Trump

Images published ahead of new book on 45th presidency offer possible evidence of violations of Presidential Records Act.

Trump, described by Axios as “a notorious destroyer of Oval Office documents”, was the alleged flusher. Most words are illegible, but one name that is clearly visible is that of the New York Republican congresswoman and potential 2024 running mate Elise Stefanik. “You have to be pretty desperate to sell books if pictures of paper in a toilet bowl is part of your promotional plan,” a Trump spokesperson, Taylor Budowich, told Axios in advance of Monday’s report.

Former President Donald Trump takes the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, on August 6, 2022. (CNN) ...

But, Monday's FBI activity suggests that Trump's legal problems are likely to get worse before they get better. "Three former White House officials told CNN they saw Trump, on numerous occasions, manually destroy papers he was no longer interested in or had finished reviewing -- a practice that made it difficult for White House staff secretaries to preserve presidential records. Over the weekend, he convincingly won a straw poll Boxes of items were taken during the search, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. Agents appear to be focused on the area of the sprawling estate where Trump's living quarters and offices are located. (Worth noting: Trump is not a lawyer.)

That appears to be the intended destination of what look like torn-up presidential documents in photographs released by reporter Maggie Haberman to the news ...

An administration is allowed to exclude personal records that are purely private or don’t have an effect on the duties of a president. As soon as a president leaves office, the National Archivist gets legal custody of all of them Presidents are generally on their honor to be good stewards of history. The government compiles and preserves these records to give an accurate accounting of the leaders the country has chosen. At the conclusion of an administration, these documents form the basis for the formal collections of the Public Papers of the President. But these public documents have so far always been available to the public – and they’ve been available quickly. Until Trump, there have been no missing public speeches in the permanent collection. In most presidencies, the document or transcript is available a few days to a couple of weeks after any event. In 1957, the National Historical Publications Commission, a part of the National Archives, recommended developing a uniform system so all materials from presidencies could be archived. Haberman has a book coming out on former President Donald Trump in early October. One photo, allegedly of a White House toilet, shows a scrap of paper with what Haberman says is Trump’s handwriting on it, sitting at the bottom of the toilet bowl. In speeches that President George W. Bush gave in the 2002 midterm election period, he made the same joke more than 50 times as his icebreaker. Presidential speeches often give a different perception of an administration. This could be the first visual documentation of Trump’s already-reported habit of flushing documents down a White House toilet.

had searched the private residence of former President Donald J. Trump, with some suggesting that federal agents should be arrested and others hinting that the ...

Any FBI agent conducting law enforcement functions outside the purview of our State should be arrested upon sight.” “I’ve seen enough,” Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, wrote in a statement that he posted online. Mr. Trump and his allies have relentlessly disparaged the F.B.I. for taking the lead in the investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. And more recently, the former president’s allies in Congress and the media have sought to deflect blame from him by baselessly depicting the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol as a “false flag” operation run by the bureau and abetted by the Justice Department. “If they can do it to a former President, imagine what they can do to you,” the Twitter account for the House Republican caucus wrote. Hinting at a possible congressional investigation into the sitting attorney general if Republicans take control of the House in the midterm elections, Mr. McCarthy added, “Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar.” The attacks on the search of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s beachfront domain in southern Florida, continued a longstanding reflex among his supporters to assail federal law-enforcement officials as biased and corrupt.

Ex-president complained to John Kelly 'why can't you be like the German generals?' according to excerpt from the New Yorker.

And in this country, we don’t do that.” He added: “It’s not who we are.” With each pushback, Trump’s admiration for the military advisers which he used to fawningly refer to as “my generals” cooled. Kelly reportedly told Trump that there were no American generals who observe total loyalty to a president. Kelly asked which generals, prompting Trump to reply: “The German generals in World War II.” During his time in the Oval Office, Donald Trump wanted the Pentagon’s generals to be like Nazi Germany’s generals in the second world war, according to a book excerpt in the New Yorker. According to the excerpt published by the New Yorker from The Divider: Trump in the White House, by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, an incredulous Kelly pointed out that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was almost assassinated by one of his own generals.

