Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement Monday that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and that agents broke into a safe.
The Justice Department is looking into the discovery of classified information in boxes of records that were taken to Trump's Florida residence after he left the White House.
It marks a dramatic increase in law enforcement scrutiny of Trump, as he prepares to make another bid for president.
Trump said that the raid on his home was not necessary or appropriate.
The search was authorized by the Attorney General, but the Justice Department wouldn't comment on that.
The National Archives and Records Administration referred the discovery of classified information at Mar-a-Lago to the justice department.
Though federal law bars the removal of classified documents to unauthorized locations, it's possible that Trump could argue that he was the ultimate declassification authority.
A law that makes it a crime to remove or retain classified information is one of the many statutes governing it. Mishandling classified records is a crime under another statute.
There is an investigation related to attempts by Trump and his allies to change the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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Michael Balsamo was a writer for the AP.
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