Kash Patel Claims FBI Lacked Legal Basis for 2022 Mar-a-Lago Search

Former Trump national-security adviser Kash Patel asserted in a televised interview on Wednesday that the FBI lacked legal grounds for its Aug. 8, 2022 search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Patel said the bureau had “no predicate” for obtaining the warrant and claimed agents “colluded to make fake evidence,” but did not present documentation to support the allegation. The FBI search, authorized by a federal magistrate judge, recovered more than 11,000 government records, including material marked classified. Trump was later charged with 40 felony counts related to the retention of national-security documents and obstruction; he has pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department has maintained that the warrant was properly obtained and executed in line with established protocol.