Trump said in a statement given to reporters and posted on the social media platform Truth Social that his “beautiful home” was “under siege, raided and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.” “They even broke into my safe!” the statement read. Trump did not say what the agents were looking for or whether they removed any material from Mar-a-Lago, the resort he has called home and political headquarters since leaving the White House in 2021.
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2:14 Donald Trump teases 2nd presidential election, could announce before crucial midterms Donald Trump teases 2nd presidential election, could announce before crucial midterms – July 30, 2022 Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson declined to comment on the investigation, including whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized the investigation.
FBI spokesmen did not return messages seeking comment Monday night. Story continues below ad The New York Times, citing unnamed sources close to the investigation, said the FBI investigation focused on materials Trump allegedly took with him to Florida after his presidency ended, including classified documents. Sources also confirmed the reason for the investigation to The Associated Press and Reuters, among other news outlets. Police stand outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was investigating Lago’s Mar-a-Lago estate and claimed agents had broken into a safe. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). The US Justice Department has launched an early-stage investigation into Trump’s removal of official presidential records at Mar-a-Lago, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters in April. The investigation comes after the US National Archives and Records Administration notified 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. Trending Stories
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The House Oversight Committee at the time announced it was expanding an investigation into Trump’s actions and asked the Archives to turn over additional information. Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return some records to the Archives, calling it “a normal and routine process.” Story continues below ad “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. He claimed the event was orchestrated by “Radical Left Democrats” who did not want him to run for president again in 2024 – a campaign he has repeatedly teased but has yet to officially launch. “Such an attack could only be carried out in devastated Third World countries,” Trump’s statement added. “Unfortunately, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt on a level never seen before.” The White House said it had no prior knowledge of the investigation. The current FBI director, Christopher Wray, was appointed by Trump five years ago and served as a top official in the Republican-led Justice Department. 2:49 What’s in store for the January 6th hearings when they resume in September? What’s in store for the January 6 hearings when they resume in September? – July 22, 2022 There are several US laws governing classified information, including a law punishable by up to five years in prison that makes it a crime to remove such records and keep them in an unauthorized location. Another law makes it a crime to mishandle classified records either intentionally or with gross negligence. Story continues below ad Although a search warrant does not indicate that criminal charges are imminent or expected, federal officials who want to obtain one must prove they have probable cause for a crime. Trump is facing pressure from various criminal and civil investigations in several states that are looking into everything from his business practices to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The Justice Department, which is investigating the sprawling campaign to keep Trump in office and deny Biden a victory, has reportedly also begun looking into Trump’s own actions in the post-election period. His conduct in the aftermath of the election was also the main focus of the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. And a prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia is investigating whether Trump and his close associates tried to interfere in that state’s election, which Biden won. —With files from Reuters © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
