Melania Trump blasts FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid, says it serves as ‘warning to all Americans’
Former first lady Melania Trump shared a video on her X account Saturday morning blasting the FBI for the raid on her Mar-a-Lago home in 2022, and said it should be a “warning to all Americans.”
“I never imagined my privacy would be invaded by the government here in America,” the former first lady recalled in the video. “The FBI raided my home in Florida and searched through my personal belongings.”
“This is not just my story, it serves as a warning to all Americans, a reminder that our freedom and rights must be respected,” Trump continued.
Her husband, former President Trump, is set to sue the Justice Department for $100 million in damages over the government’s unprecedented 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, with lawyers arguing it was done with “clear intent to engage in political persecution.”
MELANIA RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN VIDEO PROMOTING HER NEW MEMOIR
Former first lady Melania Trump arrives at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, July 18. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Trump and his legal team intend to sue the Justice Department for its conduct during the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, amid the federal investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records.
“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,” Trump attorney Daniel Epstein told FOX Business’ Lydia Hu.
Epstein added that the decisions made by the DOJ and FBI regarding that raid were “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.”
Trump’s attorney also argues the decisions made by Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray were not grounded in “social, economic, and political policy” but instead, in “clear dereliction of constitutional principles, inconsistent standards as applied to” Trump and a “clear intent to engage in political persecution – not to advance good law enforcement practices.”
“The FBI’s demonstrated activity was inconsistent with protocols used in routine searches of an investigative target’s premises,” Epstein wrote, adding that 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.”
Epstein is also planning to sue for punitive damages.
“For these harms to President Trump, the respondents must pay punitive damages of $100 million,” Epstein wrote.
This is the second recently released video the former first lady has posted as she is promoting her memoir, “Melania.”
Her book will detail “the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has defined personal excellence, overcome adversity, and carved her own path,” according to the description. It is currently available for pre-order ahead of its Oct. 1 release date.
“The former First Lady invites readers into her world, offering an intimate portrait of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life,” the description reads. “Melania includes stories and images never before shared with the public.
Republican presidential nominee and former President Trump is joined on stage by his wife, Melania, and other relatives after his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, July 18. (Reuters/Mike Segar)
She posted her first video on Tuesday, raising questions about the July 13 assassination attempt on the former president.
“The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience,” Trump said in a video statement on X. “Now, the silence around it feels heavy.”
“I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech?” she continued. “There is definitely more to the story and we need to uncover the truth.”
Following the assassination attempt in July, Mrs. Trump called for the country to “reunite,” calling for courage and common sense to “bring us back together as one.”
TRUMP TO SUE DOJ FOR $100M OVER MAR-A-LAGO RAID, ALLEGING ‘POLITICAL PERSECUTION’
Former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump stand together during an event at their Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
She said the gunman was “a monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine” who attempted to “ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration.”
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she wrote, adding that her husband is a generous and caring man.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Writing my memoir has been an amazing journey filled with emotional highs and lows,” the former first lady previously told Fox News Digital. “Each story shaped me into who I am today.”
She continued, adding that “although daunting at times, the process has been incredibly rewarding, reminding me of my strength, and the beauty of sharing my truth.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.
