Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home raided by FBI agents

The search is said to be part of an investigation into the former US President’s handling of classified information.

FBI agents searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday (Tuesday AEST), which people familiar with the matter said was part of an investigation into Mr Trump’s handling of classified information.

The search was made public in a statement released by Mr Trump, in which he said FBI agents were at his home.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before,” he said in the statement. “After working and co-operating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.” “They even broke into my safe!” wrote Mr Trump, who has repeatedly suggested he will run for president again in 2024.

The search began Monday morning and lasted until the evening, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Legal historians said they couldn’t remember a case in recent history in which the FBI searched the home of a former president. The search marked an escalation of the Justice Department’s investigation into aspects of Mr Trump’s final days in office and is expected to ripple through the run-up to November’s midterm elections.

Officials can face up to five years in prison for removing classified materials to an unauthorised location. The penalties for breaking other laws related to the removal of official records also include disqualification from holding federal office – including the presidency.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned that Attorney-General Merrick Garland could expect an investigation into the action should the GOP win control of the House in November’s midterm election.

Donald Trump says ‘nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before’. Picture: AFP

Many Democrats have been urging Mr Garland to be more forceful in investigating the former president’s actions; Mr Garland has said little publicly about the probe but told reporters recently when asked about the possibility of charging a former president that “no person is above the law in this country.” “There has been nothing like this in recent decades,” said John Q. Barrett, a law professor at St. John’s University in New York. “When someone is out of office, he’s just a person like everyone else, living in his home and subject to obeying the law.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was asked about the search on MSNBC Monday night and declined to comment. Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, who was present during the FBI search, confirmed federal agents “seized paper.” In February, the National Archives and Records Administration told a congressional panel the former president had classified government records at his Florida residence, saying it was in communication with the Justice Department, which is investigating the matter. Messages left for a National Archives and Records Administration spokesman weren’t immediately returned.

Mr Trump was in New York City Monday evening, according to a person familiar with his location.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. Spokespeople for the FBI didn’t immediately respond.

The White House didn’t get any advance notice of the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, an administration official said.

To conduct such a search, the FBI would need to convince a judge that there was reason to believe there may be evidence of a crime to be found at that location. Such a move would also likely require sign-off from the highest echelons of the Justice Department, though a spokeswoman wouldn’t say what role Mr Garland played.

The Justice Department has been looking into the former president’s handling of official records as well as his actions around the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The search is separate from the January 6 investigation, the people familiar with the probe said.

Both parties have closely scrutinised the Justice Department as it has probed Mr Trump’s actions. The former president and some of his allies have suggested he is the victim of a partisan effort, while some Democrats have publicly urged the department to be more aggressive.

The search of Mr Trump’s home comes as support for the former president – particularly for the idea of him running again in 2024 – has been slipping among some in his own party. But the FBI’s move quickly became a rallying cry for many Republicans.

“This abuse of power must stop and the only way to do that is to elect Republicans in November,” said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

The FBI, whose agents conducted the search, is run by Director Christopher Wray, who was nominated by Mr Trump in 2017 and confirmed with bipartisan support.

The FBI in 2016 investigated then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over whether she mishandled classified information during her time as Secretary of State, but didn’t ultimately bring charges. Mr Trump repeatedly criticised Mrs Clinton in 2016 in connection with that investigation, saying she should have been prosecuted.

In January, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of material from Mr Trump, raising questions about his compliance with federal law requiring official records to be turned over when a president leaves office. A person familiar with the records said they include a letter former President Barack Obama left for his successor and correspondence between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

That prompted an investigation by the Democratic-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which asked the National Archives whether classified documents were among the boxes.

“NARA has identified items marked as classified national security information within the boxes,” David S. Ferriero, the US archivist, wrote in a letter to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, who chairs the oversight committee.

“Because NARA identified classified information in the boxes, NARA staff has been in communication with the Department of Justice,” the letter stated.

The National Archives also said that some Trump presidential records it had received had been torn up.

As for the January 6 investigations, moves in recent weeks by federal prosecutors have signalled they are examining Mr Trump’s own actions, not just the attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing regarding the riot.

Mr Trump’s White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy Pat Philbin recently received subpoenas seeking documents and testimony, people familiar with the matter said last week. The Justice Department also pressed top advisers to former Vice President Mike Pence about efforts by several lawyers for Mr Trump to reverse the 2020 results, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Justice Department has added prosecutors and resources to its investigation as the related congressional hearings have shed new light on Mr Trump’s role in attempts by his allies to alter the election outcome.

Eric Trump, the former president’s son, said on Fox News that he was the person who informed his father of the search. Mr Trump’s son said there were more than 30 FBI agents on the property and that no notice was given. He said the agents searched an office, closet and safe.

“He didn’t even have anything in the safe,” he said.

Catherine Lucey, Lindsay Wise and John McCormick contributed to this article

The Wall Street Journal