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Declassified records show FBI tracked Trump family travel, Wiles' phone in documents probe

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 12 outlets, all right-leaning.

18 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Records released Monday by the White House Government Transparency Task Force, led by John Solomon, show that FBI investigators under special counsel Jack Smith tracked the travel of Melania and Barron Trump and monitored phone contacts of future White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during the classified documents investigation known as “Plasmic Echo.” The surveillance, which began after the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, captured call metadata—such as numbers and timing—rather than conversation content, according to the records. Investigators reportedly examined communications involving at least five journalists, 21 defense attorneys, and political advisers. Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the measures on the recommendation of then-FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to a memo cited in the documents.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump's travel while planning the Mar-a-Lago search.

    Reported byRight

  2. Susie Wiles' phone communications with Trump's defense attorneys, journalists, and advisers were monitored via a pen register.

    Reported byRight

  3. The investigation was code-named 'Plasmic Echo' and was part of Jack Smith's classified documents probe.

    Reported byRight

  4. The surveillance captured call metadata, not the content of conversations.

    Reported byRight

  5. Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray recommended the surveillance to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who approved it.

    Reported byRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The records were released Monday by the White House Government Transparency Task Force, led by John Solomon.

    Reported byRight

  2. Investigators examined communications involving at least five journalists and 21 defense attorneys.

    Reported byRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether the surveillance constitutes evidence of a deliberate 'lawfare' campaign against Trump approved at the top of government.

    PJ Media and Townhall assert the memos definitively prove top FBI and DOJ officials orchestrated the operation against Trump; news outlets like Washington Examiner, Fox News, New York Post, and Daily Mail report the surveillance details factually without characterizing motive, noting the records show metadata collection but not what was discussed.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    12 outlets · 1 opinion

    Headlines across the right range from straight factual descriptions of the surveillance (Washington Examiner, Fox News) to more dramatic framing emphasizing 'bombshell' revelations and targeting of Trump's family (Daily Mail), while commentary outlets like PJ Media and Townhall frame the documents as definitive proof of a coordinated 'lawfare' campaign against Trump directed from the top of government.

    Biden-era documents show FBI tracked Melania and Barron Trump's travel before Mar-a-Lago raid
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right13

    indefatigable investigative journalistdemonstrating definitivelylawfare campaignPROVE

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    indefatigable investigative journalistMore neutral: journalist

    Adds unearned praise to a source's description rather than neutral attribution.

    On Monday morning, the indefatigable investigative journalist Catherine Herridge posted a series of newly declassified FBI memos…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    demonstrating definitivelyMore neutral: suggesting

    Presents a contested conclusion about the memos as settled fact.

    …a series of newly declassified FBI memos dating from 2022 and 2023, and demonstrating definitively that the left’s lawfare campaign against President Donald Trump was carried…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    lawfare campaignMore neutral: legal investigations

    Term presumes the legal proceedings were illegitimate political weaponization rather than neutral legal action.

    …memos dating from 2022 and 2023, and demonstrating definitively that the left’s lawfare campaign against President Donald Trump was carried on with approval from the very top.

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    PROVEMore neutral: suggest

    Presents a contested interpretation of the memos as definitively established fact.

    Just-Declassified FBI Memos PROVE: Orders for Legal Targeting of Trump Came From the Very Top

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

Show 9 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Partisan shorthand

    Legal TargetingMore neutral: investigation

    Frames the investigation as illegitimate targeting rather than a neutral description of a legal probe.

    Just-Declassified FBI Memos PROVE: Orders for Legal Targeting of Trump Came From the Very Top

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    deep stateMore neutral: career officials or the civil service

    Implies a coordinated conspiracy inside government without naming who or what.

    We know the deep state was weaponized against Trump — they’re still there — but luckily, their efforts to…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    deep state was weaponizedMore neutral: the FBI conducted an investigation

    Presents a contested political narrative as an established fact.

    We know the deep state was weaponized against Trump — they’re still there — but luckily, their efforts to stop him…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    rogue institution’s involvementMore neutral: the FBI's involvement

    Characterizes the FBI as illegitimate rather than describing its actions neutrally.

    …against him are now being released to the public, exposing a rogue institution’s involvement in our elections, which was considered anathema to these folks years ago.

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Dirty FBI InvestigationMore neutral: FBI investigation

    Characterizes the investigation as corrupt without establishing that as fact.

    What Was 'Plasmic Echo?' It Was Another Dirty FBI Investigation Into Trump

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    bombshellMore neutral: newly disclosed

    Adds dramatic emphasis rather than neutrally describing the disclosure.

    …FBI tracked Melania and teenage Barron's travel and targeted Susie Wiles' phone in bombshell Trump probe

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    partisan hackMore neutral: commentator or official

    Insult in place of a critique.

    Over the weekend, he revealed what we already knew: that he’s a partisan hack with little regard for the Constitution.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    VileMore neutral: (omit) and quote or describe

    Moral verdict in the reporter's voice.

    The Morning Briefing: A Curse on the House of Every Vile Member of the Biden Stasi

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    witch huntMore neutral: investigation or inquiry

    Declares an investigation illegitimate before it concludes.

    …compensate victims of a far-reaching Department of Justice, one victim of Smith’s witch hunt says.

    Used byThe Federalist (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

12 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • surveillance of Trump family and inner circle
  • characterization as politically motivated targeting
  • declassification by the Trump White House task force
  • the 'Plasmic Echo' codename and its scope
See the 13 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Washington Examiner, Oct 5, 4:05 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Washington ExaminerRightOct 5, 4:05 PM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 5, 4:58 PM EDT
  3. Fox NewsFar RightOct 5, 5:39 PM EDT
  4. Daily MailRightOct 5, 6:08 PM EDT
  5. RedStateFar RightOct 5, 8:16 PM EDT
  6. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 5, 11:35 PM EDT
  7. PJ MediaFar RightOct 6, 1:01 AM EDT
  8. The Daily WireFar RightOct 6, 7:18 AM EDT
  9. The FederalistFar RightOct 6, 7:40 AM EDT
  10. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 6, 11:57 AM EDT
  11. The Washington TimesRightOct 6, 12:05 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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