(Globe Live Media) – The FBI seized about 10 boxes of material from Donald Trump’s home at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
Monday’s record is part of the Justice Department’s investigation into how the former president handled confidential documents at the end of his administration.
It is unrelated to the separate Justice Department investigation into the Jan. 6 riots at the US Capitol, an investigation that also appears to be partly focused on the former president.
The raid comes two months after Justice Department attorneys visited the residence in connection with the investigation, according to the Journal report.
In January, the National Archives and Records Administration seized 15 boxes of sensitive White House material that they said was improperly transported to Mar-a-Lago, contrary to strict federal law processes for archiving presidential documents. .
Tuesday’s search of Trump’s Palm Beach club indicates the FBI demonstrated to the judge who approved his search warrant that the agency had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed and that a search at Mar-a-Lago could provide evidence, reports The New York Times.
The raid was likely approved by top law enforcement officials including Biden-appointed Attorney General Merrick Garland and Trump-appointed FBI chief Christopher Wray.
The White House said Tuesday that it was given no advance notice of the raid.
“The president and the White House learned about this FBI search from public reports, we learned just as the American public did,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
Trump’s attorney, Christina Bobb, was present at the club during the search.
The former president maintained that the search was politically motivated and was an attempt to prevent his potential political comeback.
“After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was neither necessary nor appropriate,” Trump wrote in a statement Monday. “Such an assault could only take place in broken and third world countries.”
“They even broke into my safe!” he added.
Officials of all stripes are rarely sent to prison for federal record-keeping offenses, which makes the bust of a former presidential candidate all the more remarkable.