Donald Trump hinted that the FBI could have “planted” evidence at his Mar-a-Lago resort during a raid on Monday.
Writing on his social media site Truth Social Wednesday, the former president criticized the search of his Florida residence.
FBI agents reportedly seized a dozen boxes as part of an investigation into the handling of presidential documents.
Mr. Trump he said the agency would “not let anyone, including my lawyers, be in the vicinity of the areas that were searched and otherwise observed during the raid.”
“Everyone was asked to leave the premises, they wanted to be left alone, with no witnesses to see what they were doing, taking or hopefully not ‘planting’,” he said.
“Why did they STRONGLY insist on having no one watching them, all out? Obama and Clinton were never” searched “, despite the great controversies!”
In a separate statement, Trump hit Attorney General Letitia James, who he said launched a “political attack on me, my family and my great company in its despicable attempt to deliver on that cynical and very corrupt promise.”
She claims that Ms. James campaigned on a “Catch and Destroy Trump” policy.
Sky News contacted the FBI, the United States Department of Justice, and Ms. James’s office for comment.
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Why was Trump’s property raided?
“Dark times for our nation”
On August 8, FBI agents entered Mr. Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago with a search warrant and a senior US official claimed the agents were on the Palm Beach estate for a “majority” of Monday.
The United States Department of Justice investigated the discovery of boxes of documents containing confidential information that were brought into the property after the end of the Trump presidency.
They were recovered in January by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which then asked the Justice Department to look into whether Trump’s handling of White House documents violated federal law.
He noted that some of the boxes contained items “marked as classified national security information”.
Trump later gave details of the operation, arguing that the action represented “dark times for our nation” and “was not necessary or appropriate”.
Her attorney Christina Bobb, who said she was there during the search, told NBC News that some documents had been seized.
Ms. Bobb said Trump and his team had “worked with FBI and Justice Department officials every step of the way,” adding that the office “conducted an unannounced raid and seized paper.”
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Trump supporters criticize the FBI
The White House hasn’t let go of its head
Any search of a private residence should be approved by a judge.
It is likely that the research was also approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, and by his boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, appointed by President Joe Biden.
“This is the biggest deal you can get, and … every single person in the chain should have signed up on this,” said Phillip Halpern, a former federal prosecutor.
Hours before agents searched the premises, the FBI informed intelligence of the office’s plans to execute the warrant, according to a secret service official.
Read more:
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Because the FBI raided Donald Trump’s estate
How the FBI raid may have helped Donald Trump
Secret services facilitated access to the property, the official said, but took no part in any aspect of the search.
The White House said it was not notified about the research.
“We were unaware of the reported action and will refer you to the Justice Department for further information,” an official said.
