Trump suggests FBI 'planting' evidence at Florida residence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Aug 2022 17:45

Former US President Donald Trump hints at FBI agents "planting" evidence at his residence following the dramatic raid that triggered outrage among Republicans.

Trump suggests FBI 'planting' evidence at Florida residents.

Following a dramatic raid that sparked outrage among Republicans, former US President Donald Trump complained Wednesday that he had been barred from re-entering his Florida resort home and suggested that FBI agents might be "planting" evidence there.

"The FBI and others from the Federal Government would not let anyone, including my lawyers, be anywhere near the areas that were rummaged and otherwise looked at during the raid on Mar-a-Lago," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"Everyone was asked to leave the premises, they wanted to be left alone, without any witnesses to see what they were doing, taking or, hopefully not, 'planting.'"

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has refused to provide details about the raid at the palatial West Palm Beach residence, a stunning escalation of the multiple legal investigations into the 45th President.

US media outlets reported that agents were conducting a court-ordered search in connection with the possible mishandling of classified documents sent to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House in January 2021.

The raid was condemned as politically motivated and a "weaponization" of the Justice Department by Trump and other top Republicans.

However, former federal prosecutors said on Tuesday the US Justice Department's silence about its search of former President Donald Trump's Florida home indicates that the investigation is being conducted "by the book."

The search was part of the Justice Department's investigation into Trump's removal of presidential records considered official government property from the White House at the end of his term in January 2021.

"Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before," Trump said of the FBI operation.

Trump, who is considering another presidential run in 2024, questioned why Democratic rivals former President Barack Obama and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were never subjected to the same scrutiny. "Obama and Clinton were never 'raided,' despite big disputes!" he said.