The US Attorney General has confirmed he backed the raid on Donald Trump's house.
The FBI searched the former president's Florida home on August 8 as part of a probe into whether classified records were being stored at the property.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland today said he had personally approved the decision to ask a judge to grant a search warrant of Trump's home.
The Department of Justice has now asked a court to unseal the search warrant for Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion, Mr Garland said.
Trump supporters descended on the ex-president's home after the FBI search, carrying banners and chanting in support of the Republican.
Mr Garland said his decision to request a search warrant was not taken lightly.
He added: "Where possible it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken."
The Attorney General said the search was ordered in a bid to discover if the former president had illegally removed records from the White House as he was leaving office.
Demonstrators thronged around Trump's manor after the search, lifting signs and flags declaring their support for the ex-president.
Get all the latest news sent to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror newsletter
Another protester lifted a sign from his previous campaign but with former Vice President Mike Pence's name crossed out after the VP was branded a "traitor" by some sections of the American far right.
One of the men gathered identified himself as a member of the neo-fascist Proud Boys group.
Supporters say the raid is a brazen attempt to derail Trump from an upcoming presidential run, which he has yet to confirm.
His followers on social media have predicted the uproar could trigger a second civil war - with some geared up to take on their political nemeses.
Disclosing the search in a lengthy statement, the former US president said agents opened up a safe at his home and described their work as an "unannounced raid" that he likened to "prosecutorial misconduct".
The news has angered Mr Trump's supporters in the US, some of whom were involved in the infamous Capitol Hill riots in January last year.
Many turned their ire on the Democrats despite the fact the current FBI director was installed by Trump.
Trump said of the raid: "These are dark times for our nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before.
"After working and co-operating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."
