PanamaTimes

Wednesday, Oct 09, 2024

Mar-a-Lago: Republican uproar over FBI raid on Trump home

Mar-a-Lago: Republican uproar over FBI raid on Trump home

Furious allies of former President Donald Trump are demanding an explanation for the FBI's raid on his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.

The FBI and Department of Justice have yet to comment on the search, which Mr Trump disclosed on Monday evening.

It is reportedly linked to an investigation into his handling of classified and sensitive material.

It was the first time a former US president's home has ever been searched by law enforcement.

Reports suggest the FBI activity is connected to an investigation into whether Mr Trump, a Republican, removed classified records from the White House and took them to Mar-a-Lago.

The search was approved at the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DoJ), an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Republicans have depicted the investigation as politically motivated, with leading figures demanding a briefing from Attorney General Merrick Garland, head of the DoJ.

Mr Trump's former Vice-President, Mike Pence, who has subtly distanced himself amid speculation they may both launch 2024 White House runs, called on the attorney general to give "a full accounting" of why the search warrant was carried out.

"No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Trump's allies in Congress, meanwhile, vowed to launch an investigation if they win back control of the House of Representatives and Senate in November's mid-term elections, when the balance of power in Washington will be decided.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday that President Joe Biden was given no advance notice by the FBI of the raid, and that he "learned about this from public reports".

"The president was not briefed and was not aware of it. No-one at the White House was given a heads-up," she said.

She told reporters that Mr Biden had gone to great lengths to preserve the independence of the justice department, adding: "President Biden believes in the rule of law."

An anti-Trump protester outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday


The raid was first announced on Monday evening in a statement by the former president, who was at Trump Tower in New York City.

Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer for Mr Trump, said she had received a call around 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) that the FBI had a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago and that she should come to the property.

She said she saw 30 to 40 gloved FBI agents, some in suits and others dressed casually, and around 10 to 15 FBI vehicles, including a rental truck.

Ms Halligan told CBS she and another lawyer for Mr Trump were barred from entering the complex, and that the search was divided into three sections: a bedroom, office and storage area.

"Complete overkill," she said. "If they needed documents, they could have asked."

The Secret Service agents protecting Mr Trump were notified shortly before the warrant was served, an unnamed law enforcement official told CBS.

In a fundraising email to supporters on Tuesday, Mr Trump - who is currently at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club - said he and other Republicans were being targeted because of his political influence and "my dominance in all polls".

"They are trying to stop the Republican Party and me once more," he said, adding: "The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be exposed and stopped."

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell released a statement on Tuesday saying the justice department "should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately".

While many Democrats welcomed the raid, several urged the DoJ to provide more information. Some aired concerns that it could boost support for the former president.

"This could be very useful to him as many people rally around him during this time," Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach, where Mar-a-Lago is based, told the BBC. "Trump will use this to regain his martyr status."

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she first learned of the "visit" by FBI agents through public reports on her phone.

"To have a warrant, you need justification," she told NBC News. "And that says that no-one is above the law, not even a president or former president of the United States."


Trump's other legal battles:


*  A House of Representatives select committee is investigating his actions surrounding the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 - when his supporters rioted at Congress in Washington DC as lawmakers met to certify Mr Biden's election victory

*  The justice department is examining his challenge to the results of the 2020 presidential election

*  A prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating whether Mr Trump and his associates tried to interfere in that state's results from the election

*  A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that lawmakers can US gain access to Mr Trump's long-hidden tax records, affirming the decision of a lower court

*  This week, he will be forced to face questioning from the New York state attorney general, who is investigating whether he fraudulently inflated the value of his assets


Watch: Trump supporters upset with FBI search



Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
US Election 2024: A Deadlock Between Trump and Harris
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Elon Musk's X Faces Fines and Account Error in Brazil
Scott Jennings leaves CNN panel speechless as he tears apart Tim Walz's flimsy excuse of being "too dumb to tell the truth."
Earth Faces Severe Geomagnetic Storm from Solar Flare
China-Led Bloc Challenges The Quad in Indo-Pacific Region
Biden-Harris sent forklifts to open the border when Texas built a razor wall.
Storm Helene Devastates Eastern and Midwestern US, Claims 44 Lives
Trump Taps Elon Musk to Lead Federal Spending Cuts, Promising Trillions in Savings
Importing voters: With an election looming, the U.S. is approving citizenship applications at the fastest speed in years.
Hurricane Helene Set to Slam Florida with 'Unsurvivable' Conditions
El Salvadoran President Bukele at the UN: "Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
Google Commits 120 Million Dollars for Global AI Education: Sundar Pichai
Tennessee Woman Sentenced for Attempted Murder-For-Hire
Amazon Rainforest Suffers Massive Deforestation
Earth's Planetary Boundaries Breached
Elon Musk’s X Circumvents Brazil’s Supreme Court Block
Brazilian Judge Accuses Elon Musk’s X of Circumventing Court-Ordered Ban
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Coerced into Recognizing Maduro's Victory
Brazil's Firefighters Battle Amazon Blazes and Arsonists
X Social Media Platform Ordered Offline Again in Brazil
Global Workdays Required to Afford iPhone 16
In his podcast, Joe Rogan rightly questioned, "YOU NEED A VACCINE PASSPORT FOR FOOD, BUT VOTER ID IS ‘RACIST'?!"
Trump Unveils New Cryptocurrency Venture Amidst Campaign
X Update Enables App to Bypass Brazil Ban, Say Internet Providers
Delta Airlines Sets Strict Wardrobe Guidelines for Flight Attendants
Norway Achieves Milestone in Electric Vehicle Adoption
Hezbollah Hit by Explosive Pagers in Lebanon
Ex-Soldier Describes Trump Assassination Suspect's Troubled Ukraine Stint
Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex-Trafficking Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court
El Salvador's Bold Move: President Bukele Declares End to External Debt Reliance, Thanks to Bitcoin
Murdoch Family Succession Battle Begins
TikTok Faces Potential Ban in the US Amid Free Speech Concerns
Secret Service Investigates Elon Musk's Controversial Social Media Post
Meta Bans Russian State Media Networks
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
Significant Corruption Concerns in Covid Contracts
MORAES WILL NOT SILENCE ME: "I WAS BORN FREE, I WILL DIE FREE!"
BRAZIL’S SUPREME COURT MINISTER ORDERS EXPLANATION ON X BLOCKING
Porn streamer OnlyFans paid owner $630mn in dividends
Donald Trump will not face sentencing over his 'hush money' conviction before the US presidential election on November 5, after a Manhattan judge granted his request to delay the proceeding
Return of Brazilian Artworks to Bahia
France Pilots Mobile Phone Ban in Schools
WHO-Led Study Finds No Link Between Mobile Phones and Brain Cancer
Kamala Harris is in Detroit and has a new accent again
EU Rejects Maduro’s Election Win Claim in Venezuela
×