Posted on 08/08/22
| News Source: The Hill
The FBI executed a search warrant on Donald Trump’s home in Florida on Monday, the former president said in a statement lashing out at law enforcement for “political persecution.”
“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 said.
“After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid at my home was not necessary or appropriate.”
The remarkable execution of a search warrant at a former president’s home comes as the Justice Department has accelerated its investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and further examined Trump’s actions to overturn the 2020 election results to remain in power.
It was not immediately clear what was examined during the search, but Trump said the law enforcement officials “even broke into my safe.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Trump said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to comment.
In recent weeks, the Justice Department has been focusing on Trump’s efforts to remain in power through a false elector scheme, transmitting what campaign officials referred to as “fake” election certificates in order to reverse the 2020 election in key states won by President Biden. The department has reportedly convened a federal grand jury to investigate the scheme, in addition to the grand jury investigation into the Jan. 6 attack.
It also previously executed search warrants on two lawyers who worked with the former president.
DOJ seized the phone of John Eastman, who crafted memos for the campaign detailing the false elector strategy as well as a plan for then-Vice President Pence to buck his ceremonial duty to certify the election results. And it also searched the home of Jeffrey Clark, an assistant attorney general Trump weighed installing as attorney general so he could forward an investigation into his baseless claims of election fraud.
But there are signs DOJ may have expanded its probe.