The former US President said the FBI agents' raid on his Florida home was "not necessary or appropriate" after he had cooperated with relevant government ...

Trump also could be charged with "seditious conspiracy," a rarely used statute that makes it illegal to overthrow the US government by force. The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee at that time said it was expanding an investigation into Trump's actions and asked the Archives to turn over additional information. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation examining whether the Trump Organization inflated real estate values. He accused her of lying to drum up sales for a book. The committee cannot charge Trump with federal crimes. The estate "is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents," he said. Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return certain records to the Archives, calling it "an ordinary and routine process." In the 2 March filing, the committee said it was likely that Trump and others conspired to defraud the United States. That law criminalizes any effort by two or more people to interfere with governmental functions "by deceit, craft or trickery." CNN reported that Trump was not at the estate at the time of the raid, and that the FBI had executed a search warrant to enter the premises. Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return certain records to the Archives, calling it "an ordinary and routine process." The Justice Department declined to comment on the raid, which Trump in a statement said involved a "large group of FBI agents". The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee at that time announced it was expanding an investigation into Trump's actions and asked the Archives to turn over additional information.

Former President Donald Trump said FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and broke into his safe, possibly connected to a U.S. Justice ...

New York state Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation examining whether the Trump Organization inflated real estate values. Garland replied, "We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding Jan. 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. CNN also said the search was tied to classified documents, citing unnamed sources. The FBI's headquarters in Washington and its field office in Miami both declined comment. He did not say why the raid took place. CNN reported that Trump was not at the estate at the time of the raid and that the FBI had executed a search warrant to enter the premises.

Federal agents searched the Florida residence of Donald Trump on Monday, a significant step by prosecutors against the former president over his handling of ...

"This unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate," Trump said in a statement.

It was not clear whether the FBI search was connected to that probe. The circumstances were not immediately clear. Former President Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Donald Trump says a "large group of FBI agents" have raided his Mar-a-Lago estate and broken into his safe. Here's what we know.

The investigation focuses in part on a phone call Mr Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, on January 2, 2021. Mr Trump says the alleged raid is an attack from those who want to impact his chances of running for president again. Mr Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return certain records to the archives, calling it "an ordinary and routine process." The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee announced at the time that it was expanding an investigation into how the documents ended up at Mar-a-Lago and Mr Trump's involvement, and asked the archives to turn over additional information. This morning Mr Trump released a statement saying his Florida home is "under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents". Former US president Donald Trump says a "large group of FBI agents" have raided his Mar-a-Lago estate and broken into his safe.

'These are dark times for our nation,' former president says in a statement posted online.

Trump lambasted that decision and then stepped up his criticism of the FBI as agents began investigating whether his campaign had colluded with Russia to tip the 2016 election. That Trump would become entangled in a probe into the handling of classified information is all the more striking given how he tried during the 2016 presidential election to exploit an FBI investigation into his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, over whether she mishandled classified information via a private email server she used as secretary of state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, said in a statement on Twitter that it was "an escalation in the weaponisation" of US government agencies. Trump has previously maintained that presidential records were turned over "in an ordinary and routine process." There are multiple federal laws governing the handling of classified records and sensitive government documents, including statutes that make it a crime to remove such material and retain it at an unauthorised location. The National Archives said Trump should have turned over that material upon leaving office, and it asked the Justice Department to investigate.

An obscure criminal law bars the removal of official records, on penalty of disqualification from holding any federal office. But it may not play out that ...

“Yes, I recognize the legal challenge that application of this law to a president would garner (since qualifications are set in Constitution),” he wrote. The Constitution allows Congress to disqualify people from holding office in impeachment proceedings, but grants no such power for ordinary criminal law. If convicted, defendants can be fined or sentenced to prison for up to three years. “But the idea that a candidate would have to litigate this is during a campaign is in my view a ‘blockbuster in American politics.’” The penalties for breaking that law include disqualification from holding any federal office. Mr. Volokh later reported on his blog that Mr. Mukasey — who is also a former federal judge — wrote that “upon reflection,” Mr. Mukasey had been mistaken and Mr. Tillman’s analysis was “spot on.” (Mrs. Clinton was never charged with any crime related to her use of the server.)

