REVEALED: FBI agent in charge of the Trump Mar-a-Lago raid said he was ‘deeply concerned’ about the operation, says the agency was not authorized for agents to search and that it was ‘very unusual’ that DC was running the Florida investigation as testimony to Republicans
- D’Antuono exposed several anomalies in the raid, including first that the Miami field office failed to handle it
- He also noted that the FBI would not wait for Trump’s attorney to show up before conducting the search
- Trump has been charged with seven federal charges related to his handling of classified documents
Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan said Friday that an FBI agent had expressed “serious concerns” and revealed “several unusual features” in the Justice Department’s raid on Mar-a-Lago.
The DOJ indicted Donald Trump Thursday on charges related to his handling of classified documents. Three days earlier, the committee had transcribed an interview with Steven D’Antuono, the former deputy director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.
D’Antuono, one of the top agents in charge of the raid, told the committee he was frustrated that the FBI would “get back in their hands” in the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago search.
D’Antuono exposed several anomalies in the raid, including, first, that the Miami field office did not handle it—HQ instead assigned the Washington Field Office to carry out the order.
D’Antuono said he had “absolutely no idea” why the decision was made. He also noted that the FBI would not wait for Trump’s attorney to show up before conducting the search. He said the FBI should have tried to work with the attorney to get permission to search the residence before conducting the search.
D’Antuono said he believed Attorney General Merrick Garland or FBI Director Christopher Wray made the decision to seek the warrant “despite opposition from the line agents” working the case.
D’Antuono also noted that the FBI has not assigned a U.S. attorney’s office to the case.
Trump has been charged with seven federal charges — including conspiracy, a violation of the espionage law and holding classified documents — related to the documents he took with him after leaving the White House.
Trump’s most recent indictment – which he called a prosecution – marks the first time in US history that a former president has faced federal charges.
While Republicans insist the charges are politically motivated, the White House on Friday insisted it had no prior knowledge of the charges and President Biden said he had not spoken to Garland about the matter.
“I haven’t talked to him at all and I’m not going to talk to him. And I have no comment on that.’
The charges against Trump include: conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding any document or record; corruptly concealing any document or record; and hiding a document in a federal investigation.
Some charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.