The entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Monday, August 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago property and asserted that agents had broken a safe.
Terry Renna / AP
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Terry Renna / AP
The entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Monday, August 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago property and asserted that agents had broken a safe.
Terry Renna / AP
Former President Donald Trump said Monday that FBI agents searched the Mar-a-Lago club and his residence in Palm Beach, Fla., and opened his safe.
The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment, although Eric Trump said Monday night that he had been informed that the raid was linked to possible mishandling of government secrets. The Department of Justice is known to be investigating after the National Archives took the White House files from Mar-a-Lago.
“The purpose of the raid, they say, was because the National Archives wanted to attest whether Donald Trump had any documents in his possession,” the former president’s son told Fox News. “And my father worked very cooperatively with them for many months. In fact, the lawyer who was working on this was completely shocked. He said, ‘I have a great relationship with these people and suddenly, without notice, they send 20 cars and 30 dealers? ‘”
The younger Trump said he received a call about the raid carried out Monday morning and informed his father.
The search, which would have required a court order from a federal judge, signaled that the president was under closer scrutiny from federal investigators than was previously known.
In a statement released by his political action committee, Trump said Mar-a-Lago “is besieged, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.”
“After working and cooperating with relevant government agencies, an unannounced raid on my home was unnecessary or appropriate,” the statement read.
Trump went on to blame Democrats who don’t want him to run for president in 2024 for the incident, and said the same people want to prevent Republicans from winning the midterm elections. .
Search will likely need top DOJ approval
While there is no indication that prosecutors are about to charge Trump, or that he will eventually be charged, the search marks an important step. To obtain a warrant, investigators will have to prove to a judge that there may be reason to believe that a crime was committed and that the evidence of the crime was at Mar-a-Lago.
A search of a former president’s home would likely require approval from the highest levels of the Justice Department. A Department spokesman declined to comment on whether Attorney General Merrick Garland signed off on the Mar-a-Lago search.
A White House official said they were not notified of the search and have referred questions to the Justice Department.
Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration said it had recovered 15 boxes of White House files and other items from Trump’s Florida club, sparking a Justice Department investigation. .
Trump’s statement about the raid set off a firestorm on the right, with Republicans accusing Democrats of weaponizing the federal bureaucracy.
“The Justice Department has reached an unacceptable level of weaponization of politicization,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a statement. He promised to oversee the department, if Republicans win the House in November, and warned Garland, “preserve your documents and delete your calendar.”
Trump’s 2024 plan could weigh heavily on prosecutors
Monday’s action also comes as the Justice Department is intensifying its investigation into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election – although there have been no reports of an investigation into Trump himself.
As Trump teases another White House run, former federal prosecutor Brian Jacobs says NPR that another Trump candidate could weigh on DOJ prosecutors, but wouldn’t affect any potential investigations.
“I think prosecutors at the Department of Justice know that they are not allowed to choose when to conduct investigative steps or criminal charges with the aim of influencing any election,” Jacobs said.
Trump was not in Florida on Monday. While Mar-a-Lago is his official residence, it is a seasonal club and the former president spends the summer months mostly north, often at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ. He was seen outside Trump Tower in New York City on Monday night.
NPR’s Carrie Johnson contributed reporting.
