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Donald Trump’s brazen move after FBI raids his home

Fallout from unprecedented raid on Trump's home

Former US president Donald Trump tried to turn the news of an FBI search of his Florida estate to his benefit, citing the investigation in text messages and emails soliciting political donations from his supporters.

The unprecedented search of the home of a former president marked a significant escalation of the federal investigation into whether Mr Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he was leaving office in January 2021.

Mr Trump continues to publicly flirt with running again for president in 2024 but has not said clearly whether he will do so.

Mr Trump tried to paint Monday’s search of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach as a politically motivated move by President Joe Biden’s administration, even as the former president plays a key role in Republican primaries ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine control of the US Congress.

“As they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop the Republican Party and me once more,” Mr Trump said in a fundraising email on Tuesday.

“The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be exposed and stopped.”

Mr Trump launched his Save America political action committee days after losing the 2020 election to Mr Biden. It has more than $US100 million ($143.5 million) in the bank, a formidable war chest.

On Monday, Mr Trump revealed the search of his club in a statement, saying that a “large group of FBI agents” had carried it out. The FBI’s headquarters in Washington and its field office in Miami both declined comment.

Eric Trump, one of Mr Trump’s adult children, told Fox News on Monday the search concerned boxes of documents that his father brought from the White House. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters the raid appeared to be tied to Mr Trump’s removal of classified records from the White House.

Republicans moved to turn the FBI’s search into a campaign issue, vowing to probe what they alleged was political interference at the Justice Department if they won in November.

Mr Trump’s allies in the US House of Representatives and the Senate said the FBI’s search was meant to sideline him as a possible 2024 presidential contender.

“When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter soon after Mr Trump disclosed the raid on Monday night (local time).

“Political targeting is the hallmark of a Banana Republic, not the United States,” Republican representative Vern Buchanan vowed on Twitter.

“House Republicans will exert strong oversight next year.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said: “The country deserves a thorough and immediate explanation of what led to the events of Monday. Attorney-General Garland and the Department of Justice should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately.”

The probe is one of several investigations that have focused on Mr Trump since he left office, weeks after his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful bid to overturn his election loss. Mr Trump continues to falsely claim that the election was stolen through widespread voting fraud.

Mr Trump remains the Republican Party’s most influential voice, though recent polls have shown a growing number of Republican voters supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a potential 2024 candidate.

A federal law called the US Presidential Records Act requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties.

Any search of a private residence would have to be approved by a judge, after the investigating law-enforcement agency demonstrated probable cause that a search was justified.

It almost certainly would also have been approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Mr Trump, and his boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was appointed by Mr Biden. A White House official said Mr Biden was not given advance notice of the search and referred queries to the Justice Department.

Mr Trump was not present at the time of the search as he was in New York.

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