Although Trump released a statement Monday saying agents were searching his Mar-a-Lago property, a U.S. Justice Department spokesman said they had no comment when asked whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had authorized the search.
“After working and cooperating with the appropriate government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said in a statement Monday.
But the Justice Department has opened a preliminary investigation into Trump’s removal of records at the Florida estate, a source familiar with the matter told The Associated Press in April.
That investigation comes after the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration informed Congress in February that it had recovered about 15 boxes of White House documents from Trump’s Florida home, some of which contained classified material.
The House Oversight Committee announced at the time that it was expanding an investigation into Trump’s actions and asked the archives to turn over additional information.
Jan. 6 committee hearing
The alleged Mar-a-Lago raid comes as Trump considers a third White House bid. All this comes as a congressional committee continues to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Its vice chair, Liz Cheney, said the panel could make multiple referrals to the Justice Department seeking criminal charges against Trump. Trump, in turn, accused the committee of conducting a bogus investigation.
