Donald Trump Threatens DOJ With $100M Lawsuit, Calls FBI Raid of Mar-A-Lago Act of ‘Political Persecution’ and ‘Unacceptable Intrusion’
Donald Trump's legal team claims the FBI raid of Mar-A-Lago was motivated by a desire for "political persecution".
Aug. 12 2024, Published 5:41 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is threatening the United States Justice Department with a $100million lawsuit over the FBI's raid of Mar-A-Lago during the inquest into his alleged mishandling of classified documents, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a notice of intent to sue, the GOP candidate's legal team argued the DOJ acted with "clear intent to engage in political persecution – not to advance good law enforcement practices" when agents swarmed his lavish family home in Florida.
Trump was charged with 37 felony counts as a result of the investigation, but the case was ultimately dismissed after a judge ruled Special Counsel Jack Smith's appointment violated the Constitution.
The FBI searched the Palm Beach property in August 2022.
Despite his victory, the 78-year-old presidential hopeful refuses to back down in his bid for retribution over the probe: one of several cases he's characterized as a "witch hunt".
Trump's lawyer, Daniel Epstein, alleges the raid and subsequent indictment were unlawful and motivated by a desire to harm the former president politically.
Epstein told Fox News: "What President Trump is doing here is not just standing up for himself – he is standing up for all Americans who believe in the rule of law and believe that you should hold the government accountable when it wrongs you."
A judge dismissed Trump's classified documents case earlier this year.
His legal filing argued the government's actions were "rooted in intrusion upon seclusion, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process resulting from the August 8, 2022, raid of his and his family's home" in Palm Beach.
Epstein also said the raid was "inconsistent with protocols requiring the consent of an investigative target, disclosure to that individual’s attorneys, and the use of the local U.S. Attorney’s Office".
He further alleged Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray acted with "clear dereliction of constitutional principles, inconsistent standards" rather than out of concern for "social, economic, and political policy".
Epstein wrote: "Garland and Wray decided to stray from established protocol to injure President Trump. Garland and Wray should have never approved a raid and subsequent indictment of President Trump because the well-established protocol with former U.S. presidents is to use non-enforcement means to obtain records of the United States.
"But notwithstanding the fact that the raid should have never occurred, Garland and Wray should have ensured their agents sought consent from President Trump, notified his lawyers, and sought cooperation."
The investigation led to a 37-charge indictment against the former president.
Epstein said: "The FBI’s demonstrated activity was inconsistent with protocols used in routine searches of an investigative target’s premises".
He also argued Trump "had a clear expectation of privacy at Mar-a-Lago. Worse, the FBI’s conduct in the raid – where established protocol was violated – constitutes a severe and unacceptable intrusion that is highly offensive to a reasonable person".
During the search, officials reportedly seized thousands of documents containing top-secret information, and Trump was indicted on charges including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
The case was tossed last month after Judge Aileen Cannon ruled the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.
Epstein continued: "As such, given the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the prosecution on grounds that the Special Counsel’s appointment violated the appointments clause and his office was funded through an improper appropriation, there was no constitutional basis for the search or the subsequent indictment."
Trump's legal rep is seeking damages for alleged intrusion of privacy, malicious prosecution and abuse of process, claiming the DOJ's actions caused his client $15 million in legal costs.
Trump's lawyer claimed the DOJ aimed to interfere with his reelection chances.
The department must respond to Epstein's notice within 180 days, or the case will move to a federal court in the Southern District of Florida.
Epstein argued: "The entire special counsel investigation was about interfering with his ability to get elected. You have clear evidence that the FBI failed to follow protocols, and the failure to follow protocols shows that there was an improper purpose.
"If the government is able to say, well, we don't like someone, we can raid their home, we can violate their privacy, we can breach protocols when we decide to prosecute them, we can use the process to advance our personal motive—not a motive of justice—if someone doesn't stand against that in a very public way and seek to obtain and protect their rights, then the government will have a mandate to roughshod over every American."
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RadarOnline.com has reached out to the DOJ for comment.
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