WASHINGTON

- Federal investigators stormed the home of former US President Donald Trump in Florida while he was in New York City.

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

According to US laws, no house can be searched without prior judicial authorization.

Usually, a federal judge does not issue such an order unless he believes that the search process serves the criminal investigation, that there are risks to the investigation process if it is not carried out, or that there is a possibility of destroying or concealing some evidence that the judge deems important to the investigation.

The FBI and the US Department of Justice declined to comment on the storming of Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

A legal expert told Al Jazeera Net, "It is certain that the FBI and the Department of Justice provided evidence of the importance and feasibility of the Trump home search, which gave them the judge's approval of the search."

Earlier this year, the National Archives said it had recovered 15 boxes of White House records and other materials from Trump's Florida home, prompting the Justice Department to launch an investigation to ensure Trump did not break the law.

While Eric Trump, the youngest son of the former president, indicated that he was told that the break-in was linked to accusations of Trump's mishandling of government secrets, especially the transfer of White House records to his home instead of returning them to the National Archives.

Speaking to Fox News, Eric Trump said, "The purpose of the raid, from what they said, was that the National Archives wanted to confirm whether or not Donald Trump had any classified documents in his possession."

In a statement issued by his Political Action Committee, Trump said his Mar-a-Lago home was "under siege, raid and occupation by a large group of FBI agents."

Reports indicated that 30 federal investigators came in 20 cars and carried out the search.

American press reports accuse Trump of transporting boxes of documents to his residence in Florida (Reuters)

The sensitivity of the position of the Ministry of Justice

While there is no indication that prosecutors are about to indict Trump, the inspection is an important step.

In order to obtain an injunction, investigators had to prove to the judge that there was probable cause to believe that a crime had been committed and that evidence of the crime was in Mar-a-Lago.

The legal expert, who asked not to be named, stated that "the decision to search the house of a former president in light of the severe political polarization that America is witnessing requires the approval of the highest levels in the Ministry of Justice."

Trump was not at his home in Florida, which is his official residence.

He usually spends the summer months in New Jersey, where he owns his own golf club in Bedminster, or in New York City, where Trump Tower is located on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan.

The inspection process coincides with active investigations at the level of some states and at the federal level into Trump, his business and his family.

A special congressional commission is investigating the events that led to the riots on January 6, 2021, when a group of former president's supporters stormed the Capitol to block Congress' ratification of President Joe Biden's election victory.

So far, it has resulted in the indictment of a number of Trump aides, and the imprisonment of a number of others.


un-American behavior

Trump's announcement of the inspection sparked a firestorm among Republicans who accused Democrats of politicizing the federal bureaucracy and exploiting the Justice Department for political reasons.

"The storming is yet another escalation in the politicization of federal agencies against the administration's political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden are being treated kindly," said Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, one of his party's powerfully rising stars.

House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is expected to become House Speaker after the upcoming November elections if the Republicans win, threatened Attorney General Merrick Garland, and called on him to prepare for a future congressional investigation and advised him to keep his documents and documents.

The Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, considered the FBI's behavior "unAmerican."

"The FBI raid on President Trump's home is an unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice. They have been against President Trump as a candidate, as president, and now as a former president. Using the criminal justice system in this way is un-American," she said.

Trump considered the inspection process an attack by Democrats to prevent him from running for the 2024 (European) elections

'Attack by Democrats'

For his part, Trump said in his statement, "Nothing like this has happened to the President of the United States before. I have cooperated with the relevant government agencies, this sudden intrusion into my home was neither necessary nor appropriate."

"It's prosecutorial misconduct, a politicization of the judicial system, an attack by radical left-wing Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for president in 2024 based on recent opinion polls, and who will do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the midterm elections," the former president continued. coming.”

By contrast, Democrats hailed the storming of Trump's home as another step to put Trump under legal accountability.

"Trump should be in prison," said Progressive Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

"This is what happens when you break the law, try to steal an election, and incite a murderous rebellion. Trump should be in jail. I'm glad to see the FBI take steps toward accountability."


Half of America is still on Trump's side

The phrases "a sham investigation", "politicizing the judiciary" and "attempting to destroy Trump's electoral fortunes" were the summary of Fox News programs and right-wing pro-Trump channels following news of his home search.

The controversial broadcaster Tucker Carlson on the Fox network, followed by the famous broadcaster Sean Hannity, attacked the move, and considered it politicized behind the White House and the Democrats.

Fox programs hosted a number of guests who defended President Trump, and who said that the main and only goal behind all this was to obstruct his expected candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections.

Trump remains so popular with Republicans that he is on the list of potential candidates for the party ticket for the upcoming presidential election.

"They are terrified of his intention to announce his candidacy for president in 2024, and this is a very convenient way to throw more mud at Donald Trump," says Trump's youngest daughter, Lara.

Trump's statement said, "I stood up to American bureaucratic corruption, returned power to the people, the deep state hated it. Now, as they watch the candidates I support achieve big victories, and see my dominance in all the polls, they are trying to stop me, the Republican Party, Once again, lawlessness, political persecution and futile investigations must be exposed and stopped."