The White House denied knowledge of the search of former President Donald Trump's residence, saying it was an independent investigation conducted by the Department of Justice, and an appeals court ruled the right of the House of Representatives to see Trump's tax returns.

"President Joe Biden has not been made aware of or aware of this," White House spokeswoman Karen-Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday. "No one in the White House received advance notice."

She added that Biden learned about the issue through the media, and that he believed in the rule of law and the independence of the Department of Justice.

The White House considered that the Justice Department's investigations should be far from political influence.

Earlier, Trump said - in a statement - that FBI agents searched his Florida residence, known as Mar-a-Lago, broke his personal safe and confiscated what was in it.

Trump stated that the inspection came without prior notice, in an unnecessary and inappropriate manner, adding that what he described as the use of the justice system against him and the Democrats' attack on him will not prevent him from running for president in 2024.

And American media quoted sources familiar with the investigations, that the raid was carried out with judicial permission and with the approval of the FBI director and the Minister of Justice, in search of missing secret government documents that Trump refused to hand over after leaving the White House, and that Trump was not at home at the time of the raid. .

controversy and division

Mike Pence, a former representative of Trump, expressed "deep concern" about the inspection, and said it showed "partisan bias" on the part of the Department of Justice.

California Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy accused the Justice Department of "armed politicization", and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called the raid "disgraceful."

As for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, he said that "launching an investigation against a former president so close to the elections is beyond problematic."

Florida Governor Ron Dosantis described the raid on the Mar-a-Lago resort as another escalation in the arming of federal agencies against political opponents, he said.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio likened the search to Trump's residence to the persecution of political opponents in the Marxist dictatorships of the Third World, as he described it.

In contrast, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "No one is above the law...not even a former president of the United States."

As Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said, "Whenever we determine that the rich and powerful are above the law, America is no longer America."

tax returns

On the other hand, the Federal Court of Appeals ruled the right of the House Ways and Resources Committee - led by Democrats - to see the tax returns of the former president, and said that the committee's request is justified within the framework of its legislative work.

The court held that the committee's request did not violate the separation of powers principles under the United States Constitution, and that the Biden administration's decision to file Trump's tax returns to Congress did not violate Trump's rights to free speech.

The ruling came after a district judge in December 2021 rejected Trump's attempt to keep his tax returns and not turn them over to the commission.

The decision could lead to the disclosure of Trump's financial dealings before the next presidential election.

"Seeing the former president's tax returns is critical to supporting the public interest, our national security, and our democracy," Pelosi said.