More from the “Plasmic Echo" investigation: Melania and son Barron Trump, current White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles tracked

In the "Plasmic Echo" investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, the FBI actively monitored members of the Trump family by tracking their specific travel logistics and flight timelines.

The records also indicate that the tracking of Melania and Barron Trump's movements was utilized by the bureau to establish the optimal timing to execute the search warrant at the Mar-a-Lago estate. An internal email from June 1, 2022, noted that the search should be served after Donald Trump departed the property. The documents do not identify Melania or Barron Trump as actual investigative targets of the probe.

According to newly declassified documents released by the White House on October 5, 2026, the specific family members tracked were Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump, who was a minor at the time.

Internal FBI communications—including a May 2022 pre-raid checklist—directed agents to "finalize FBI understanding of FPOTUS/FLOTUS/minor son's travel (type of aircraft and specific timeline)".

Along with the Trump family's travel, the "Plasmic Echo" files also revealed that the FBI monitored real-time cellphone metadata—logging call times, durations, and contacts without recording conversation contents—for top Trump aide and current White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

The FBI monitored Susie Wiles' cellphone records in real-time between February and May 2023. The Justice Department and Special Counsel Jack Smith's team utilized a pen register (or a trap-and-trace device) to log her phone metadata.

The surveillance did not capture the actual content of her conversations or text messages. Instead, it mapped her call logs, capturing the exact timing, duration, and phone numbers of her incoming and outgoing calls.

The tracking swept up her real-time communications with over 30 different contacts, which included defense attorneys, numerous political advisers, Trump Organization personnel, Secret Service personnel, and at least 5 journalists from major outlets like CNN, Politico, and The Washington Post.

Resources and Outside Links

Emails from U.S. Department of Justice- Federal Bureau of Investigation provided to Senator Charles E. Grassley - FBI Production to Chairman Grassley - MAL Search

Scott Kovacs is a writer and editor for Patriotic Way. He primarily writes about politics, patriotism, and truth in reporting. Previously, he worked in the medical field as a Registered Nurse for 27 years.