Marc Caputo is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.
Ryan J. Reilly is a legal reporter for NBC News.
Contributions by Kristen Welker, Ken Dilanian, Peter Nicholas, Zoë Richards, and Kelly O'Donnell.
MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI "raided" his Lago, Fla. He also said he broke his safe. NBC News told NBC News that the investigation is familiar with a source Trump said was related to classified information he allegedly brought from the White House to the Palm Beach resort in January 2021. is doing.
Trump also argued that: The raid, unprecedented in American history, was politically motivated, he wrote in a statement, but did not provide details.
"My beautiful home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, is currently under siege, raided and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. "These are dark times for our country," Trump said. said in a lengthy email statement issued by his Save America political committee.
"After working with relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was neither necessary nor appropriate," Trump said before lamenting:
In mid-January, the National Archives said, “Following discussions with President Trump's representatives in 2021, 15 boxes containing the president's records were transferred from Maralago to the National Archives. We have arranged to transport them," the agency said. in a statement.
When the National Archives discovered the missing documents, it demanded them from the former president, and in the end he handed over 15 boxes of documents in February.
That same month, the National Archives and the Office of Records and Records signed the Department of Justice to Trump. The handling of White House records violated federal law. The story was first reported by the Washington Post and was later confirmed by a source at NBC News.
Hours before investigators searched Trump's residence on Monday, the FBI notified the Secret Service of its plans to execute the warrant, a Secret Service official said. The Secret Service facilitated access to the property, officials said, but had no involvement in the search.
It is unclear how long the FBI remained at the Trump home.
The New York Times was the first to report the focus on the National Archives.
A spokesman at Justice Department headquarters declined to comment on his NBC News. Officials at the FBI's Washington field office declined to comment, as did officials at his FBI field office in Miami.
A senior Florida law enforcement official confirmed to NBC News that there had been "law enforcement activity" in Mar-a-Largo.
The White House said no warning was given.
A White House official said, "We were not informed of the reported behavior. Please contact the Department of Justice for additional information."
FBI The investigation comes just days after Attorney General Merrick Garlandtold NBC News that the "most extensive investigation" in the history of the Department of Justice was not just about the mob. In addition to breaking into the Capitol and physically attacking police officers, it also investigated whether anyone was "criminally responsible for obstructing the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another". was
Trump's involvement in the Jan. 6 riots, which led to his second impeachment, has also been the subject of a House committee investigating the riots.
On how law enforcement actions might affect Trump's political ambitions, a person close to Trump said:
The source, who is not authorized to speak publicly, said Trump could benefit from being a front-runner in the presidential election if he faces a legal crisis.
Trump is not at his winter residence Mar-a-Lago. Summers are often spent at Trump's National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Marc Caputo reported from Miami and Ryan J. Reilly from Washington.
