On Monday, August 8, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former President Donald Trump in Florida. Trump confirmed the search in a statement published onlinesaying his residence was “occupied by a large group of FBI agents”, although he was reportedly in New York at the time.
The raid may have been aimed at Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified information. That material may include classified documents and other documents covered by the Presidential Records Act, which requires official presidential documents to be turned over to the National Archives at the end of a presidency. The Ministry of Justice currently has another active, well-known investigation into Trump.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Aug. 11 that the DOJ had asked a federal judge to unseal certain documents, including the search warrant. But he also stressed that the department would not provide additional information about the search or any other ongoing investigation into Trump, saying, “Federal law, lengthy department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details.”
We don’t know yet how this investigation will go or if anyone in Trump’s orbit will even face criminal charges, but the stakes are quite high. A former president could face a criminal trial, and Republicans are already signaling that they will retaliate against Democrats and law enforcement if they regain power in Washington.
Follow all of cafemadrid’s coverage of the Justice Department’s investigation into former President Donald Trump here.