🔍How this was checked: The bot searched the web (7 searches), cross-referenced 4 sources, and assessed each claim individually.
The claim that Barack Obama ordered the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago is false. The August 2022 search was authorized by a federal judge and personally approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland under the Biden administration. The claim appears to stem from a misreading of the search warrant affidavit, which cited Executive Order 13526—an Obama-era executive order that simply defines how classified information is handled and is routinely referenced in any case involving classified documents.
Verified against · 4 sources
Claim by claim
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✗ False
Barack Obama ordered the raid on Mar-a-LagoFalse. The Mar-a-Lago search was executed by the FBI in August 2022 under the Biden administration. Attorney General Merrick Garland publicly stated he personally approved the decision to seek the search warrant, and a federal magistrate judge authorized it. Obama was not in office at the time and had no involvement in the decision.
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✓ Confirmed
The Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit cited an Obama-era executive orderTrue. The FBI affidavit cited Executive Order 13526, signed by President Obama in December 2009, which establishes the framework for classifying national security information. This is a standard, routine citation in any legal matter involving classified documents and does not imply Obama ordered or directed the raid.
Caveats
Some social media posts may have conflated the citation of Obama's Executive Order 13526 in the affidavit with the idea that Obama personally directed the raid. The executive order is simply the governing regulation for classified information and is cited in virtually all cases involving classified documents, regardless of which administration is conducting the investigation.
Community note
False. Obama did not order the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search. The raid was approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland and authorized by a federal judge. The claim confuses the warrant's citation of an Obama-era rule that simply sets standard guidelines for classified documents.