Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham claimed that former president Donald Trump "did not handle classified documents properly" while in office.
"I sat in an airplane with him, watched him go through documents - throw some away, rip some up, and put some in his pocket," Grisham, who left the administration after the events of 6 January 2021, told CNN on Monday. Because I remember specifically thinking, 'I wonder why those go in his pocket.' So I think this is going to be really interesting," she added.
In an investigation into the handling of presidential records, including classified information, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday, according to three people with knowledge of the incident.
The unusual search of a former president's residence would represent a dramatic escalation of the records investigation, which is one of numerous probes Trump is facing from his time in office and private business.
Eric Trump, one of the former president's sons, told Fox News that the search involved boxes of records Trump carried with him from the White House and that his father had been collaborating with the National Archives for months.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on the search, which Trump described in a statement as a "raid" with a "big squad of FBI officers." The FBI's Washington headquarters and Miami field office both declined to comment.
According to Trump, his property was "now besieged, invaded, and occupied." He did not specify the reason for the raid.
A person with knowledge of the situation also verified to Reuters that the raid looked to be connected to Trump's removal of secret documents from the White House.
"After working and cooperating with the proper government authorities, this unexpected raid on my residence was neither appropriate nor required," Trump stated, adding, "They even smashed into my safe!"
Fox News Digital said that Trump was not present at the time since he was in New York on Monday, posting a photo of Trump that a Fox reporter claimed showed him exiting the Trump Tower.
The former president, who has resided at his club in Palm Beach since leaving the White House in January 2021, has normally spent the summers at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, while Mar-a-Lago closes for the season.
The U.S. Presidential Records Act mandates the retention of memoranda, letters, notes, emails, faxes, and other written communications pertaining to the president's official duties.
Any search of a private residence would require judicial approval after the investigating law enforcement agency demonstrates reasonable cause that a search is warranted.
It would very definitely be approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was chosen by President Joe Biden, Trump's successor and political foe.
This article is republished from Business Times