FBI Raids Trump's Mar-a-Lago Residence

Former President Trump said Monday that his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was “currently under siege” by a “large group of FBI agents” who conducted the “unannounced raid” in connection to its investigation into whether Trump allegedly mishandled presidential documents.

“These are dark times for our nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Trump said in an email press release announcing the FBI raid. “After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate. It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections.”

“Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe! What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee?” Trump added. “Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.”

Earlier, Trump made a vague reference regarding the unprecedented FBI event during a tele-rally for former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin who is now running for the state’s at-large Congressional seat.

“Another day in paradise,” Trump said at the tele-rally. “This is a strange day ⎼ you probably all read about it.”

Trump was not in Mar-a-Lago when the raid was being carried out. The former president usually spends his summers in New York City or New Jersey at his Bedminster residence. FBI agents from the bureau’s Evidence Response from Washington, D.C. conducted the raid and according to a source notified the Miami FBI field office a day or so prior before the search would occur. The FBI also informed the Secret Service about the bureau’s plans to execute the search warrant.

The FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago was pertaining to documents the former president allegedly brought to the resort following the conclusion of his presidency. Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) obtained 15 boxes of documents that Trump had stored at Mar-a-Lago.

“In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021,” the National Archives said in a statement on Feb. 7. “Former President Trump’s representatives have informed NARA that they are continuing to search for additional Presidential records that belong to the National Archives.”

“As required by the Presidential Records Act (PRA), these records should have been transferred to NARA from the White House at the end of the Trump Administration in January 2021,” the National Archives added.

Several media outlets reported that the documents retrieved included correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Trump had described as “love letters” as well as a letter former President Barack Obama left ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

Monday’s search warrant was connected to the National Archives after the agency brought the matter to the Justice Department in February when they found classified materials from the 15 boxes they had retrieved. The Archives also asked the department to investigate if Trump broke the law when he took the records, in which some were marked classified. In June, Trump was served with a subpoena seeking other “sensitive government documents” that investigators believed were stored in Mar-a-Lago.

The raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago private residence marks an series unprecedented action by federal law enforcement that requires approval from the highest levels of the FBI and DOJ.

According to a source, the FBI raid occurred early Monday morning and was at Mar-a-Lago for “the majority of the day.” The agents brought a “safe cracker” to use to crack Trump’s “relatively new” safe in his office. The safe had nothing inside, the source said. Agents, however, looked in every single office and safe in Mar-a-Lago, snatching up documents and boxes without properly vetting through during the raid to go through them outside the property.

The White House is claiming that it was not given any advance “notice” before the FBI executed the raid of Mar-a-Lago and learned of the news developments off Twitter.

“We did not have notice of the reported action and would refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information,” a White House official said.

The Department of Justice declined to comment.