Donald Trump's team and allies are moving swiftly to draw political benefit from an unannounced search by FBI agents at the former president's Mar-a-Lago ...

The search is the latest development in a months-long investigation into whether the Trump administration mishandled presidential records. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his office also weren’t given a heads up about the search. He eschewed making a media appearance even as Eric Trump took to Fox News, and his daughter-in-law, Lara, did the same. Focus groups of Trump 2020 voters have shown that even they have grown wary of the drama that accompanies his political ventures and are ready to move on. Both the person close to Trump and another individual who is in touch with the former president speculated that he would now expedite his decision to announce a presidential bid. Aides said they were pleased with a statement by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who vowed to take action against the Department of Justice over the FBI’s search. By the end of the night, the RNC had dashed off a fundraising text: “THIS IS NOT A DRILL: UNPRECEDENTED move Biden’s FBI RAIDS Pres. Trump’s home. The person noted papers were seized from the home, where Trump has kept his primary residence and set up his post-presidential office. While Trump’s team was bullish about the political benefits of being targeted by the FBI, the situation comes with clear and obvious downsides. The search would require the signoff of a federal judge or magistrate, who would issue the warrant based upon evidence of a potential crime. And, soon enough, a clear narrative emerged from them: The search represented a deliberate political targeting, one that underscored the Democrat’s perception of Trump as a political threat. The FBI and DOJ have declined to comment on the search.

After Mar-a-Lago search, Fox News, Trump supporters decry 'abuse' of power ... “Make no mistake,” Hannity said, “if you are associated with Donald Trump in any ...

On Newsmax, former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik even went so far as to suggest, without evidence, that he was worried about the “assassination” of Trump as a result of his potentially running for president again. On “Hannity,” Fox News host Mark Levin called in to the show and argued that the search of the former president’s estate was not only egregious but historic for all the wrong reasons. Videos and images posted to social media show cars and trucks waving American flags and Trump flags, including one vehicle that had a Trump-Pence banner with the former vice president’s name crossed out. “This is the worst attack on this republic in modern history. GOP allies have echoed Trump’s claims that the search amounted to a political attack meant to hurt him if he runs for president again. “He had boxes. “My father always kept press clippings, newspaper articles, pictures, notes from us,” he said. He moved out of the White House. He’s very collaborative. “All of them have to be held accountable.” “And it’s not just an attack on Donald Trump. It’s an attack on everybody who supports him.” The investigation apparently began months ago. Ingraham: When we get power back, it’s time to hold everyone accountable..

Whether the DOJ is no longer scared of the Republicans, or the January 6 hearings have changed things, Trump is the subject of a serious criminal inquiry, ...

In the hours after the raid, Trump and his Republican allies made it clear that they thought they could gain a political advantage by casting themselves as the victims of an aggressive federal bureaucracy that was overstepping its authority. He didn’t want to pursue what could look like a politically motivated prosecution of a political opponent; he didn’t want to annoy the sizeable minority of the US that sees Trump as a beloved, almost messianic figure. The DOJ investigating Trump for his 15 boxes of documents is a bit like when the FBI was finally able to prosecute the mobster Al Capone – for tax evasion. But some accountability is better than none, and it could be that the agencies are pursuing the easiest possible case against Trump in an effort to leverage their way to more information. The raid is a significant escalation of the department’s relationship with Trump. It’s now difficult to think, as many of us long did, that the DOJ is unwilling to make Trump himself the object of a serious criminal inquiry. The former president has long been dogged by accusations that 15 boxes of secret material came with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he was finally forced to leave office in January 2021, a move that would violate federal codes governing the destruction or removal of such materials.

Trump is believed to be pursuing a presidential run in 2024, and many calculate the Mar-a-Lago raid would benefit him politically.

The top comment on a pro-Trump message board was “Lock and load.” Trump is widely believed to be pursuing a presidential run in 2024, and many speculated that the raid would benefit him politically. Trump sought to exploit the investigation and encouraged chants of “lock her up” during campaign rallies. And in New York, the state attorney general, Letitia James, is leading an investigation into Trump’s family business. “It is a horrible precedent for the Department of Justice to investigate a former president of the United States,” said congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California who was a manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial. “I’ve seen enough,” the California Republican wrote in a statement that he posted online.

