Trump says FBI raided his Mar-a-lago home: ‘They even broke into my safe!’

Former President Donald Trump on Monday revealed that his Mar-a-lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, was raided by the FBI.

The Bureau has not yet stated the reason for the raid, though the Associated Press cited a source who said it was in relation to accusations that Trump took classified documents from the White House. The New York Times reported that the raid occurred while Trump was in New York.

Trump made the announcement in a statement on Truth Social, stating: “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. 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.”

“It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections,” he said. “Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries.” He added that “They even broke into my safe!”

He continued, “What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee? Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.”

The raid drew mostly partisan responses. “We’ve crossed the Rubicon to some extent where previous administrations are now investigated and previous presidents are investigated by the next administration. This is something from banana republics. Not the United States of America,” said Matt Whitaker, who served as the acting attorney general during the Trump administration.

However, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) argued against claims that the raid was politically motivated. “Trump shows a profound ignorance of the law. Democrats did not break into his home. This is not prosecutorial misconduct because prosecutors don’t approve warrants. This search occurred because a federal judge found probable cause that evidence of a crime would be at Mar-a-Lago,” Lieu wrote on Twitter.

Some have suggested that the raid could actually benefit Trump in some ways. As Deseret News noted: “It’s certainly hard to overstate how apoplectic Trump’s opponents would have been if his Justice Department had authorized a raid on the residence of Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden.”

They added that many of Trump’s supporters “will see today’s raid as politically motivated theater. And they will vote again for Trump, newly impassioned. Indeed, supporters were already gathering outside Mar-a-Lago Monday night.”