Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that FBI agents had searched his Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Palm Beach, Fla., and opened his safe.

The FBI and Department of Justice declined to comment, although the department is known to be investigating the possible mishandling of government secrets after the National Archives retrieved White House records from Mar-a-Lago

The search, which would have required a court order from a federal judge, signals the president is under greater scrutiny from federal investigators than was previously known.

In a statement put out by his political action committee, Trump said Mar-a-Lago was “under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.”

“After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” the statement said, but Trump did not expand on how or what he has been cooperating with government agencies about.

Trump went on to blame Democrats who don’t want him to run for president in 2024 for the incident, and said the same people also want to stop Republicans from winning in the midterm elections.

While there is no indication that prosecutors are on the verge of charging Trump, or that he will ultimately be charged, the search marks a significant step. In order to get a warrant, investigators would have had to demonstrate to a judge that there was probable cause to believe that a crime had been committed and that evidence of the crime was at Mar-a-Lago.

A search of a former president’s home would likely need to be approved at the highest levels of the Justice Department. A department spokeswoman declined to comment whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had signed off on the Mar-a-Lago search.

A White House official said they did not receive notice of the search, and referred questions to the Justice Department.

Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration said it had recovered 15 boxes of White House records and other items from Trump’s Florida club, sparking a Justice Department investigation.

Monday’s action also comes as the Justice Department was ramping up its investigations into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election — though there have not been reports of an investigation into Trump himself.

As Trump teases another run at the White House, former federal prosecutor Brian Jacobs told NPR that another Trump candidacy could weigh on DOJ prosecutors, but wouldn’t impact any potential investigations.

“I think prosecutors in the Department of Justice all know that they are not allowed to select the timing of investigative steps or criminal charges for the purpose of affecting any election,” Jacobs said.

Trump was not in Florida on Monday. While Mar-a-Lago is his official residence, it’s a seasonal club and the former president spends the summer months primarily up north, often at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. He was seen outside Trump Tower in New York City on Monday evening.

NPR’s Carrie Johnson contributed reporting.