The White House was not briefed or given advance notice about the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago, the Florida home of former President Donald Trump, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.
“The president was not briefed, was not aware of it, no. No one at the White House was given a heads-up,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden learned about the Monday search through public reports, the press secretary said. “We learned about this just like the American people did,” she said.
Jean-Pierre reiterated the Justice Department’s independence from the president in the investigation, and declined to comment on it further. She also highlighted the president’s previous comments on his commitment to the “rule of law.”
Biden himself has not yet commented on the search.
The FBI searched Trump’s Florida estate on Monday as part of an investigation of his handling of presidential records, people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The National Archives and Records Administration said in February it had sought records from Mar-a-Lago — including classified information — that they said were improperly removed.
The execution of the search warrant was an unprecedented public demonstration of law enforcement action against a former president.
“After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said in a statement on Monday confirming the search.
House Democrats have applauded the search as a step toward accountability for the former president. Senate Democrats have been more reserved in their public reactions; Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the “Rachel Maddow Show” on Monday that he would “withhold comment until we know more.”
Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence and all of Florida’s top GOP politicians, have condemned the search, as Trump world has looked to capitalize politically on the search.
House Republicans have also denounced the FBI’s actions. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday promised to investigate the Justice Department if his party retakes the House majority in the November elections.
“[P]reserve your documents and clear your calendar,” McCarthy said in a statement directed at Attorney General Merrick Garland.
