Former US President Donald Trump said his lawyers and representatives were "fully cooperating", while US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he had "personally approved" a search warrant for Trump's home in Florida.
Garland confirmed that federal agents searched Trump's Florida estate to investigate whether he illegally removed records from the White House while leaving office.
Garland did not explain why the search was called for, but stressed that there was a "possible cause" of "material public interest" and said he had asked the court to release case documents, after Trump himself announced the search in an earlier statement.
The unprecedented search at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach represents a significant escalation in one of the many investigations Trump has faced since his time in office and into his private business.
conflicting reactions
The raid carried out by the FBI called for conflicting reactions in light of a sharp political division and at a time when the American billionaire is evaluating the possibility of running in the next presidential election.
Senior Republicans were quick to express their support for the former president, who was not present at Mar-a-Lago when the raid was carried out.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland talks about the raid on Trump's house (Reuters)
Mike Pence, a former representative of Trump and a potential challenger in 2024, expressed "deep concern" about the search of Trump's home, saying it showed "partisan bias" on the part of the Justice Department.
And Thursday, Dan Garland "baseless attacks against the professionalism of the FBI agents and the attorney general of the Department of Justice."
Since his term expired, Trump remains the most divisive figure, knowing that he remains very popular in the Republican Party, as well as insisting on his claim that he is the winner of the 2020 elections.
On Wednesday, Trump appeared before New York Attorney General Leticia James, who had opened in 2019 a civil investigation into him, his daughter Ivanka and his son Donald Jr.
Trump remained silent during the session, which was held against the background of suspicions of financial fraud in his business group.
"I declined to answer the questions, in accordance with the rights and powers conferred on every American citizen by the Constitution of the United States," he said in a statement.
A civil investigation has been opened against the Trump family group following the resounding testimony of Michael Cohen, one of Trump's personal lawyers, to Congress, revealing fraudulent assessments, up or down, of the group's assets for loans, tax cuts or greater compensation from insurance companies. .
Trump found himself under the microscope of investigators over his efforts to overturn the election results in 2020 and his suspected involvement in the attack on the Capitol in January 2021.