Former President Donald Trump said in a statement Monday evening that his Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, has been “raided” by FBI agents.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that the search was related to an ongoing probe of whether the former president took records from the White House to his Florida residence.
The action marks a dramatic escalation in law enforcement scrutiny of Trump. Though a search warrant does not suggest that criminal charges are near or even expected, federal officials looking to obtain one must demonstrate that they have probable cause that a crime occurred.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Trump said. “After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”
Notably, Trump said that federal agents “even broke into my safe.”
The former president charged that the raid was being politically motivated, blasting it as “prosecutorial misconduct” and “the weaponization of the Justice System.” He also went on to make unfounded claims about his 2016 election opponent Hillary Clinton.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the search, including about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized the search.
A person familiar with the matter told the AP that the search happened earlier Monday and agents were also looking to see if Trump had additional presidential records or any classified documents at the estate.
The Justice Department has been investigating the presence of classified records inside 15 boxes that were retrieved from Mar-a-Lago by the National Archives and Records Administration earlier this year. The Archives then referred the matter to the Justice Department.
Federal law bars the removal of classified documents to unauthorized locations, though it is possible that Trump could try to argue that, as president, he was the ultimate declassification authority.
There are multiple statutes governing classified information, including a law punishable by up to five years in prison that makes it a crime to remove such records and retain them at an unauthorized location. Another statute makes it a crime to mishandle classified records either intentionally or in a grossly negligent manner.
The probe is hardly the only legal headache confronting Trump. A separate investigation related to efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol has also been intensifying in Washington.
And a district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia is investigation whether Trump and his close associates sought to interfere in that state’s election, which was won by Joe Biden.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
