The FBI have raided Donald Trump's Florida home of Mar-a-Lago, in what the former US president has denounced as “the weaponisation of the justice system”.
US law enforcement agencies had yet to comment on Tuesday morning but Mr Trump has faced mounting accusations of deleting private communications amid continuing investigations into his alleged role in the storming of the Capitol building on January 6 by his supporters.
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Supporters of former US president Donald Trump gather outside his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, after he said FBI agents raided it. Reuters -
A supporter of Mr Trump holds a flag and an old newspaper outside the former president's Mar-a-Lago home. Reuters -
The FBI searched the estate as part of an investigation into whether the former US leader took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. The Palm Beach Post / AP -
Despite the January 6 hearings and an FBI raid, some still believe that Mr Trump won the 2020 election. AFP -
Supporters gathered outside Mar-a-Lago in Florida as it was was being searched by FBI agents in what Mr Trump called an act of 'prosecutorial misconduct'. AFP -
Trump supporters in Palm Beach, Florida outside Mar-a-Lago on Monday night. Reuters -
It is claimed that the former US president took documents from the White House and disposed of them at Mar-a-Lago. AFP -
Mr Trump was in New York when the search took place. Reuters -
Mr Trump alleges that no other president has been subjected to such treatment. AFP -
A member of the far-right Proud Boys group outside Mar-a-Lago. Reuters -
Mr Trump compared the FBI raid to Watergate. AFP
In February, the US National Archives and Records Administration also accused Mr Trump of taking a trove of classified documents from the White House, leading to speculation that the missing documents could be the focus of the raid.
Although a search warrant does not suggest that criminal charges are near or even expected, federal officials looking to obtain one must demonstrate that they have probable cause that a crime occurred.
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This photo taken on January 6, 2021, shows Trump supporters battling with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol building in Washington. AFP -
A US House of Representatives committee has been investigating the events of January 6 and what role former US president Donald Trump played. EPA / Pool -
Reports surfaced earlier this year that Mr Trump took classified government documents with him to his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. AP -
Mr Trump's private residence in Mar-a-Lago. Getty Images / AFP -
Mr Trump launched his own social media site, Truth Social, following his ban from Twitter. Here, he airs grievances against Tesla head Elon Musk, who had said it was time for the former president to 'sail into the sunset'. Screengrab / Truth Social -
New York state Attorney General Letitia James says a more than three-year investigation has found evidence that the Trump Organisation misstated asset valuations to get favourable loans and tax breaks. AP -
Mr Trump and his family attend the funeral of his first wife, Ivana, in New York City. Reuters -
Mr Trump has endorsed a number of candidates for various offices since leaving office, including Joe Kent of Washington who is challenging Jaime Herrera Beutler for a House of Representatives seat. Here, Mr Kent speaks in support of people who took part in the January 6 insurrection. AP -
Mr Trump prepares to speak at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona. AP -
Georgia state senator Burt Jones prepares to speak during a rally held by Mr Trump in Commerce, Georgia. Reuters -
Mr Trump speaks at a Save America rally in Prescott, Arizona. AP -
A man poses for a photo before a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. Reuters -
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz, who is backed by Mr Trump, speaks during a rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Reuters
“After working and co-operating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Mr Trump said.
The discovery of classified information at Mar-a-Lago was referred to the Justice Department by the National Archives and Records Administration, which said it found classified material in 15 boxes at the residence.
Federal law bars the removal of classified documents to unauthorised locations, although it is possible that Mr Trump could try to argue that, as president, he was the ultimate declassification authority.
Mr Trump revealed that he did possess some government records and said he had planned to return them to the National Archives, calling it “an ordinary and routine process”. He also claimed the archives “did not 'find' anything”.
Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law, said he only removed mementos that he was legally authorised to take.
“Look, my father-in-law, as anybody knows who's been around him a lot, loves to save things like newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, photographs, documents that he had every authority to take from the White House,” she told Fox News.
