FBI agents executed a search warrant yesterday, raiding the personal residence of former President Donald Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump, who was in New York at the time, confirmed the news himself in a statement Monday night, according to The Washington Post.
Authorities carried out the search as part of an investigation into the whereabouts of classified documents that Trump may have taken with him to Florida after leaving the White House. The files were supposed to be sent to the National Archives instead.
“It is a federal crime to remove classified documents wrongly,” Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor, said. “And so if you are filling out that affidavit and you have to list the crime, you can list that as the crime.”
Trump could be found to have violated the Presidential Records Act, which mandates that all such records be preserved, including letters, memos, notes, emails, faxes as well as any other written documents pertaining to the president’s official role.
National Archives officials had stated that at least 15 boxes of White House records – some containing top secret documents – were previously recovered from Mar-a-Lago. The FBI reportedly returned to Florida with sufficient evidence to suggest that additional records unlawfully remained in Trump’s possession.
The Justice Department is also investigating Trump for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the part he played in the Capitol Riots of January 6, 2021. Despite his various legal entanglements and the mountain of accusations against him, Trump has maintained the support of many conservatives and is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign within the next few months.
