{"id":2572834,"date":"2026-02-24T06:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-records-contradict-claims-biden-was-not-aware-of-mar-a-lago-raid\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T06:43:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:43:28","slug":"fbi-records-contradict-claims-biden-was-not-aware-of-mar-a-lago-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-records-contradict-claims-biden-was-not-aware-of-mar-a-lago-raid\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI records contradict claims Biden was &#8216;not aware&#8217; of Mar-a-Lago raid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-records-contradict-claims-biden-was-not-aware-of-mar-a-lago-raid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2572834&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Newly published FBI emails and records reported by the Washington Examiner indicate notable coordination between the FBI,the Justice Department,and the Biden White House Counsel\u2019s Office in the weeks leading up to and surrounding the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid. The materials suggest White House involvement and discussions about the timing of President Biden\u2019s briefing and how to proceed with the examination, including contact with Trump\u2019s attorney evan Corcoran and potential avenues to obtain more classified material.<\/p>\n<p>Key points from the disclosures:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Some emails show internal discussions about the timing of Biden\u2019s brief and coordination among the White House, DOJ, and FBI, challenging the White House\u2019s public claim that Biden had no advance knowledge of the raid.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; DOJ officials reportedly questioned the probable cause for a broad search,even as higher-ups supported a wider search of the residence,office,and storage areas.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The records reveal possible alternatives, such as pursuing additional voluntary cooperation or obtaining more presidential records through NARA.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Public reactions and commentary, including statements from Pam Bondi and coverage on Fox News, are noted, alongside the broader context of ongoing legal developments in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/smith-opens-law-firm-with-former-doj-lawyers-who-worked-on-jan-6-cases\/\" title=\"Smith\u00a0opens\u00a0law firm with former ... lawyers who worked on Jan. 6 cases\">classified-documents case<\/a>, including Judge Cannon\u2019s decision to block release of special counsel John Smith\u2019s final report.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">FBI records contradict claims Biden was &lsquo;not aware&rsquo; of Mar-a-Lago raid<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2510607\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\">FBI<\/a> email communications dating back to the August 2022 raid on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mar-a-lago\/\">Mar-a-Lago<\/a> appear to contradict the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\">Biden administration&rsquo;s<\/a> claim that then-President Joe Biden had no prior knowledge of the search of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> property. The records also shed more light on how aggressively the Justice Department pushed for a search of Trump&rsquo;s Mar-a-Lago, despite FBI objections over a lack of evidence to justify it.<\/p>\n<p>The partially redacted emails, obtained by the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, include internal FBI communications from Aug. 3, 2022 &mdash; just five days before the raid &mdash; suggesting the search was tethered to the timing of when <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Biden<\/a> would be briefed about the matter, and in &ldquo;coordination between&rdquo; the White House Counsel&rsquo;s Office and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/page\/60\/\">Department of Justice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4468246\/cbs-news-peter-attia-resignation-epstein-files\/\">CBS News contributor Peter Attia resigns amid Epstein files fallout<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4468224\/newsom-dhs-pardon-cambodian-illegal-immigrant\/\">Newsom scolds Trump administration for criticizing his pardon of illegal immigrant: &#8216;Spare us the outrage&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4467922\/nick-reiner-pleads-not-guilty-murder-parents\/\">Nick Reiner pleads not guilty to murder of his parents<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This event is dependent upon the timeline of President Biden&rsquo;s brief, decision, and coordination between [White House] Counsel and DOJ, and in turn, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2964032\/trump-campaign-denies-departure-attorney-evan-corcoran\/\">Evan Corcoran&rsquo;s <\/a>position on the override of privilege assertion and whether or not he seeks an injunction to prevent access,&rdquo; according to one line of communication in the memos, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6389654161112\">reported<\/a> by Fox News. Corcoran was a lawyer for Trump at the time.<\/p>\n<p>The August 2022 electronic communication, labeled &ldquo;FPOTUS Atty call script,&rdquo; outlined plans to contact Trump&rsquo;s legal team to seek cooperation and consent to search for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-private-message-to-merrick-garland-before-doj-press-conference-is-revealed-report\/\" title=\"...s Private Message To Merrick Garland Before ... Press Conference Is Revealed: Report\">additional classified material<\/a>, after 15 boxes of records had already been voluntarily returned earlier that year.<\/p>\n<p>Although they contain redactions, the emails appear to show an official from the FBI&rsquo;s Washington Field Office communicating with an official within the Biden <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\">White House<\/a> Counsel&rsquo;s Office about Trump&rsquo;s attorney Corcoran, who was tasked with handling responses over the return of both <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/classified-documents\/\">classified documents<\/a> and Presidential Records Act materials.<\/p>\n<p>The emails revealed the Biden White House Counsel&rsquo;s office held multiple discussions with the FBI, the DOJ, and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-archives\">National Archives and Records Administration<\/a> in the months leading up to the search as officials assessed how to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, however, the Biden administration said publicly and definitively the president and the White House at large had no advanced knowledge about the raid.<\/p>\n<p>Then&ndash;press secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karine-jean-pierre\/\">Karine Jean-Pierre<\/a> told reporters on Aug. 8, 2022, the day of the raid, that &ldquo;the president <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2311401\/biden-not-briefed-not-aware-of-mar-a-lago-raid-white-house-says\/\">was not briefed<\/a>, was not aware of it,&rdquo; adding that the White House learned of the search &ldquo;just like the American people did.