Topline
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting an “unannounced raid” at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, the former president said Monday, as a federal probe into the handling of White House records swirls around Trump.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas on … [+]
Key Facts
Trump said in a statement a “large group” of FBI agents are currently raiding the Palm Beach club, which he uses as his residence.
He didn’t specify why the agents visited the club, but said his team had been “working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies” prior to the raid.
The New York Times reports the search appeared to be tied to troves of sensitive federal documents that were discovered at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year—and that apparently should have been transferred to the government after Trump left office last year.
Trump claimed FBI agents broke into his safe as part of the search.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Miami declined to comment to Forbes, and the FBI and the National Archives and Records Administration did not respond to requests for comment.
Key Background
It’s not clear why FBI agents visited Mar-a-Lago, but it comes as the Department of Justice investigates why 15 boxes of sensitive Trump-era government records were taken to Mar-a-Lago instead of remaining in federal custody. The boxes were handed over to the National Archives in January, but experts say their presence at the former president’s home may have violated recordkeeping laws, and a grand jury probe into the documents—some of which contain what federal officials described as “classified national security information”—reportedly began earlier this year. Meanwhile, the DOJ’s investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot has neared the former president and his inner circle. The Washington Post reports prosecutors have asked about Trump’s unprecedented campaign to reverse his 2020 election loss, and in recent weeks, federal authorities have conducted searches on two Trump-affiliated attorneys and brought in two aides to former President Mike Pence for grand jury testimony. Trump’s legal team has reportedly entered into discussions with the DOJ on how to handle possible claims of executive privilege in the January 6 probe.
Chief Critic
Trump—who has often cast investigations into him and his business as politically-motivated—called Monday’s FBI activity “political persecution.”
Tangent
Trump has been accused of mishandling White House records in the past. It’s widely reported that he habitually tore up paper documents after he no longer needed them, forcing government staffers to carefully tape them back together in order to comply with federal recordkeeping laws, Politico reported in 2018. Some records that were handed over to the House January 6 committee appeared to be torn and taped together, according to CNN and the Post. Plus, Axios revealed earlier Monday that Times reporter Maggie Haberman has obtained photos of Trump-era records sitting in a toilet, following earlier reports that White House toilets were clogged on numerous occasions after somebody tried to flush documents.
What We Don’t Know
The DOJ hasn’t charged Trump or any of his associates, and it remains unclear whether anybody will face charges or how a prosecution would play out. Under the Presidential Records Act of 1978, documents related to presidents’ official duties must be preserved and transferred to the National Archives after a president leaves the White House. The 1978 law doesn’t have a clear enforcement mechanism, but destroying federal records could lead to criminal charges on other grounds if prosecutors believe a defendant intentionally skirted the law, the Times notes.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/08/08/fbi-agents-search-mar-a-lago-in-unannounced-raid-trump-says/