Former President Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement Monday that the FBI was conducting a raid on his Mar-a-Lago property, claiming agents broke the safe. He said the action was related to an investigation into whether Trump brought classified records from his White House tenure to his home in Florida.
The action, which was not immediately confirmed by the FBI and the Justice Department, marks a dramatic escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of Mr. Trump, giving him the power to make a new bid for the presidency. The search warrant does not imply that criminal charges are imminent or anticipated, but the federal authorities seeking to obtain it are unaware of the likelihood that a crime may have occurred. We must prove that there is a cause.
“In cooperation with relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was neither necessary nor appropriate,” Trump said in a statement.
“My beautiful home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, is currently being besieged, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents, so these are a dark threat to our country. It’s an era. Nothing like this has ever happened to a US president before.”
Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the investigation, including whether Attorney General Merrick Garland personally authorized the investigation.
A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said the search will take place on Monday, and agents are also trying to ascertain whether Trump has any additional presidential records or classified documents on the estate. Said there was
The Department of Justice is investigating the presence of classified records in 15 boxes recovered from Marlago earlier this year by the National Archives and Records Administration. The Archives then referred the matter to the Department of Justice.
Federal law prohibits moving classified documents to unauthorized locations, but it’s possible Trump will try to claim that as president he has ultimate declassification powers.
There are multiple laws governing sensitive information, including those that make it a crime to remove such records and store them in unauthorized locations, with a penalty of up to five years in prison. . Another law criminalizes intentional or grossly negligent mishandling of confidential records.
Investigations aren’t the only legal headaches facing Trump. Separate investigations related to efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and his Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots are also heating up in Washington. there is
The district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, is also investigating whether Trump and his aides tried to interfere in the state’s election, which Democrat Joe Biden won.