Boxes of documents reportedly prompted FBI raid of Donald Trump’s home

Donald Trump’s lawyer has revealed what the FBI seized from the former president’s home during a shock raid of his Florida mansion.

Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, has reportedly been raided by the FBI, with the former US President branding the search a “weaponisation of the Justice System”.

“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,” he said in statement.

“After working and co-operating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”

Mr Trump failed to reveal why the FBI agents were at his home in the lengthy statement, but multiple media outlets have reported it could be linked to boxes of documents the former president took from the White House.

A police car is seen outside former US President Donald Trump's residence in Mar-A-Lago, Florida on August 8, 2022. Picture: Giorgio Viera/AFP

pic.twitter.com/hE8hoY90f4

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 8, 2022

News of the raid was broken by Peter Schorsch, publisher of FloridaPolitics.com.

Mr Trump’s lawyer, Christina Bobb, said that the FBI agents seized documents from the Palm Beach resort.

“President Trump and his legal team have been cooperative with FBI and DOJ officials every step of the way. The FBI did conduct an unannounced raid and seized paper,” she said according to CNN.

The search appeared to be focused on material that Trump had brought with him to the resort after he left the White House, according to the New York Times.

The boxes contained pages of classified documents, according to a person familiar with their contents.

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Former U. President Donald Trump has claimed FBI agents have raided his Florida home. Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images/AFP

The documents and mementos, which also included correspondence from ex-US president Barack Obama, should by law have been turned over at the end of Trump’s presidency but instead ended up at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Mr Trump delayed returning the 15 boxes of material for months after it was requested by officials National Archives, only doing so once threatened with action being taken against him in order to retrieve them.

“It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponisation 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,” Mt Trump said in response to the raid.

“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.”

The 76-year-old complained that officials had even broken into his safe, before likening the situation the Watergate scandal.

“What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee? Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States,” Mr Trump said.

It is understood Mr Trump was not at the residence when the raid took place.

Mr Trump’s multimillion-dollar Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Picture: Don Emmert/AFP

He claimed he has been persecuted for “years”, calling the search of his home “political targeting at its finest”.

“Hillary Clinton was allows to delete and acid wash 33,000 emails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable,” Mr Trump said.

He also accused Ms Clinton od taking antique furniture and other items from the White House.

“I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption, I restored power to the people, and truly delivered for our Country, like we have never seen before. The establishment hated it,” he said.

“Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more.

“The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt must be exposed and stopped. I will continue to fight for the Great American People!”

It appears that many of Mr Trump’s more fanatic supporters are already rallying behind the present, with some concerning comments unearthed on a pro-Trump website.

Here's the top comment on TheDonald in reaction to the Mar-a-Lago raid. pic.twitter.com/cAjol0SIsX

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) August 8, 2022

TheDonald used to be a page on Reddit where participants created discussions and memes in support of Mr Trump, however, it was banned from the social media site in 2020 for violating Reddit rules on harassment and targeting.

As a result, the community created it’s own pro-Trump website called patriots.win.

Multiple investigations looking into Trump

Mr Trump is currently at the centre of a slew of legal investigations.

The US Department of Justice is investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a mob Trump supporters – an incident that is also the subject of a House of Representatives committee probe.

But Attorney-General Merrick Garland has yet to point a finger at any one culprit.

“We have to hold accountable every person who is criminally responsible for trying to overturn a legitimate election,” he said recently, emphasising that “no person is above the law.”

Mr Trump taking at least 15 boxes of government documents with him to Florida following his 2020 election defeat is the subject of another probe.

Trump supporters battle with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6. Picture: Roberto Schmidt/AFP

Efforts to overturn the 2020 election results are also being investigated in the state of Georgia, while his business practices are being probed in New York.

Images published ahead of a new book on the 45th President have also given rise to claims that Mr Trump would periodically block up toilets in the White House with wads of paper.

This reportedly led staff to believe that Mr Trump was trying to get rid of certain documents, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

US Publisher Axios published exclusive photos from the book which show folded up paper covered in black Sharpie, a marker known to be favoured by the former president, sitting at the bottom of toilets.

Despite all of this, the former president has been dropping strong hints about a plan to run in the 2024 presidential election, though he is yet to officially declare his candidacy.

With President Joe Biden’s approval rating currently below 40 per cent and Democrats forecast to lose control of Congress in November midterm elections, Trump is apparently bullish that he could ride the Republican wave all the way to the White House in 2024.

– with AFP