White House, DOJ and FBI silent on reason for raiding Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home

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The White House, Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI were all silent when asked Tuesday whether Americans deserve to know more about why former President Trump’s residence was raided.

“We did not have notice of the reported action and would refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information,” a White House official told Fox News Digital, repeating a previous statement.

The White House didn’t respond to a follow-up email about whether it believed Americans should be given more information about the raid.

A FBI spokesperson declined to comment in an email. DOJ spokesperson Kelsey Pietranton also declined to comment.

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On Monday evening, FBI agents executed a search warrant of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Sources told Fox News Digital that the search was part of the DOJ’s investigation into whether Trump improperly took government materials from his time in office.

The FBI agents confiscated 15 boxes of classified materials during the raid, according to the sources.

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“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Trump said in a statement Monday. “After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”

In response, Republican lawmakers, conservative commentators and some Democrats expressed serious concern that the raid was politically motivated. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., threatened to probe the DOJ over the raid if the GOP takes majority control in the fall while House Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Banks, R-Ind., said the action was “un-American.”

The FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Monday. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

“DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigations,” former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., tweeted.

However, the DOJ and FBI have remained silent despite the heavy criticism.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley weighed in on the raid online, writing that for “Trump foes, this is the long-awaited moment of FBI agents swarming over Trump’s property in a concrete step toward criminal prosecution.”

“For his supporters, it confirms a long-standing agenda of an FBI willing to target Trump on any grounds possible,” Turley wrote.

“Attorney General Merrick Garland surely knew this raid would rekindle suspicions that this could be another example of what fired FBI official Peter Strzok once called an ‘insurance policy’ against trump becoming president in 2016 — only this time in 2024,” Turley continued.

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“For that reason, the Justice Department has an added burden to show this raid was a step toward actual criminal prosecution and not just a political indemnification,” he added.

Additionally, President Biden is the final backstop for the DOJ, often telling Americans the “buck stops” with him.

Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer at Fox News Digital