Former President Donald Trump said in a statement Monday that the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home.
It is not immediately clear why the former president’s Florida resort was raided, though the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the possible mishandling of documents after 15 boxes of White House documents ended up at Mar-a-Lago. Some of these documents were classified, according to The Washington Post.
The New York Times reported Monday that the search appeared to be related to this investigation, citing two people familiar with the investigation.
Trump denounced the raid, which he suggested was ongoing, and called it “prosecutorial misconduct.” The former president also suggested that the raid was “an attack by” his political opponents to try and ensure he doesn’t run again in 2024.
“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,” Trump said. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”
Trump, in a lengthy statement, says the FBI executed a raid on Mar-a-Lago today: pic.twitter.com/x2RwEEEGWD
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 8, 2022
“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,” the former president added.
According to Trump, the FBI “even broke into” his safe. (RELATED: ‘Smoking Gun’: Biden Admin Sued For Not Releasing Docs Declassified By Trump On Russia Collusion Investigation)
The DOJ also recently ramped up its investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. While the probe is not a criminal investigation into Trump himself, the former president’s actions are reportedly being looked into, an administration official previously told NBC News.