He'll compel loyalty no matter what the FBI finds. If Republicans kowtow, they might as well hand him the 2024 nomination now.

It’s his party for the future as in the past, hopelessly and miserably. If Republicans do not want to follow Trump into all-out justification of all the wrongdoing already brought to light—plus whatever is written into indictments in the future—they’re going to have to do more than hint. Hours before the FBI search, The New Yorker published a new report of Trump’s expressed contempt for wounded American soldiers—and his eager admiration for Hitler’s generals. After all, the execution of a search warrant is very seldom the end of an investigation. Trump is trying to stop that pivot, and after the FBI’s visit, he may succeed. The only thing Trump wants is vindication for his 2020 defeat: revenge upon those who defeated him and legal impunity for his schemes to subvert and overturn the defeat.

A police car Monday outside the Mar-A-Lago estate of former president Donald Trump, who said his residence in Florida was being “raided” by FBI agents. GIORGIO ...

Similarly, if the FBI and the Justice Department have enough evidence that he committed crimes to raid his home, then the FBI and Justice Department must be corrupt. You could lock Trump up tomorrow for giving Alaska back to Moscow as a birthday gift to Vladimir Putin and 70% of Republicans would still adore him 50 years from now. Should Trump be muscled into prison, his playbook — shamelessly lie, demonize opponents, claw for money, undermine any institution that opposes you — has already been scattered to the wind, its pages picked up, carefully studied and vigorously applied. Expect the man to be reelected in 2024, through fraud or, heck, maybe legitimately, to the degree that anything related to Donald Trump can be called “legitimate.” He’ll return to dismantling American society and democracy with more zeal, experience and focused effort. Trump sicced a mob on the Capitol and then sat back grinning while it sacked the place. A 2019 poll found 70% of Russians approve of Stalin, who colluded with Hitler and was himself responsible for twice as many deaths. If the nation has learned one thing from the entire Trump fiasco — and it might not have, but let’s pretend — it’s to never put too much emphasis on any one event or statement, no matter how jaw-dropping or norm-shattering or horrific. I’m not saying this to sow despair, but to encourage resolve. Trump taught America you, too, can live in a fantasy world of your own invention, constantly spout demonstrable lies and never be held accountable. If Trump loses an election, then the election has to have been rigged. Of course, unlike the ceremony in Tokyo Bay, the Mar-a-Lago milestone is not the end. But if I get elected president, I will bring it back bigger and better.”

Unprecedented search of an ex-president's home for official documents provoked outrage from supporters but proving intent will be key to any charge.

At the start of the meeting, Trump paid a visit and chatted to the investigators but without answering questions. In the end, the DoJ decided not to prosecute Clinton because it found no evidence of intent on her part. According to CNN, the extra boxes had been identified in June when DoJ investigators travelled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with two of Trump’s lawyers to discuss possibly classified material. Several prominent conservatives likened the search to the actions of a tinpot dictator. At the time, father and son were in Trump Tower in Manhattan, where the former president is preparing to be deposed in a civil lawsuit brought by New York state relating to his company’s financial bookkeeping. According to NBC News, they stayed on site most of the day.

WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. search of former President Donald J. Trump's residence in Florida has raised the question of whether the criminal investigation ...

“Yes, I recognize the legal challenge that application of this law to a president would garner (since qualifications are set in Constitution),” Mr. Elias wrote. After the Mar-a-Lago search warrant came to light, one of the most prominent voices pointing to Section 2071 was that of Marc Elias, who served as general counsel for Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the state had no power to add qualifications to the list of eligibility criteria established by the federal Constitution. In a 1969 case, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the House of Representatives, by majority vote, to block Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from taking his seat; voters in his district had re-elected him despite allegations of misconduct. Mrs. Clinton was never charged with any crime related to her use of the server. Notably, the Constitution does authorize Congress to render people ineligible to hold federal office as a penalty for convictions in impeachment proceedings. If convicted under that law, defendants can be fined up to $2,000 and sentenced to prison for up to three years. But there is reason for caution before concluding that if Mr. Trump were to be charged and convicted under that law, he could not legally return to the White House even if voters wanted him to. Early reports citing sources familiar with the matter have indicated that the criminal investigation behind the search warrant relates to suspicions that Mr. Trump unlawfully took government files with him when he left the White House. Section 2071 is not limited to classified information. There are several laws that could potentially cover such a situation. But by its nature, the warrant means a criminal investigation is underway.

