UNITED STATES: Furious Donald Trump allies are requesting an explanation for the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The investigation, which Trump revealed on Monday night, has not yet received any comments from the FBI or Department of Justice.
According to reports, it is related to a probe into how he handled sensitive and confidential information.
It was the first occasion that police searched the residence of a former US president.
The FBI’s work is related to a probe into whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump seized secret documents from the White House and brought them to Mar-a-Lago.
Republican leaders demanded a briefing from Attorney General Merrick Garland, the head of the DoJ, and painted the investigation politically motivated.
Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, urged the attorney general to provide “a thorough accounting” of the reasons the search warrant was executed despite rumours that they may both run for president in 2024.
In the meantime, Trump’s friends in Congress pledged to start an investigation if they regained control of the House of Representatives and Senate in November’s mid-term elections, determining the distribution of power in Washington.
President Joe Biden “heard about this from public accounts,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement to reporters on Tuesday, adding that the FBI had not informed him in advance of the operation.
The president “believes in the rule of law,” she added, adding that Biden has gone to tremendous pains to maintain the justice department’s independence.
The former president, who was at Trump Tower in New York City, first revealed the raid in a statement on Monday night.
The FBI had a search order for Mar-a-Lago, according to Trump’s attorney Lindsey Halligan, who claimed to have received a call at around 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) telling her to visit the resort.
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.
Halligan claimed that she and another Trump attorney had been denied access to the building and that the search had been divided into three areas: a bedroom, an office, and a storage space.
An unidentified law enforcement officer claimed that the Secret Service agents guarding Trump were informed of the warrant’s execution just before it was delivered.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell stated that the justice department “should already have delivered answers to the American people” and that it “must do so soon.”
While many Democrats supported the raid, several demanded further details from the DoJ. Some expressed worry that it might increase backing for the former president.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said that she only became aware of the FBI agents’ visit when she saw public accounts on her phone.
“To have a warrant, you need justification,” said.
“And that says that no-one is above the law, not even a president or former president of the United States.”
Also Read: FBI Seizes Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Residence
