Main events
of White House there is also said he had no prior information about the FBI’s investigation.
A senior White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, told CBS News:
No prior knowledge – some [in the White House] learned from old media, some from social media.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also declined to comment on the earlier search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, saying he doesn’t know more details than what he’s read in the news.
Well, I don’t know anything about it other than what I’ve read like everybody else, so I think it’s wise for me not to comment until we know more,” he told MSNBC.
“Look, I think none of us know the facts and any comment is premature,” he added.
The DOJ refuses to confirm or deny the existence of the investigation
Hugo Lowell
The Guardian’s congressional reporter Hugo Lowell has this latest update from law enforcement officials this evening.
Justice Department officials are declining to comment on any element of the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago, including whether it notified the White House ahead of time, whether Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the court-approved search warrant. – or even if he was informed of the raid.
This seems to be more of an indication than anything else that the Justice Department is very concerned about political show.
The Justice Department isn’t supposed to get involved in politics, so it’s not surprising that it declined to comment on a high-profile raid on a former president’s home.
Reporters on the scene in Palm Beach are reporting that The crowd of supporters gathered outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is growing as the time approaches midnight in Florida.
NCB News reporter Cristian Benavides posted a series of videos of supporters at the scene.
“The crowd near Mar-A-Lago continues to grow into the night following that search warrant earlier today,” he said.
Mar-a-Lago: Trump’s “Winter White House.”
Mar-a-Lagoa widespread complex in Florida, has been described as a “Winter White House” during the Trump presidency, a place from which the country’s leader would variously entertain heads of state and order US missile strikes.
The private club — located on an eight-acre property that is now the focus of an FBI search warrant — drew annual membership fees of $200,000 and became a symbol of Donald Trump’s time in office, blurring the ethical lines between the empire his business and presidential. the tasks.
The centerpiece of the property, which Trump purchased in 1985, is a 126-room mansion complete with expansive verandas and surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns. It was built in 1927 for a cereal heiress and socialite, Marjorie Merriweather Post, who gave it to the US government in 1973. However, neither Richard Nixon nor Jimmy Carter used it, and it returned to private ownership in 1981.
During his presidency, Trump became known for spending considerable time at his properties, with his home at Mar-a-Lago the most frequented. A Washington Post report reported that he was there for all or part of the 142 days of his presidency, over 32 visits.
Read the full report below:
Trump supporters have gathered at Mar-a-Lago for an impromptu “rally” of support Monday night.
Some stood outside the former US president’s residence holding flags as the media followed.
Police vehicles were also seen on Ocean Blvd South while others guarded the entrance to the property.
Hugo Lowell
Here’s a little more context on the research from the Guardian’s congressional reporter, Hugo Lowell.
The Department of Justice has quietly considered the prospect of opening one criminal investigation in the case of Trump’s removal of documents since at least Aprilaccording to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
In January, as the National Archives and Records Administration (Nara) prepared to turn over records from the Trump White House to a House select committee investigating Jan. 6, it revealed about 15 boxes of materials had been irregularly shipped to Mar-a-Lago.
The records were eventually returned to Nara after negotiations with Trump’s lawyers — only for officials to later discover that the former president had taken with him several documents clearly marked as classified and sensitive to national security.
“Because Nara identified classified information in the box,” Chief Archivist David Ferriero said in a letter to Congress at the time, “Nara staff has been in communication with the Department of Justice.”
The saga also prompted the House oversight committee, led by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, to launch a separate investigation that noted “the removal or concealment of government records is a criminal offense.” Trump must be held accountable, the New York Democrat said.
The New York Times and Associated Press are reporting that the news that the FBI had searched Mar-a-Lago appears to be first reported by Peter Schorsch, publisher of FloridaPolitics.comon Monday.
Schorsch runs the politics website which bills itself as a new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, politics and lobbying in Florida.
In a tweet reporting the search, Schorsch said he wasn’t sure why the FBI had obtained a search warrant.
“TBH, I’m not a strong enough reporter to find this out, but it’s true,” he wrote.
Scoop – Federal Bureau of Investigation @FBI today executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, two sources confirm @Fla_Pol.
“They just left,” a source said.
Not sure what the search warrant was for.
TBH, I’m not a strong enough journalist to figure this out, but it’s true. pic.twitter.com/hMsGhlVp3d
— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) August 8, 2022
What lawsuits and investigations does Trump face?
Trump is facing investigations and lawsuits on a number of fronts. Here is a summary of some notable cases.
National records are missing
The US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in February notified Congress that it had recovered about 15 boxes of White House documents from Trump’s Florida home, some of which contained classified material.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee said at the time it was expanding an investigation into Trump’s actions and asked the Archives to provide additional information. Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return some records to the Archives, calling it “a normal and routine process.”
Attack on the US Capitol
A congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol is working to build a case that he broke the law in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Vice President Liz Cheney has said the committee could make multiple referrals to the Justice Department seeking criminal charges against Trump, who accuses the panel of conducting a bogus investigation.
In a March court filing, the committee detailed Trump’s efforts to persuade Mike Pence to either reject the electoral roll for Joe Biden, who won the election, or delay a count of those votes in Congress.
The committee cannot charge Trump with federal crimes. That decision must be made by the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland. If the Justice Department files charges, prosecutors’ main challenge will be proving Trump acted with corrupt intent, experts said.
Trump could also be charged with “conspiracy to insurrection,” a rarely used statute that makes it illegal to overthrow the US government by force, a charge that has already been brought against many of those involved in the attack.
Wire fraud
Democrats said at a June committee hearing on Jan. 6 that Trump, a Republican, raised about $250 million from supporters to advance fraudulent claims in court that he won the election but funneled much of the money elsewhere.
That raises the possibility he could be charged with wire fraud, which prohibits obtaining money by “false or fraudulent pretenses,” legal experts said.
The Guardian’s congressional reporter Hugo Lowell writes that Trump has previously come under scrutiny for his flagrant violations of the Presidential Records Act – but the raid, for the first time, appears to mark potential legal risk for Trump over his record keeping.
The statute governing the unlawful removal or destruction of presidential records—though rarely enforced—carries significant penalties: fines, imprisonment, and, most notably, removal from office.
Read Hugo Lowell’s full report on the search below:
