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The White House said Tuesday that President Biden and White House staff learned of the FBI’s unprecedented raid on former President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago through public reports "just like the American people did," and stressed Biden's commitment to Justice Department investigations "free of political influence."
Trump’s private residence in Palm Beach, Florida, was raided by the FBI Monday morning, when the former president was in New York City. The raid was connected to an investigation into classified records Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his home when he left office in January 2021.
When asked whether Biden or any White House officials were aware of the raid or had been briefed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they were not.
"No. The president was not briefed, and he was not aware," she said. "No, no one at the White House was given a heads-up. No, that did not happen."
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 06: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on June 06, 2022 in Washington, DC. Jean-Pierre spoke on gun control and the Biden Administration's desire for Congress to act to pass new gun reforms. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Jean-Pierre said the president and White House officials learned about the raid "from public reports."
"We learned just like the American people did," she said.
"The Justice Department conducts investigations independently," Jean-Pierre said, noting that the White House leaves "any law enforcement matters to them."
"It would not be appropriate for us to comment on any ongoing investigations," she said.
Jean-Pierre said Biden "intends to run in 2024" but would not comment on whether he stands by his past statements suggesting he would like to run again Trump again.
The White House says they did not get "notice" of the FBI's raid on former President Trump's private residence at Mar-a-Lago. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland were aware of the raid, per standard protocol, and would have been fully briefed on it, a source told Fox News.
TRUMP SAYS MAR-A-LAGO HOME IN FLORIDA 'UNDER SIEGE' BY FBI AGENTS
An FBI source confirmed to Fox News that FBI agents who conducted the raid were from Washington, D.C., and were on the bureau's Evidence Response Team. The agents notified the Miami Field Office just before the raid.
A source familiar told Fox News that agents brought a "safe cracker" and cracked a "relatively new" safe in Mar-a-Lago. The source told Fox News there was "nothing in it."
A source familiar told Fox News that FBI agents went to Mar-a-Lago and looked in every single office and safe, and grabbed documents and boxes without going through them on the property. They took boxes and documents to go through them later.
"They were not being judicious about what they took," the source told Fox News.
Donald Trump leaves NYC post FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago resort (Felipe Ramales: Fox News Digital)
Trump made the raid public Monday evening, saying in a lengthy statement that "nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before."
"After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate," Trump said. "It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections."
A armed guard stand outside Donald Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate after 30 FBI agents tore through the property on Monday. (Alon Skuy/Fox News Digital)
"Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before," Trump said.
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"What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee?" he continued. "Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States."
When asked Tuesday if the White House is weaponizing the Justice Department against its political opponents, Jean-Pierre replied: "The president believes in the rule of law."
"We are not going to comment on a criminal investigation. The president has been very clear," she said.
Jean-Pierre added: "We are not going to comment from here, from this White House, on a criminal investigation that is currently happening."
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