Donald Trump had his own way of keeping records during his presidency: heaping documents in boxes, tearing up papers to signal a discussion was over, ...

Pence and Trump have been at political odds for months, with Trump endorsing Republican candidates who embrace his false claims about the 2020 election and ...

One reason that the Mar-a-Lago search might “unite [the] different factions in the party,” as a Trump aide told Politico, is that it isn’t pro-Trump but anti-FBI. Republicans from both the pro- and less-pro-Trump segments of the GOP get to express outrage at a group that Republicans are primed to distrust. Never quite as popular as Trump, he saw his favorability ratings with the GOP tank in the wake of Trump’s criticisms of him. Cast the FBI as the left, and you gain support on the right. In polling released on Tuesday, 2 in 5 Americans said they thought Trump should face criminal charges related to the Capitol riot. Pence’s argument that the FBI was politically motivated certainly derives largely from the narrative that Trump and his allies constructed to backstop that position. Following an example set in part by Trump himself, GOP officials rushed to offer up products in the robust marketplace of social media commentary. More than three-quarters of Republicans still view Trump favorably, down only slightly from the height of the 2020 campaign. The Barr probe led by special counsel John Durham is ongoing but has completely failed to demonstrate that the Russia investigation was not warranted by the facts available at the time. It also had an added benefit: Should the FBI launch further probes, his team would already be conditioned to respond with skepticism. Set aside Pence’s self-incriminating framing (that the FBI was acting on political motivation during the Trump-Pence administration), and remember where this idea originated. “… After years where FBI agents were found to be acting on political motivation during our administration, the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed.” The rationale was uncomplicated and now quite familiar: He didn’t want anyone thinking he had lost the race but for Russian involvement.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Donald Trump news every morning. The US Department of Justice is under pressure to provide a ...

After Trump announced in a statement that his resort and residence was “currently under siege, raided, and occupied”, angry supporters rushed there to protest ...

“If there was a 99% chance” of Trump running again, “it’s 100% now,” Politico’s source added. “Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships,” he said on Twitter. “But never before in America.” Now the US justice department may have handed Trump a gift in disguise. After Trump announced in a statement that his resort and residence was “currently under siege, raided, and occupied”, angry supporters rushed there to protest as police with rifles looked on. Similarly, Republican voters’ enthusiasm for the idea of Trump running for president again had been declining. Trump’s influence on the Republican party had appeared to wane somewhat in recent months.

The FBI search at Mar-a-Lago prompts sincere talk of violence. But some threats remain mere threats.

The January 6 committee has adopted a counter-insurrection strategy by portraying Trump squarely as the leader of a violent movement, and not simply the leader of the GOP. But some of his more extreme followers are now turning on one another. Trump, as a former president of the United States, may be a rather unique leader of a violent insurrection, but that doesn’t make the ongoing, multiyear strategy any less effective. The FBI’s arrival at Mar-a-Lago yesterday evening to collect evidence in a criminal investigation related to former President Donald Trump is the trigger that some of his supporters needed to suggest that violence is imminent. Even on the night of the FBI search, in the area of Florida that he now calls home, an impromptu roadside demonstration in support of him attracted “roughly two dozen” supporters, the Miami Herald reported. The latest such propaganda is shocking to read, mostly because the talk of violence comes so casually to Trump’s apologists. The bad news is that much of this talk is sincere.

"Lock and load," was one of the top comments on an online forum dedicated to former President Donald Trump on Monday night, soon after it emerged his ...