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other portions of the material reveal disagreement between FBI officials and DOJ leadership over the strength of the legal basis for a search warrant. <\/p>\n<p>One passage states that the Washington Field Office did &ldquo;not believe &hellip; that we have established probable cause for the search warrant,&rdquo; even though DOJ officials supported seeking a broader search covering the residence, office, and storage areas. The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3919584\/fbi-probable-cause-doubts-mar-a-lago-raid-emails-show\/\">previously reported<\/a> in December that officials in the DOJ under former Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed doubts about probable cause for the raid.<\/p>\n<p>The new records describe alternative approaches that agents considered, including reaching out to Corcoran to request additional voluntary cooperation and asking NARA to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pursue additional presidential records<\/a> that might lead to the identification of more classified material.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\/\">Pam Bondi<\/a> said in a statement Friday evening that the disclosures add to already-existing concerns about how the Biden administration handled its investigation into Trump.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#127381; Emails show Biden&rsquo;s DOJ coordinated with Biden&rsquo;s White House leading up to the Mar-a-Lago raid against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@POTUS<\/a> Trump<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AGPamBondi<\/a>: &ldquo;The more we learn about Department of Justice weaponization under the prior administration, the worse the story gets. President Trump was targeted&hellip; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YwWN1LN0Xa\">pic.twitter.com\/YwWN1LN0Xa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChadGilmartinCA\/status\/2025002134198960199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 21, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The more we learn about Department of Justice weaponization under the prior administration, the worse the story gets,&rdquo; Bondi said. &ldquo;President Trump was targeted at every level by a corrupt system that sought to remove him from politics entirely.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It is not the first time the former White House&rsquo;s assurance that Biden <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/849467\/white-house-claim-biden-wasnt-briefed-on-trump-investigation-contradicted-by-national-archives\/\">was not briefed <\/a>ahead of the raid has been called into question. In a May 2022 NARA letter to Trump&rsquo;s legal team, identified by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon just weeks after the raid, the archives noted: &ldquo;NARA will provide the FBI access to the records in question, as requested by the incumbent President, beginning as early as Thursday, May 12, 2022.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The &ldquo;incumbent president&rdquo; at that time was Biden.<\/p>\n<p>The latest revelations of White House coordination in the raid on Mar-a-Lago come as the classified documents case continues to unravel.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Cannon, a Trump appointee, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654.779.0.pdf\">permanently blocked<\/a> the DOJ from releasing Smith&rsquo;s final report on the case. Barring any reversals on appeal, the result means the public will not see Smith&rsquo;s comprehensive rationale and basis for the case, unlike his separate 2020 election-related indictment report that was allowed to be released by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4467511\/judge-permanently-blocks-release-trump-classified-documents-report\/\">JUDGE PERMANENTLY BLOCKS RELEASE OF TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REPORT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cannon previously dismissed the classified documents case in the summer of 2024, ruling Smith had been unlawfully appointed, and wrote in a 15-page decision that making the report public would create a &ldquo;manifest injustice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Mar-a-Lago search formed the basis of Smith&rsquo;s now-terminated prosecution, accusing Trump of retaining classified records and obstructing federal efforts to recover them. Trump pleaded not guilty, and the case ended before trial.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI emails cast doubt Biden knew Mar-a-Lago raid<\/p>\n<p>Paraphrase of the article:<br \/>\n&#8211; Newly released FBI emails challenge the claim that President Biden had no advance knowledge of the Mar-a-Lago search. The August 3, 2022 messages tie the timing of Biden\u2019s briefing and coordination between the White House Counsel, the FBI, and the DOJ to the decision to search for classified material, with Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran involved in handling responses about the return of documents.<br \/>\n&#8211; The messages describe plans to contact Corcoran to seek voluntary cooperation and to obtain permission to search for additional classified material after 15 boxes had already been turned over. Despite redactions, the exchanges show White House Counsel officials discussing with the FBI, DOJ, and the National Archives about how to proceed.<br \/>\n&#8211; Public statements at the time asserted that Biden was not briefed or aware of the raid. Some portions of the material reveal disagreement within the FBI and DOJ over the strength of probable cause for the search warrant, even as DOJ officials pressed for a broader search.<br \/>\n&#8211; Other options considered included reaching out to Corcoran for voluntary cooperation and asking the National Archives to pursue more presidential records that could reveal additional classified material.<br \/>\n&#8211; Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized the disclosures as evidence of DOJ \u201cweaponization\u201d under the prior administration and noted ongoing concerns. Earlier, a NARA letter indicated the incumbent president (Biden) would have access to the records as early as May 12, 2022.<br \/>\n&#8211; The Mar-a-Lago raid is tied to the now-terminated prosecution of Trump over classified documents. U.S. District Judge Cannon has blocked release of the final Smith report, pending appeal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2572835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AP22221038623140.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[3620,13420,74430,60935],"class_list":["post-2572834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-fact-check","tag-fbi-records","tag-mar-a-lago-raid"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AP22221038623140.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2572834"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2572838,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572834\/revisions\/2572838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2572835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2572834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2572834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2572834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}