From Fox News: The FBI did not believe it had probable cause to raid President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022, but moved forward amid pressure from the Biden Justice Department, with an official saying he didn’t “give a damn about the optics” of the search, newly declassified documents reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal.
Fox News Digital reviewed emails between FBI and Justice Department officials in the months leading up to the August 2022 raid of Mar-a-Lago, with FBI officials expressing concerns about a lack of probable cause to execute the search warrant on the then-former president’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Very little has been developed related to who might be culpable for mishandling the documents,” an FBI official serving as an assistant special agent in charge, wrote to another FBI official, Anthony Riedlinger. “From the interviews, WFO has gathered information suggesting that there may be additional boxes (presumably of the same type as were sent back to NARA in January) at Mar-a-Lago.”
“WFO has been drafting a search warrant affidavit related to these potential boxes, but has some concerns that the information is single source, has not been corroborated, and may be dated,” the official continues. “DOJ CES opines, however, that the SW’s meet the probable cause standard.”
The report quotes multiple emails in which the FBI agents express doubt that there is probable cause for a search warrant on the documents at Mar-a-Lago, yet acknowledged that the DOJ kept pushing them.
“DOJ has opined that they do have probable cause, requesting a wide scope including residence, office, storage space,” one FBI agent wrote.
“The FBI intends for the execution of the warrant to be handled in a professional, low key manner, and to be mindful of the optics of the search,” an FBI agent wrote on August 4, 2022.
The agent quotes then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General George Toscas as saying that he ‘frankly doesn’t give a damn about the optics.’
READ MORE from Fox News.
JOHN SOLOMON: The FBI is preparing to turn over BOMBSHELL EMAILS showing THE BIDEN DOJ DID NOT HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE TO RAID MAR-A-LAGO!@jsolomonReports pic.twitter.com/pLgfkttMQX
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) December 16, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: The FBI did not believe it had probable cause to raid President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022, but moved forward amid pressure from the Biden DOJ, with an official saying he didn’t “give a damn about the optics” of the searchhttps://t.co/5Kex7TRoHH
— Brooke Singman (@BrookeSingman) December 16, 2025
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
