WH Press Secretary: ‘No One at the White House Was Given a Heads Up’ on Mar-a-Lago Raid

(CNSNews.com) – The White House said Tuesday that it found out about the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in press reports along with everyone else and was not given a heads up ahead of time.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “the president was not briefed, was not aware of it,” and “no one at the White House was given a heads up.”

As to whether the White House is concerned about the appearance of a politically motivated prosecution that the raid sends to the rest of the world given that the Department of Justice (DOJ) carried out the operation on a former president, Jean-Pierre said, “So first off, you’ve heard me say this many times at the podium, heard this president say this. The Justice Department conducts investigations independently, and we leave any law enforcement matters to them. 

“It would not be appropriate for us to comment on any ongoing investigations. I can say that President Biden has been unequivocal since the campaign. He believes in the rule of law, in the independence of the Justice Department investigations, that those investigations should be free from political influence, and he has held that commitment as president,” the press secretary said.

“I want to also remind you all of what he said on January 7th on 2021 when he then nominated Merrick Garland to be the attorney general, and I quote: 

We need to restore the honor, the integrity of the independence of the Department of Justice in this nation that has been so badly damaged, and so many former leaders of that department in both parties have so testified and that– and stated that, I want to be clear to those who lead this department. You will serve. You won’t work for me. You are not the president or the vice president’s lawyer. Your loyalty is not to me. It’s to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation to guarantee justice.

“So I would refer you to the Department of Justice,” the press secretary added.

When asked whether the White House or President Biden believes it would be helpful for the DOJ to be more open about the reasons for the search warrant and the underlying evidence, Jean-Pierre said, “Again, this is not something I’m going to comment on today or from here at all. This goes to the Department of Justice, and that’s what I would refer you to.”

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