Donald Trump personally appealed to Attorney General Merrick Garland before the FBI warrant behind the raid at Mar-a-Lago was unsealed, a new report says.
The former president wanted the attorney general to be aware that people around the US were furious about the raid.
“The country is on fire,” Mr Trump is quoted as saying, according to the individual with knowledge of the message, according to The Times.
A judge unsealed the search warrant the next day, including an inventory of the items collected by the FBI on Monday.
Mr Trump claimed that no wrongdoing had taken place, and he also baselessly suggested that agents had planted evidence at his residence.
When Joe Biden became president, he stopped Mr Trump from receiving classified briefings that former presidents get, citing his “erratic behaviour”.
On Thursday, Mr Garland said he “personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter”. »