WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday tried to divert news that the FBI had searched his Florida home in his favour, citing an investigation of texts and emails requesting political donations from his supporters.
The unprecedented research represents a major escalation of the federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House while leaving office in January 2021. Trump continues to publicly court to run for president again in 2024 but hasn't said clearly whether he would. to do that.
The memo was related to the National Archives and Records Administration, which is responsible for protecting presidential records that belong to the public, and whether there were classified documents at the Trump Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, according to a familiar person. with this issue.
The person said the FBI took about 10 boxes of papers, but the safe that was searched was empty.
Trump has attempted to portray the research as a politically motivated move by the administration of President Joe Biden at a time when the former president is playing a major role in the Republican primary ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine control of the US Congress.
"They're trying to stop the Republican Party and me again," Trump said in a fundraising email on Tuesday. "Anarchy, political persecution, and witch hunts must be exposed and stopped."
Trump launched his Save America political action committee days after losing the 2020 election to Biden. It has more than $100 million in the bank, a formidable war chest.
His Republican allies in Congress vowed to launch an investigation of the search itself if they recapture control of the House or Senate in November. House Republicans including Representative Jim Banks were set to meet with Trump at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Tuesday.
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell took a more measured approach, saying the country deserved a "thorough and immediate explanation" of what led to the search.
"Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately," McConnell said in a statement.
The Justice Department and FBI have declined to comment on or even confirm the search, which Trump revealed in a statement on Monday.
'Extreme accuracy'
The FBI could not have conducted the search without the consent of the judge, who confirmed probable cause. It is also almost certain that the request will be approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump, and his chief prosecutor, Merrick Garland, who was appointed by Biden.
A White House official said Biden had not received advance notice of the search.
"This search warrant has, in my estimation, been subjected to more intelligent scrutiny than any search warrant in the history of the Department of Justice," said David Loveman, a former Justice Department official who oversaw national security crime trials.
The FBI earlier this year visited Trump's property to investigate boxes in a locked storage room, according to a person familiar with the visit. The source said FBI agents and Trump's lawyer, Evan Corcoran, spent a day reviewing the material.
Corcoran did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The search is only an investigative step and does not mean that Trump will automatically face criminal charges, or be found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Hiding or destroying government records is a criminal offense. Anyone convicted of violating a US law called the Government Records Act can be barred from holding a federal office and will face up to three years in prison.
Legal experts said it was unclear whether the ineligibility clause was constitutional. The United States Constitution defines the qualifications for the office of President, Senator, or Representative of the United States. Previous Supreme Court decisions have ruled that Congress cannot restrict the list of eligible office holders.
The investigation of the documents is one of several investigations that have focused on Trump since he left office, weeks after his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to reverse his electoral loss. Trump continues to falsely claim that the elections were stolen through massive vote rigging. Read more
Trump remains the most influential voice in the Republican Party, and observers have said this FBI research could strengthen his standing with Republican voters.
"The Biden administration is adding rocket fuel to Trump's campaign prospects and energizing his supporters who want him to run again," said Ron Bonjian, a Republican strategist in Washington. "There should be more transparency about the decision to launch this raid from the FBI because it appears overly political and allows Trump to say he is being unfairly attacked."