White House Says They Learned of FBI's Mar-a-Lago Search Through News Reports
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Shutterstock; Drew Angerer/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump (left) and President Joe Biden
The White House is clarifying President Joe Biden's role in the Department of Justice investigation into his predecessor. Their claim: None.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that White House staff only learned of the FBI searching President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence through news reports.
Added Jean-Pierre: "Those investigations should be free from political influence."
RELATED: Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Home Searched by FBI: 'The Mood Was Pure Shock'
Jean-Pierre's statement will likely become a key point that the White House reiterates, as Trump's most loyal supporters quickly shifted blame for the FBI's actions to Biden, who has made an effort to remove himself from the legal turmoil surrounding Trump.
The current FBI director, Christopher Wray, was appointed to the position by Trump in 2017. Wray reports to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was appointed by Biden to lead the Department of Justice. While the president technically oversees both appointees as the leader of the United States, Biden in theory would not have a hands-on role in their day-to-day operations.
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On Monday night, an allegedly frightened Trump announced in an email statement sent to his supporters that his "beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents," declaring the search "prosecutorial misconduct."
The onetime Apprentice star added: "They even broke into my safe!"
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Trump was not in Florida at the time of the FBI search, which appeared to be focused on his office and personal quarters, CNN reported.
The probe reportedly hinges on whether he took classified documents from the White House and to his private residence at Mar-a-Lago after he left office, Politico, CNN, The Washington Post and other news outlets reported. Doing so would violate the Presidential Records Act, which requires commanders in chief to preserve all documents during their tenure and hand them over to the National Archives and Records Administration when they leave office.
RELATED: Could a Law Prohibiting Removal of Official Records Keep Donald Trump from Running in 2024?
The DOJ did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment about President Biden's familiarity with their investigation.
