FBI Releases First Trove of Its Top Secret Ivana Trump Docs

Matt Young
·2 min read
Lee Celano/Reuters
Lee Celano/Reuters

Newly released top secret FBI files on Ivana Trump have revealed that the first wife of former President Donald Trump was under a counterintelligence inquiry surrounding her ties to Czechoslovakia, where the former model and ski instructor was born, and a number of other countries.

While the 190 pages of classified documents–obtained and first reported by Bloomberg– are heavily redacted, they reveal how the matriarch of the Trump family fell under investigation in the late 1980s due to her connection with the then-Communist country. The documents cite a number of “highly sensitive and reliable sources”, who “advise” the FBI.

A memo marked March 7, 1989, confirms the bureau’s New York office had opened a “preliminary inquiry.”

However, the specifics are redacted and even the FBI notes, “it is unknown if the allegations stem from jealousies of her wealth and fame. Investigation continuing.”

Ivana Trump Died From Blunt Force Trauma, Medical Examiner Rules

Among the “leads,” the May 1989 document states, are the circumstances surrounding Trump’s emigration to Austria from Czechoslovakia, and her subsequent move from Austria to Canada. Any involvement or association with a person or organization are redacted.

The documents dig into her past before her marriage to Donald Trump, including her parents and college years, but they also follow her relationship with the real estate tycoon, including how they met, their 1977 marriage, and their subsequent divorce. Public records and “all background information” were obtained by FBI agents.

Another file, dated Sept. 12, 1990, reference a man known as a “leading member of the Czechoslovak artistic/intellectual community” who the FBI notes is a “sometime” arranger of fictitious marriages and “fortuitous relationships” who is believed to have some connection to Ivana. The man was interviewed—but the details are also redacted.

After her death last year, Bloomberg discovered the FBI had at least 900 records concerning Ivana after filing a Freedom of Information Act request. After a court battle to force the early release of the documents, the FBI released the first 190 pages and said it will release the rest next month.

Ivana Trump was not accused of any wrongdoing, and while the documents leave more questions than answers into the nature of the agency’s exact reasons for investigating, the probe lasted until 1991 and involved the bureau’s counterintelligence division.

It was ultimately closed after “no outstanding leads remain,” according to the docs. However, news clips citing Russian gangsters and the 1999 gangland-style murder of a broker, Alain Chalem, were noted elsewhere in Ivana’s file, including a section on her 1998 collaboration with a company called Tel-Com Wireless Cable TV.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Farmers on guard as virus emerges in U.S.

    While bird flu has not yet been detected in dairy cows and other farm livestock in Canada, area dairy farmers say they remain vigilant regarding the health of their animals and the quality of milk they produce. "As farmers, we check our cows and our milk every day to ensure healthy cows and quality milk," Murillo-based dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld said in an email on Tuesday. "Only milk from healthy cows is allowed for sale and distribution." "As well, milk is pasteurized before it is sold to con

  • New Haiti government sworn in during secret ceremony

    ‘Transitional council’ takes oath of office as gang violence continues to rock capital

  • Blackhawks agree to a 6-year contract with defenseman Alex Vlasic

    The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a six-year contract with defenseman Alex Vlasic, rewarding one of their best young players with a long-term deal. The team announced the move on Thursday. “Alex made enormous strides this year and proved he is a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a release.

  • When are the 2024 local and mayoral elections and who can vote?

    Voters in England and Wales set to cast their ballots next week.

  • Honda planning to expand its electric vehicle efforts in Canada, Toyota expands in Indiana

    Honda plans to invest $11 billion, with the help of joint venture partners, to build out its electric vehicle efforts in Canada as it prepares for future demand in North America for the automobiles. Honda expects to add at least 1,000 more workers for the two new facilities. There's also plans for a cathode active material and precursor processing plant through a joint venture partnership with POSCO Future M Co. and a separator plant through a joint venture partnership with Asahi Kasei Corp.

