Andrew Cuomo Demands Explanation for Trump Mar-a-Lago Raid

Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former governor of New York, took to Twitter on Tuesday demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) explain its raid on Mar-a-Lago.

Former President Donald Trump on Monday night confirmed that FBI agents had conducted a raid on the Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort that he uses as a residence and operates as a club. Trump decried the move as "political persecution." However, reports later emerged that the raid was conducted in relation to Trump allegedly keeping classified presidential documents on the property.

Cuomo, a Democrat, broke with his party's line in his Twitter statement, expressing concern that without the DOJ explaining the reason for the raid, it could be viewed as political.

"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," Cuomo wrote.

In a second tweet, Cuomo clarified that he worries that not disclosing the nature of the raid could help the GOP discredit "the good work of the house committee."

"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," Cuomo added.

Neither the DOJ nor the FBI has released any statements about the raid since Monday night. It is unclear if the raid has any connection to the investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which has led many to consider the possibility of criminal charges against Trump.

In a post to Truth Social about the raid, Trump claimed that the agents had gotten into a safe he kept on the property. Christina Bobb, Trump's attorney, told CNN in a statement that the agents had "seized paper" during the raid.

Appearing on Fox News in the wake of the raid, Eric Trump claimed that it was conducted because "National Archives wanted to... corroborate whether or not Donald Trump had any documents in his possession.

In February, the National Archives confirmed reports that classified documents pertaining to national security were among 15 boxes that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago when he departed the White House last year. At the time, it was reported that the documents had been taken back to the Archives.

Trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that the raid could potentially mean Trump is in danger of being prosecuted under Section 2071 of Title 18 of the United States Code, which pertains to anyone who "conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys" government documents. If convicted under the law, Trump could face three years in prison and be barred from holding elected office.

Despite conservative critics blaming President Joe Biden, White House officials on Monday told Bloomberg that he was not aware of the raid until after it happened, having been given no advance notice. The FBI is led by Christopher A. Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017.

Newsweek reached out to the FBI for comment.

Update 8/9/22, 12:46 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.