Donald Trump was photographed Tuesday night at his Manhattan residence when it emerged that investigators in the raid on his Florida home the previous day even searched Melania Trump’s wardrobe.
Trump, 74, continued to vent his anger on Tuesday at the raid – which is believed to have been carried out to retrieve documents the former president took with him when he left the White House.
By law, all of the President’s correspondence and documentation must be turned over to the National Archives, and as of February it has been clear that Trump has failed to do so. Some documents were returned to the National Archives earlier this year, but apparently not all.
FBI agents were inside the 128-room Florida property for nine hours Monday, with 30 agents roaming the entire 3,000-square-foot private quarters.
Investigators searched the master bedroom known as the Versailles Room, which Melania Trump renovated two years ago, the New York Post reported.
Donald Trump is seen Tuesday night arriving at Trump Tower the day after the Mar-a-Lago raid
Trump was also in Manhattan on Monday when the raid was conducted
The 74-year-old waved to the waiting press as he arrived back at Trump Tower
Trump reacted with anger to Monday’s raid, calling it abuse of power and FBI overreach
Trump appeared to be unaccompanied by none of his family as he entered his home
Her rummaging through Melania’s closet was not explained by the newspaper.
Agents also searched a separate office and safe, as well as a locked basement storage room where 15 boxes of White House materials were stored, the newspaper said.
The Justice Department has not commented on the raid, which analysts said should have been approved at the highest level.
Sources told the Post that Trump’s attorneys, led by Evan Corcoran, were “collaborating extensively” with federal authorities to arrange for the documents to be returned, with the process beginning in May 2021 when some records were found to be missing.
Melania Trump was last seen at the funeral of Donald’s first wife Ivana in Manhattan on July 20
The former First Lady leaves Trump Tower on June 1st
The timeline above shows just some of former President Donald Trump’s struggles with the national archives since leaving office, including an independent court battle with the Jan. 6 committee
In January 2022, some of the documents were returned, and in February of this year, the news was released.
In early June, four senior DOJ officials traveled to Mar-a-Lago to discuss the documents with the former president’s attorneys.
The DOJ’s head of counterintelligence and export control, Jay Bratt, was reportedly among the group that met with Trump’s attorneys.
Trump’s team showed government officials where Trump kept documents — in a basement room.
Investigators reportedly observed that some of the files there were marked classified.
At one point, the former president himself reportedly stopped by to say hello and make “small talk” before leaving, CNN reported.
Days after investigators’ visit, they reportedly sent a letter to Trump’s associates, urging them to secure the room where they were observing the custody of the documents.
According to CNN, helpers then cordoned off the area.
It’s unclear what happened between June and this week to lead the FBI to forcibly collect the documents.
The ex-president was in Trump Tower in New York City at the time.
FBI agents with a search warrant searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Fla., Monday morning
Anti-media and pro-Trump protesters stand opposite the Mar A Lago waterfront Monday night
Trump supporters gathered outside Mar-a-Lago on Monday night
His son Eric Trump told Fox News he informed his father about the raid.
The former president claimed he was the victim of political persecution, in a statement making the unannounced search public.
“These are dark times for our nation as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. is currently under siege, raid and occupation by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said of his Save America PAC, ‘ he said.
“I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption, I gave power back to the people, and I truly fought for our country in a way we’ve never seen before.
“The establishment hated it.
“Now that they’re seeing my supported candidates winning big wins and seeing my dominance in all the polls, they’re trying to stop me and the Republican Party again.
“The lawlessness, political persecution and witch hunts must be exposed and stopped.”