CNN has not independently confirmed that this is the judge in question and is not naming him at this time. Reached for comment Tuesday, officials from the court didn't say why the judge's webpage was removed. Users also encouraged others to post the address of the magistrate judge they believe signed off on the search warrant. While some mentions of "civil war" came from Trump critics expressing fear what his supporters might do -- one researcher posted multiple screenshots "We are seeing conspiratorial rhetoric from elected officials, political leaders, and political entertainers that is fueling calls for real-world violence," Jones said. One post CNN found called for violence against FBI agents.

Republicans have moved to turn the FBI's search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate into a campaign issue, vowing to probe what they ...

One exception was Senator John Barrasso, the party conference chairman, who tweeted: "Raiding a former president's home is unprecedented. One third of Republican respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month said they think Trump should not run for president again in 2024. "What would you expect them to say?"

The Justice Department official who oversaw the investigation of Hillary Clinton's handling of classified records says there's simply no comparing the ...

Engel has testified to the Jan. 6 select committee about his resistance to Trump’s plan to remove Justice Department leaders and replace them with compliant officials who would support his effort to remain in power. In fact, some of the very Trump allies who cooperated with the House’s January 6 probe were among those charged by Trump with managing his presidential records after leaving office. In addition, Trump can speak to the nature of any potentially classified material that may have been the basis for the search and whether he took steps to declassify any of it as he left office. “He could describe what was at stake and what the point of disagreement was. CNN reported that one of the DOJ officials involved in the Trump investigation is his immediate successor. In the absence of more detailed information about the investigation, it’s unclear what potential crimes DOJ is probing.

A day after federal agents searched Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home as part of a widening investigation, there were few signs that Republicans were ready to ...

Christina Bobb also said that Florida magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart signed off on the warrant that allowed FBI agents to search the former president's ...

The search of Trump’s expansive residence took hours on Monday. The former president was not at Mar-a-Lago during the search but at Trump Tower in New York, POLITICO reported. His lawyers likely have a copy of the search warrant, though they won’t have access to the affidavit or other documents that are typically kept confidential until the case is resolved. The former president has called the search unprecedented and politically motivated. Trump lawyer Christina Bobb fleshed out other details surrounding the case. Trump is likely best positioned to provide the details his allies are asking for. His son Eric Trump informed him of the FBI’s search of his property.

Republicans have moved to turn the FBI's search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate into a campaign issue.

A federal judge, who is not a political appointment, he's the one who signed off on this." The FBI action marked an escalation of a federal records probe, one of several investigations Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business. One exception was Senator John Barrasso, the party conference chairman, who tweeted: "Raiding a former president's home is unprecedented. It was not clear whether they would be joined by other Republican lawmakers. One third of Republican respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month said they think Trump should not run for president again in 2024. "What would you expect them to say?"

Former US president Donald Trump is not known for his subtle use of language. But the announcement his Florida home was "under siege" by the FBI represented ...

Republican House minority leader wrote in a statement: "I've seen enough. "But often the way to satisfy a judge in that way is to point to the testimony of somebody who can speak from firsthand knowledge and say that the evidence is still there." "On the other hand, that is a very difficult line to draw because sometimes the Department of Justice could be accused of taking steps to influence an election by not acting." But that didn't stop Mr Trump's supporters and fellow Republicans swiftly accusing the FBI and DOJ of a political witch hunt targeting the former president to deter him from announcing his candidacy for 2024. "Now, it's possible that the government had found other ways to satisfy a judge that the there's reason to do the search and that the information is not stale," he said. The FBI needed to convince a federal judge of "probable cause", meaning the agency had sufficient reason to believe a crime had been committed and evidence of that crime was at the location it planned to search. "What is significant about this is that the probable cause showing can't be historical," said Brian Jacobs, a former federal prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. And so, in the case of the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago this week, Mr Trump may attempt to argue that he declassified them on the way out of the White House. On the national stage, he was recently skewered in a series of prime-time hearings by the January 6 committee, which has spent more than a year gathering evidence of the former president's key role in the riot at the US Capitol in 2021. Such a conviction would also disqualify them from "holding any office under the United States", according to the law — a prospect likely to play on the mind of anyone invested in Mr Trump's political fortunes, for better or worse. It is not clear if the search was still ongoing at the time of the announcement, as Mr Trump was at another of his famous properties, Trump Tower in New York. But the announcement his Florida home was "under siege" by the FBI represented a stunning development in his dealings with the Department of Justice (DOJ), signature hyperbole aside.

