Ex-Gov. Cuomo joins GOP in demanding answers from Justice Dept. over FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence
Donald Trump’s GOP allies aren’t the only ones who want answers from the FBI.
Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo voiced concern Tuesday that the blockbuster search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort by federal agents could jeopardize other probes into the ex-president.
The disgraced Democrat, in a tweet that left many scratching their heads, said the Department of Justice “must immediately explain” why it carried out the raid to avoid being viewed as a “political tactic” and risk the legitimacy of the Jan. 6 investigations.
“[I]t must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation,” Cuomo tweeted.
On Monday, the FBI executed a search warrant at the former commander-in-chief’s Palm Beach, Fla., home as part of an investigation into the handling of presidential and classified documents that may have been taken from the White House, according to reports.
Trump, who was in New York when the raid took place, confirmed that FBI agents searched the sprawling beachfront compound and even “broke into my safe.”
“My beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” he said in a statement.
Many appeared puzzled by Cuomo’s decision to weigh in on the situation, noting that the one-time attorney general should know full well that prosecutors and law enforcement agencies rarely comment on active investigations.
“Andrew Cuomo is wrong. DOJ doesn’t have to explain anything. They never announced they searched Mar-a-Lago. Trump did. He’s the one who politicized it by (a) stealing documents, (b) refusing to return the documents, and (c) pretending to be the victim after he broke the law,” author Keith Boykin tweeted.
David Mollon, a New York trial lawyer, questioned Cuomo’s call for disclosure from the DOJ.
“Weren’t you AG at one point? What do you think prompted a search warrant? Scribbled notes? Misplaced files? Inconsequential archives? Did you disclose investigative strategy during investigation? C’mon,” he wrote.
DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigations.
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) August 9, 2022
Asked how such sensitive documents could have potentially wound up at Mar-a-Lago, Eric Trump told the Associated Press the boxes were among items that got moved out of the White House during “six hours” on Inauguration Day, as President Biden prepared to move into the building in early 2021.
“My father always kept press clippings,” Eric Trump said. “He had boxes, when he moved out of the White House.”
In February, classified information was found in the 15 boxes of White House records that were stored at Mar-a-Lago, according to the National Archives and Records Administration. A letter at the time revealed that the violation was flagged for the DOJ.
Previous cases of mishandling classified documents involved handing over the information to third parties or otherwise endangering national security.
Rudy Giuliani slams FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as ‘fascist police state’ tactic
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (left) and (as then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (right) at the 15th anniversary of September 11 at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan, New York on Sep. 11, 2016. (BRYAN R. SMITH/)
Trump-loving Republicans defended the one-term president, who has hinted that he will eye a second White House run in 2024, and slammed the FBI over the search.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Attorney General Merrick Garland to “preserve your documents and clear your calendar” as he threatened an oversight probe “when” Republicans take back the chamber following November’s midterm elections.
“The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another Republican rumored to be weighing a presidential run, likewise condemned the sweep.
“The raid on Mar-a-Lago is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the regime’s political opponents,” he said.
Cuomo attempted to clarify his take and called on the feds to maintain transparency in a follow-up tweet.
“DOJ must disclose the bona fide nature of the August 8 action or else the republicans will use it to Discredit the Jan 6 investigation, which would be a terrible disservice to the good work of the house committee in exposing The Trump administration violations,” he wrote.
Cuomo sparred often with Trump while winning wide acclaim for his strong leadership in New York during the dreadful early days of the COVID pandemic, even winning an Emmy for his daily televised briefings.
Nearly a year later, he announced his resignation on Aug. 10, 2021, in the face of potential impeachment and escalating political pressure over allegations that he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, marking a stunning downfall for one of the most prominent Democrats in the country.
Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing while, like Trump, maintaining that investigations into his behavior were politically motivated.
Armed Secret Service agents stand outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, late Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Terry Renna/)
Trump, meanwhile, is facing mounting legal issues including a scheduled deposition as New York Attorney General Letitia James investigates evidence that the Trump Organization routinely inflated the value of properties.
Members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters have said repeatedly that there is evidence to conclude that the ex-president and his allies committed crimes as they sought to overturn the 2020 election.
A special grand jury has also been convened in Atlanta, Ga. as prosecutors investigate whether Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the state’s election.
Cuomo confirms not running against state A.G. James, will address allegations against him ‘soon’
