President Joe Biden’s press secretary said no one at the White House was briefed or granted advance notice of the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, an unprecedented step that has drawn intense public scrutiny.
The search Monday night set off a political earthquake as federal agents stepped up their investigation of the former president in a raid that is believed to be connected to Trump’s possible mishandling of classified materials. Top Biden administration officials have pushed back on the suggestion that the case could be politically motivated, asserting a firm line between the administration’s political interests and the Justice Department.
“The president was not briefed, he was not aware of it. No one at the White House was given a heads-up,” Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
TRUMP SAYS FBI ‘RAIDED’ MAR-A-LAGO
She said Biden “has been very clear” that the Justice Department operates independently from his administration.
“He believes in the rule of law, and we are a nation of laws,” Jean-Pierre said. “We learned about this, the president learned about this, just like you all did, through the public reports, and we learned about this just like the American people did.”
The National Archives removed 15 boxes containing presidential records from Mar-a-Lago in early 2022, according to a February statement.
Asked whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had signed off on the warrant to search the former president’s home, whether Biden and his top prosecutor spoke following the raid, and if Biden believes the Justice Department acted accordingly, Jean-Pierre declined to say, referring questions to the Justice Department.
Trump on Monday said the FBI “raided” his Mar-a-Lago property, stating that federal agents had breached his safe.
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“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”
