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 unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Monday’s search was part of the Justice Department’s investigation into how the former president handled sensitive documents at the end of his administration.
It is unrelated to the DOJ’s separate investigation into the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, which is also said to focus in part on the former president.
The attack comes two months after Justice Department lawyers 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 it said had been improperly taken to Mar-a-Lago, running afoul of strict federal law processes for archive presidential documents.
Tuesday’s search of Trump’s Palm Beach club indicates that the FBI proved to the judge who approved its search warrant that the agency had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed and that the search of Mar-a-Lago could provide evidence. reports the New York Times.
The raid was likely approved by top law enforcement officials such as Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Biden appointee, and FBI chief Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee.
The White House said Tuesday that it had not been given advance warning of the attack.
“The president and the White House learned of this FBI search from public reports, we learned as did the American public,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
Trump’s attorney, Christina Bobb, was present at the club for the search.
The former president maintained that the search was a political attempt to derail his potential political comeback.
“After working and cooperating with the appropriate government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was neither necessary nor appropriate,” Trump wrote in a statement Monday. “This assault could only take place in broken third world countries.”
“They even broke into my safe!” added.
Officials of all stripes are rarely sent to prison for federal record-keeping crimes, making the search for a former presidential candidate all the more remarkable.