- FBI employees searched Mar-a-Lago, Florida, according to former US President Donald Trump.
- It is about the contents of 15 boxes with documents and files that have disappeared from the US state archives, various US media report unanimously.
- The FBI has not yet confirmed the search.
“After working with the appropriate government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was neither necessary nor appropriate,” Trump said on Monday.
Mar-a-Lago is currently being besieged, searched and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. “They even broke into my safe.” Trump did not provide any information about the background of the FBI operation in his Palm Beach property. Trump called the process “political persecution”.
SRF-USA correspondent Barbara Colpi sees no political background: “The Ministry of Justice with the Federal Police FBI is an independent authority. On paper there is no political connection.” Such a house search cannot simply be ordered.
“An ex-president still has special rights. The hurdles for a house search are high.” In addition to clear indications of a crime, several judges are needed to approve this action based on the evidence. “This house search had to be planned well in advance,” says Colpi. A house search of this kind in the case of a former president is unique in US history.
Unclear reasons for the search
It was initially unclear why the property was searched. Media reported that the FBI had completed the search on Monday evening (local time). A CNN reporter said Trump was not at home during the action.
Legend:
Exactly why the FBI searched Trump’s Florida home is still unclear.
Reuters/Marco Bello
The ex-president was recently heavily incriminated by witnesses at the public hearings of the investigative committee on the Capitol attack. Accordingly, Trump knew that the demonstrators were armed on January 6, 2021 and deliberately sent them to the Capitol.
Will legal action be taken against Trump?
Recently, there had been growing evidence that the Justice Department was investigating Trump’s behavior more closely. The question is whether Attorney General Merrick Garland could take criminal action against Trump.
Legend:
The U.S. Justice Department is currently investigating Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol.
Keystone/Morry Gash
Trump has also been accused of withholding files and documents from his time in the White House and even flushing them down the toilet. Trump rejected that. Actually, in the US, all correspondence from the President must be archived and kept for posterity.
“The content of the documents is secondary. If the ex-president actually took these documents with him or even made them disappear, that is a criminal offence,” says SRF correspondent Colpi. Of course, a US President has access to all documents, including secret files, but they must be treated with the appropriate due diligence according to precise rules.
They shouldn’t be changed either, says the correspondent. “The documents must be back in the national archive by the last working day of the President at the latest.”
The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that the investigation was related to the documents. After his term in office, Trump took 15 boxes of files to his estate in Mar-a-Lago.
According to reports, this included important communication documents – including letters from North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un and a letter from Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama. Trump finally handed over several documents to the National Administration for Archives and Records. However, the judiciary is said to have launched an investigation.
A search of an ex-president’s property requires authorization from the highest level of the Justice Department. Justice Department officials declined to comment on any aspect of the search warrant, the New York Times wrote.