The FBI search came as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the ...

Manhattan prosecutors last summer charged the Trump Organisation and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with tax fraud. Trump is expected to be questioned under oath in James’ investigation this month. Trump himself confirmed the search publicly, with a fiery statement condemning it as “prosecutorial misconduct” and saying agents had opened up a safe in his home. It started after the National Archives and Records Administration said it had received 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago, including documents containing classified information. Trump also faces multiple civil lawsuits connected to January 6. The potential legal peril from multiple quarters comes as Trump lays the groundwork for another presidential run in 2024.

Donald Trump's presidency at times threatened to tear America apart, and the country's democracy, institutions and equilibrium staggered away from his ...

And the vitriol was pouring out on social media, recalling the violent speech that led up to the Capitol attack. And it demonstrated how many Republicans with aspirations of winning elections know they must show total loyalty to the former President, whatever his alleged transgressions. This new national nightmare is sure to color yet another election since Trump is already a front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination and millions of supporters will buy into his storylines. The unhinged rhetoric was, if anything, more extreme on conservative media outlets that supported and enabled Trump while he was president. The former President met 12 of his closest House allies at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Tuesday and got nothing but support for a bid to get his old job back. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who raised a fist in encouragement to Trump's mob before it stormed the Capitol on January 6 said that, at a minimum, Garland should be impeached or resign. The FBI search on Monday represented a remarkable development in just one of the legal fronts bearing down on Trump. It recently emerged that his lawyers are in discussions with Justice Department prosecutors conducting a probe into the circumstances surrounding the January 6, 2021, insurrection. And because government prosecutors don't typically talk about ongoing investigations unless they reach a decision to charge someone -- to ensure the integrity of the probe and the privacy of those under investigation -- it is unlikely there will be clarity on the situation anytime soon. And he is set to be deposed on Wednesday While the furious reaction from Trump world builds, his defenders are ignoring one key fact: The FBI didn't just turn up at his Palm Beach residence on a whim. That includes FBI Director Christopher Wray (a Trump appointee), Attorney General Merrick Garland and the former President himself, who has not said what was written in the search warrant. Such procedures are how it's supposed to work in the justice system, which rests on the principle that no one -- not even former presidents -- are above the law.

Donald Trump's presidency at times threatened to tear America apart, and the country's democracy, institutions and equilibrium staggered away from his ...

And the vitriol was pouring out on social media, recalling the violent speech that led up to the Capitol attack. And it demonstrated how many Republicans with aspirations of winning elections know they must show total loyalty to the former President, whatever his alleged transgressions. This new national nightmare is sure to color yet another election since Trump is already a front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination and millions of supporters will buy into his storylines. The unhinged rhetoric was, if anything, more extreme on conservative media outlets that supported and enabled Trump while he was president. The former President met 12 of his closest House allies at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Tuesday and got nothing but support for a bid to get his old job back. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who raised a fist in encouragement to Trump's mob before it stormed the Capitol on January 6 said that, at a minimum, Garland should be impeached or resign. The FBI search on Monday represented a remarkable development in just one of the legal fronts bearing down on Trump. It recently emerged that his lawyers are in discussions with Justice Department prosecutors conducting a probe into the circumstances surrounding the January 6, 2021, insurrection. And because government prosecutors don't typically talk about ongoing investigations unless they reach a decision to charge someone -- to ensure the integrity of the probe and the privacy of those under investigation -- it is unlikely there will be clarity on the situation anytime soon. And he is set to be deposed on Wednesday While the furious reaction from Trump world builds, his defenders are ignoring one key fact: The FBI didn't just turn up at his Palm Beach residence on a whim. That includes FBI Director Christopher Wray (a Trump appointee), Attorney General Merrick Garland and the former President himself, who has not said what was written in the search warrant. Such procedures are how it's supposed to work in the justice system, which rests on the principle that no one -- not even former presidents -- are above the law.

