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| Photo Credit: AP. |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Monday raided the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump over classified records which the agency believes Mr. Trump may have taken from the White House.
FBI agents
entered the Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether Mr.
Trump took classified documents to his Florida residence, The Associated Press
quoted people familiar with the matter.
In a lengthy
statement, Trump said that agents had opened a safe at his home, describing
their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial
misconduct,” according to The Associated Press. Mr. Trump was in New York,
planning to meet later Tuesday at his Bedminster, New Jersey club with members
of the Republican Study Committee, a group headed by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana,
according to The Associated Press.
Did Trump take classified documents from the White House?
A
months-long probe has sought to establish how classified documents ended up in
boxes of White House records located at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
The Associated
Press reported that about two dozen Trump supporters stood in protest at
midmorning Tuesday in a bridge near Trump’s residence following the raid.
One held a
sign reading “Democrats are Fascists” while others carried flags saying “2020
Was Rigged,” “Trump 2024″ and Biden’s name with an obscenity, according to The Associated
Press.
Mike Pence condemns FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate
Trump’s then
Vice-President Mike Pence, denounced the raid in a tweet on Tuesday:
“Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and
Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as
to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately”
Trump wrote
Monday night, “These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home,
Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and
occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump wrote, according to The
Associated Press. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the
United States before.”
“After
working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced
raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said.
What is the Justice Department investigating about Trump's mishandling of classified documents?
The Justice
Department has been investigating the potential mishandling of classified
information after the National Archives and Records Administration said it had
received from Mar-a-Lago 15 boxes of White House records, including documents
containing classified information, earlier this year, according to The
Associated Press. The National Archives said Trump should have turned over that
material upon leaving office and then asked the Justice Department to
investigate.
According to
The Associated Press, there are multiple federal laws governing the handling of
classified records and sensitive government documents, including statutes that
make it a crime to remove such material and retain it at an unauthorized
location.