underscoring Justice Department statements that there was no secure storage space for classified material at Mar-a-Lago ^{[2] [1] [5]}.

5. Conflicting narratives and the limits of the inventory

The inventory itself is a descriptive property list; it does not include the text of seized documents in the public filing, and media summaries reproduced and interpreted the labels differently, producing the varying counts of classified pages and “top secret” items cited above ^{[2] [6]}. The Justice Department framed the seizure as necessary after National Archives efforts and earlier returns failed to account for all classified material, while Trump’s camp disputed the significance of the photograph of seized documents and asserted alternate explanations including declassification claims — both positions were part of the public back-and-forth as the inventory was discussed ^{[1] [8]}.

6. Bottom line: the specific items listed

In plain terms, the inventory lists 33 groups of seized material that include individual documents with classification markings (including items reported as “top secret,” “secret” and “confidential” though media sources differ on exact counts), numerous empty folders labeled with classification banners (about 90 by several reports), partially redacted classified pages, and containers/boxes holding books, newspapers, magazines, gifts and clothing — all cataloged as property removed by FBI agents during the August 2022 search ^{[2] [3] [1]}. Where sources diverge on numeric totals or on how many items bore each classification level, that disagreement reflects differences in downstream summaries of the same inventory rather than a single, uniform public figure ^{[5] [4] [6]}.