Former President Donald Trump is planning to take legal action against the Department of Justice over the FBI’s Aug. 8, 2022, classified documents raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The GOP presidential nominee will reportedly sue for $100 million in punitive damages, with his legal team claiming the action was both “unconstitutional” and a form of “political persecution.”
Trump attorney Daniel Epstein filed an administrative tort claim against the DOJ arguing that Garland and Wray applied “inconsistent standards” and were guilty of a “clear dereliction of constitutional principles” when approving the search of the Palm Beach, Fla., resort residence of the former president and his family, according to a copy of the claim obtained by The Post.
“Garland and Wray should have never approved a raid and subsequent indictment of President Trump because the well-established protocol with former U.S. presidents is to use non-enforcement means to obtain records of the United States,” Epstein wrote.
“But notwithstanding the fact that the raid should have never occurred, Garland and Wray should have ensured their agents sought consent from President Trump, notified his lawyers, and sought cooperation,” he said.
“Garland and Wray decided to stray from established protocol to injure President Trump,” Epstein added in the memo, which was first reported by Fox News. (New York Post)
The DOJ has 180 days to respond to the claim, and if no settlement has been reached after that time, the claim will move to federal court in the Southern District of Florida.