[ad_1]
Former US president Donald Trump said on Monday that his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida was being raided by a “large group” of FBI agents.
In a statement posted on Twitter by an affiliated account, Trump said his Florida residence “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.”
He added that the “unannounced raid was not necessary or appropriate” since he had been “working and co-operating” with the relevant government authorities, although he did not specify on what topic.
“They even broke into my safe!” he wrote.
The Department of Justice declined to comment. If confirmed, the FBI raid would represent a remarkable step by US authorities to scrutinise the actions of a former president.
Trump has come under pressure following his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election for his efforts to overturn the results and his role in fuelling the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
He has also faced criticism after reports that 15 boxes of classified documents from the White House — including some that were marked “top secret” — had been found at his Florida home.
Trump’s announcement of a raid at his home comes as he is weighing a bid for a second term as president in 2024. He still maintains a solid grip on the conservative base of the Republican party, making him the natural favourite in a primary for his party’s nomination.
But some Republicans have been searching for alternative candidates, such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis or former vice-president Mike Pence, on the grounds that Trump could be a toxic choice in a general election given the chaos of his four years in office and his denial of the 2020 vote result.
More to follow
[ad_2]
Image and article originally from www.ft.com. Read the original article here.