  • Alberta to appeal ruling ordering release of documents on coal mining in Rockies

    EDMONTON — Alberta is appealing a judge's ruling that ordered the release of internal documents on coal mining in the province's Rocky Mountains. The lawyer for the ranchers who requested the documents under freedom of information laws is confirming the decision from Alberta Energy. King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey ruled earlier this month that the United Conservative government must release thousands of pages of internal communications pertaining to its plan to remove decades-old protections fr

  • Wetaskiwin RCMP shares tips to avoid break-ins

    Wetaskiwin RCMP has shared a series of tips to prevent break and entry in summertime. They said in a media release that as weather warms and seasonal traffic picks up, it is important to be proactive in securing vacant properties against crime. Below are seven steps to secure the properties: 1. Avoid mentioning travel plans on social media until you return. 2. Store valuables in a safe or safety deposit box. 3. Arrange for yard maintenance if you will be away for an extended time. 4. Install tim

  • American workers are slowly regaining power

    New worker protections, expanding labor unions and a strong job market are finally helping the typical worker get ahead. Americans aren't feeling it.

  • REUTERS NEXT-US proposal to tap frozen Russian asset revenues for Ukraine gains ground, G7 officials say

    A U.S. proposal for using the interest derived from $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine could win broad support from countries worried about outright seizure of the underlying assets, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday. Yellen welcomed what she called a "very constructive step" taken by the European Union to segregate the proceeds from assets held by Brussels-based Euroclear and transfer them to Ukraine, noting future interest could also be pulled forward to expand funds available for Ukraine. "This is an approach that could be broadly supported by countries that are concerned about the seizure of assets, and some of the interest could be brought forward through, for example, a loan," Yellen said in a Reuters Next interview in Washington.

  • Mike Malott books UFC return after upset loss to Neil Magny

    Mike Malott will look to rebound from his first UFC loss this summer.

  • Sacha Baron Cohen celebrates 'clear victory' after Rebel Wilson's allegations are redacted

    Last month, the Australian actress claimed she was being "threatened" by an actor's legal team in an attempt to "silence" her memoir Rebel Rising. She later identified the "massive a**hole" as her Grimsby co-star Baron Cohen, who allegedly asked her to perform nude scenes and a sexual act on the set of the 2016 film. Baron Cohen, who always denied the claims, is now celebrating a win after getting the passage containing the allegations successfully blacked out in his native England.

  • UUP accuses coalition partners of backtracking on health service pledge

    Health Minister Robin Swann broke ranks as the only member of the four-party powersharing administration to refuse to back the budget.

  • Rwanda Bill becomes law after weeks of parliamentary deadlock

    The first plane carrying asylum seekers could depart in July.

  • Climate protesters target BP and Drax shareholder meetings

    The energy companies both held their annual general meetings on Thursday.

  • Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

    Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 24, 2024 Mr. Cooper Group Inc. misses on earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $ EPS, expectations were $2.11. COOP isn’t one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here). Ken Posner: Good […]

  • Suleja prison: 108 inmates on the run in Nigeria

    A manhunt is launched after more than 100 inmates escape the colonial-era facility near Abuja.

  • Morehouse students criticize Biden as commencement speaker: ‘A political pawn to get Black votes’

    Students react to school’s invitation to president to speak while authorities crack down on campus protests across US

  • FCC votes to restore net neutrality protections

    The Federal Communications Commission has voted to restore net neutrality protections. Under those rules, ISPs are not allowed to throttle access to specific sites or charge streaming services for faster service.

  • Child with a hankering for hot wings calls 911. Hear dispatcher’s response

    Police in Georgia reminded the public that 911 is for emergency calls only.

  • Anglo American does not find BHP $39 billion offer attractive, sources say

    Anglo American does not consider a proposed $39 billion takeover offer from BHP Group as attractive, two sources told Reuters, as some large investors dismissed it as opportunistic. BHP on Thursday offered Anglo's shareholders 25.08 pounds ($31.39) per share, or $38.8 billion, a premium of 31% to the market close on Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is private, one of the sources said the offer did not address the complexities of demerging the Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore businesses in South Africa.