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Trump plans to sue Department of Justice for $100 million following Mar-a-Lago raid, memo says

Former president's attorneys say raid was 'clear intent to engage in political persecution'

Former President Donald Trump plans to sue the Department of Justice for the raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate related to his retention of classified documents.

By: Scott Sutton , Associated Press

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump plans to sue the Department of Justice for the raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate related to his retention of classified documents.

This is a case that WPTV has been following closely since the raid took place on Aug. 8, 2022.

According to a new legal memo, Trump is seeking $100 million in damages for what his legal team deems "tortious conduct by the United States."

Read the full memo below:

Among the claims laid out in the memo, the former president's attorneys said the entry by federal agents at Mar-a-Lago was a "clear intent to engage in political persecution."

The 15-page memo names Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, saying they shouldn't have approved the raid and subsequent indictment of Trump, and they "decided to stray from established protocol to injure President Trump."

Neither the DOJ nor the FBI has released a comment on the memo.

MORE: Read the latest Trump headlines

This comes after Judge Aileen Cannon ruled last month to dismiss the case, citing that the Department of Justice's appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was "unlawful" and violated the "appointments clause."

Smith has since appealed the dismissal, which is expected to tee up a court fight that might reach the U.S. Supreme Court and could result in the reinstatement of the indictment and even conceivably the reassignment of the case to a different judge.

There's no scenario in which a revived prosecution could reach trial before the November election — and it presumably won't take place at all in the event Trump is elected president and orders his Justice Department to dismiss it.

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