Donald Trump cried foul on Monday after FBI agents searched his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, while his fellow Republicans have rushed to ...

Search warrant executed by FBI agents suggests investigation comes with potentially far-reaching political ramifications for former president.

Trump was not there at the time of the raid and learned about it while he was in New York. The justice department is understood, at some point since the investigation was opened in April this year, to have asked for the return of classified materials. Corcoran declined to comment. The officials asked to see where the White House records were being kept. For years, Trump has ignored the statute. And the extraordinary search, the sources said, came after the justice department grew concerned – as a result of discussions with Trump’s lawyers in recent weeks – that presidential and classified materials were being unlawfully and improperly kept at the Mar-a-Lago resort.

But while the search may be bad news for the president in legal terms, it's only boosted his political popularity.

Trump appears to be taking it all in his stride however, releasing a new fundraising video shortly after the search of his private offices and safe had finished. Rudy Giuliani, the president's former lawyer, said the warrant execution was the "worst day in the history of the FBI". He issued a statement claiming his house was "under siege" and accusing the FBI of "prosecutorial misconduct".

Republican condemnations of an FBI search at former president Donald Trump's residence widened and intensified Tuesday as lawmakers and candidates likened ...

And on January 6, we learned that there were all too many people in this country ready to react with violence, because they saw it as necessary.” But he mostly shared Republicans’ outrage at the search, suggesting the backlash “makes Trump stronger than he’s ever been.” Then-FBI Director James B. Comey said in 2016 he found no reason to charge Clinton, a former secretary of state, after an investigation into her use of a private email server. A writ of habeas corpus is an order that brings someone before a court to determine if their detention is legal. In its statement Tuesday, the organization said political persecutions called for more retribution than voting people out of office. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R) in a radio interview called a search of Trump’s safe “fair game” and said he would not jump to conclusions. Adam Laxalt, the GOP nominee for Senate in battleground Nevada, tweeted, “We don’t live in a 3rd world country.” Blake Masters, the Republican Senate nominee in Arizona, said, “Everyone knows this was politically motivated. “Why? Because he’s looking for some short-term political benefit by kissing up to Donald Trump. It’s dangerous and irresponsible.” Online statements denouncing the FBI’s action have drawn a slew of comments declaring or anticipating “civil war.” “We saw what happened on January 6,” he said. The Presidential Records Act requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), who has clashed with Trump, was silent much of Tuesday before issuing a more tempered response, calling for a “thorough and immediate explanation” of what led to the search.

Polls have closed in Wisconsin, where Republican primaries Tuesday will provide the latest measure of former President Donald Trump's influence and ...

Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District also is hosting a special election Tuesday to fill the remaining months of Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s term. Some Kleefisch voters who spoke with NBC News in the days leading to Tuesday's primary said they were impressed with the work she and Walker did together. Democrats in recent weeks cleared the field for Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who will face Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, a Trump ally, in another key matchup this fall. In Connecticut, Trump-endorsed Leora Levy had won the GOP Senate primary, NBC News projects. The co-owner of a successful family pipeline construction company, Michels had tread cautiously in the closing weeks of the race, sending mixed messages about how much he was willing to abide Trump’s pressure to back decertification of the state's 2020 election results. In Vermont’s at-large congressional district, Democratic state Sen. Becca Balint will face Republican Liam Madden, NBC News projects. Republicans also nominated Jim Schultz, a political newcomer, to face Attorney General Keith Ellison this fall. State Rep. Tim Ramthun, who has vowed to challenge the results, finished in a distant third place. “They have been left behind by the Democratic Party that just wants to focus on the social issues,” Michels said. As Michels skated out to a lead, an increasingly amped-up audience broke into sporadic and enthusiastic chants of “U-S-A” and celebratory screams. It’s another swing state victory for Trump, who continues to lie about his losses in Wisconsin and other battlegrounds in 2020 while aiming to install allies he hopes will be loyal if he mounts another White House bid in 2024. Michels and Kleefisch had both echoed Trump’s debunked claims of voter fraud during the primary.

Republican Tim Michels, a construction executive endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in what could be a tight ...

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