The investigation, which Donald Trump revealed on Monday night, has not yet received any comments from the FBI or Department of Justice.
According to reports, it is related to a probe into how he handled sensitive and confidential information.
It was the first occasion ever that police searched the residence of a former US president.
According to reports, the FBI’s work is related to a probe into whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump seized secret documents from the White House and brought them to Mar-a-Lago.
The search was over by late afternoon, according to an unidentified law enforcement officer who spoke to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, who also noted that many crates had been removed.
Republicans have portrayed the inquiry as being politically motivated, and prominent members have demanded an update from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is in charge of the Department of Justice (DoJ).
In response to rumors that he and Mr. Trump may both compete for the White House in 2024, Mr. Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, has quietly distanced himself and demanded that the attorney general provide “a thorough accounting” of the reasons the search warrant was executed.
He stated on Twitter that “in the history of the United States, no former President has ever had their home raided.”
In the meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s congressional supporters pledged to start an inquiry if they regained control of the House of Representatives and Senate in November’s mid-term elections, which will determine the distribution of power in Washington.
Democrats generally supported the raid, but several also joined requests for the DoJ to give additional details. Some expressed worry that it may increase backing for the previous president.
The state attorney for Palm Beach, Florida, where Mar-a-Lago is headquartered, Dave Aronberg, told the BBC that “this might be extremely helpful to him as many people gather around him during this time.” Trump will make use of this to reclaim his martyrdom.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said that she only became aware of the FBI agents’ “visit” when she saw public accounts on her phone.
When the warrant is made public, she noted, she will be interested in knowing more about what the authorities were looking for.
She told NBC News, “You need grounds to obtain a warrant.” And that proves that nobody—not even a sitting or past president of the United States—is above the law.
Trump, who is now at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, said in a fundraising email to supporters on Tuesday that he and other Republicans were the targets of attacks because of their political clout and “my supremacy in all surveys.”
He continued: “The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be revealed and stopped.” “They are attempting to stop the Republican Party and me once more,” he stated.
One among the numerous conservatives expressing displeasure was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is rumoured to be exploring a run against Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
He said that “the raid on Mar-a-Lago is another step forward in the weaponization of government agencies against the regime’s political rivals.”
Mick Mulvaney, a former chief of staff in the Trump White House, told the BBC that he made sure presidential documents were retained during his time there.
According to him, “when the law says you have to keep everything, that’s everything – a scratch pad, a newspaper the president had seen, it might be something really significant or something frivolous, like a menu with Boris Johnson, for example.
“If the Department of Justice is only searching for technical legal infractions, then this is a very overreaching action.
However, if the DoJ believes there may be records of conversations between the president and right-wing extremists and rioters that were kept at Mar-a-Lago and if they are connected to the very serious charge of attempting to obstruct the Biden administration’s takeover of power, then that is very serious.
