Former US President Donald Trump says that FBI agents have raided his Florida villa called "Mar-a-Lago".
Donald Trump: The FBI raided my private villa
9 Aug 2022 - 11:28
Former US President Donald Trump says that FBI agents have raided his Florida villa called "Mar-a-Lago".
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Donald Trump wrote in a statement on Monday afternoon: "My beautiful Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida is now under siege, a large group of FBI agents have raided and occupied it."
Hours later, it was confirmed that the FBI searched Donald Trump's personal villa during the investigation related to the official documents of the presidency.
Trump is said to be staying at Trump Tower in New York City at the time of the search.
The former US president wrote in his statement: These are dark days for our country.
He has said that he has cooperated with related government organizations and that "this unprovoked attack on my house was not necessary or appropriate and this work means "using the judicial system as a weapon" to prevent his candidacy in the 2024 elections.
Donald Trump: This type of attack only happens in dysfunctional countries of the third world, unfortunately America is now in the category of these countries and unprecedented corruption is going on in America, and they have even opened my coffers.
Trump's son, Eric, told Fox News that the Mar-e-Lago search warrant was related to an investigation into National Archives documents.
The National Archives, the government agency that maintains presidential records, asked the Justice Department in February to investigate how Mr. Trump handled official documents.
The National Archives said at the time that it had recovered fifteen boxes from Mar-a-Lago, some of which contained classified documents.
US presidents are required by law to transfer all their letters, work documents and emails to the National Archives.
But officials say the former president illegally shredded many of the documents.
The National Archives says it had to re-glue many of these documents. At that time, Mr. Trump called these reports "fake news".
An unnamed police official told CBS that several boxes were removed from Mar-a-Lago during the search. He added that no door was forced open during the execution of this order on Monday evening.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman writes in a forthcoming book, "The Confident Man," that White House staffers sometimes found a wad of paper clogging the toilet flush that they thought was Mr. Trump's work.
Ms. Haberman has obtained photos that she says show papers in a White House bathroom.
In addition to the National Archives investigation, a special committee of the House of Representatives has also claimed that the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021 - when Mr. Trump's supporters tried to prevent the confirmation of the election result and Mr. Biden's victory - was part of a conspiracy by the president. The former was to stay in power.
Asked by NBC last month if he was worried about possible charges against the former president, Attorney General Merrick Garland said only that he was not going to let "anybody" get away with it.
Mar-a-Lago is a private club and also the winter resort of the Trump family.
Story Code: 256843