Will Trump gain popularity for Mar-a-Lago break-in?
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(CNN) --
The FBI's raid of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday was prompted by a tip to investigators that there may be additional classified documents at the Palm Beach club, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
CNN previously reported that FBI and Justice Department investigators met with Trump's lawyers at Mar-a-Lago in June, seeking more information about classified material that had been brought to Florida after the former president left. the White House.
This is the timeline of the investigation against Trump for bringing classified documents to Mar-a-Lago
After that meeting, in which investigators searched the room where the documents were stored, The Wall Street Journal reports that "someone familiar with the stored documents told investigators there may still be more classified documents in the private club" more beyond what Trump turned over to the National Archives earlier this year.
Presenters mock Trump's home break-in 1:46
CNN has not confirmed the newspaper's report.
Monday's search warrant execution pertained to both the handling of classified documents and the Presidential Records Act.
For months, authorities have been investigating how Trump handled material he took with him when he left the White House after the National Archives and Records Administration referred the case to the Justice Department earlier this year.
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Monday's raid followed authorities' belief that the former president or his team had not returned all documents and other materials that were government property, according to a person familiar with the matter.
There were suspicions that Trump representatives were not being completely candid with investigators, according to another person familiar with the matter.
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Trump uses the FBI record to fuel a counterattack
The concern arose after the former president returned some 15 boxes of materials to the National Archives in January.
Watch Trump allies criticize FBI's Mar-a-Lago search 2:54
Before FBI agents arrived at Trump's private club earlier this week and searched his residence, people close to the former president were under the impression that the investigation into how he handled classified information had stalled, according to two sources familiar with the matter. the case.
It's unclear why those around the former president believed the investigation had stalled, but in June, his lawyers received a letter from investigators asking them to keep the remaining documents in their possession "until further notice," a source told CNN.
The raid at Mar-a-Lago, which focused on the area of the club where Trump's offices and personal quarters are located, marked a major escalation in the investigation of classified documents.
Federal agents removed boxes of material from the Palm Beach property.
The Secret Service had about an hour's notice before the FBI executed the warrant, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
The Wall Street Journal report comes amid increased pressure for the Justice Department to issue a public statement on the unprecedented move to search the home of a former president.
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