Top House Republican McCarthy threatens to investigate search of Trump’s home – as it happened

Authorities stand outside Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former president Donald Trump, amid reports of the FBI executing a search warrant as a part of a document investigation, in Palm Beach, Florida Monday. Photograph: Jim Rassol/EPA

10.10pm BST

Summary

• The White House declined to comment on the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying that Joe Biden learned of it just like every other American, by watching the news reports. “I can say that President Biden has been unequivocal since the campaign that he believes in the rule of law, in the independence of justice department investigations, that those investigations should be free from political influence and he has held that commitment as president,” Jean-Pierre said.

• Users on pro-Trump Internet forums have been agitating for civil war and spouting their usual white supremacist rhetoric, but NBC News found that among the users was at least one individual awaiting sentencing for his involvement in a previous insurrection. Tyler Welsh Slaeker wrote that he had to be careful with his words because he was awaiting sentencing for trespassing during the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

• The House select committee tasked with investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol is meeting today with Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of state under Trump.

• Biden signed a measure ratifying the US support for Finland and Sweden to join the Nato alliance.

Updated at 10.14pm BST

9.51pm BST

The House ways and means committee won a major victory today when a Washington court of appeals ruled in its favor, ensuring that lawmakers will receive the much-sought after tax returns and audit files of Donald Trump. (Despite the timing, this ruling is unrelated to the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home).

Committee chairman Richard Neal sounded off on the ruling today:

House Ways & Means Chair Neal on today's DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of cmte's request to obtain former President Trump's tax returns from IRS: "With great patience, we followed the judicial process, and yet again, our position has been affirmed by the Courts."

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) August 9, 2022

Neal (D-MA): " I’m pleased that this long-anticipated opinion makes clear the law is on our side. When we receive the returns, we will begin our oversight of the IRS’s mandatory presidential audit program."

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) August 9, 2022

Updated at 10.15pm BST