Former US President Donald Trump claimed the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago Florida home. FBI’s search is linked to the former President’s handling of classified and sensitive material, reports say.
In a lengthy note on Monday, former President Donald Trump claimed that a large body of FBI personnel had raided his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm beach, Florida. They had even broken open a safe, he said. The FBI and the US Department of Justice haven’t commented yet, but the search is reported to an investigation about Trump mishandling sensitive information.
An anonymous law enforcement offcial soon told CBS news that the Secret Service was intimated shortly after a warrant was served at 10 am local time. The agents that protected Donald Trump cooperated with the authorities,. The FBI seized several boxes and the search concluded late afternoon, the source said.
Trump Removed Classified Information: FBI
Some reports suggest that the FBI had raided Trump’s home to ascertain whether he removed classified information from the White House and took them to Florida. Meanwhile, Eric Trump, his second- oldest son, said that it was related to Donald Trump’s handing of National Archives records. He had supposedly taken them after he left office.
According to the Presidential Records Act (PRA) , US presidents have to transfer all of their records and emails to the National Archives. On the other hand, FBI said in February it had retrieved 15 boxes of important documents which Donald Trump should have given up when he left the White House.
It later told the US Congress that those boxes contained classified information about national security and asked the Justice Department to investigate. At that time, Donald Trump rejected FBI’s claims as “fake news”.
Search Warrant Came from Upper Echelons of the Justice Department
In Donald Trump’s case the Justice Department had acquired a federal warrant to search his home. Neither FBI ,nor the Justice Department can act unilaterally when searching anyone’s house. They require a federal warrant signed by a federal judge or magistrate allowing them to search the premises.
Law authorities request a federal warrant when they conclude that someone’s residence has information related to a criminal investigation. The search warrant, however, isn’t by itself an indication of someone’s guilt. Yet it reflects a sense of urgency when it is believed that a subpoena or summons would jeopardize the information or material law-enforcement needs.
Even then FBI must meet certain legal benchmarks before a judge signs such a document. They have to prove a “probability clause”-a proof that they’ll find the evidence of illegality. If a warrant lacks such proof, it is unlawful, according to a ruling in 2004. Law enforcement officials also have to describe the “location” and “nature” of their search.
They are entitled to search beyond the parameters prescribed in the warrant. In Trump’s case, it is apparent that warrant was approved at the upper echelons of the justice department.
Major Escalation in Criminal Investigation Against Donald Trump
Yesterday’s raid marked a major escalation after a months long investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified information. Donald Trump was in New York at the time and his criticized the search in his statement. In his statement Donald Trump said he had cooperated with the authorities.
The “unannounced raid on my home was unnecessary and inappropriate”, he said. “ 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”, he remarked.
So far, news of the search had mobilized Trump’s Republican supporters in his Florida home. A group gathered outside his home waving flags. Meanwhile, many Republicans in the Congress have criticized the move. House of Representatives minority leader Kevin Mc Carthy said: “ The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization”.
(Inputs, BBC, New York Times)
Read more – Republican outrage at FBI raid on Trump residence at Mar-a-Lago
