President Donald Trump has reignited his grievances over the 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, during a speech ostensibly about the economy on Friday night. He claimed that agents searched through his wife Melania's 'panties' drawer, describing the raid as 'illegal and disgusting'.
The FBI's August 2022 search of Trump's Florida estate was part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Former special prosecutor Jack Smith told lawmakers this week that his team had gathered 'powerful evidence' that Trump broke the law by retaining the material.
During his remarks in North Carolina, Trump alleged that agents left his wife's undergarments in disarray, contrasting with her meticulous nature. 'They looked at her drawers... She opened the drawers and it was not that way. They were a mess,' he said, prompting audience chuckles when he mimicked steaming clothes.
Trump also escalated a demand for compensation over the federal investigations, raising the figure from $230m to $1bn. He claimed he would have to settle the complaint himself because it is now his Justice Department, joking that he might keep the money rather than donate it to charity.
After Trump won the 2024 election, Smith dropped both cases against him, but maintained that his team had developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt regarding election conspiracy allegations. Emails released this week by Senator Chuck Grassley suggested the FBI doubted probable cause for the raid, while the Justice Department insisted it was justified.
