The FBI conducted the raid on Monday, August 8 and this move highlighted an escalation into the various investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into Trump’s affairs.

The search prompted widespread criticism from those on the right, who accused the Biden administration of an abuse of authority. While the DOJ is led by a Biden official, Attorney General Merrick Garland, the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, is a Trump appointee.

Speaking during a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night, Biden told interviewer Scott Pelley that he was not aware of the raid before it happened.

He also insisted that he had not been briefed about the contents of the documents found but said his administration is likely aware of the secrets within them.

Pelley asked: “Have you been briefed on the top secret documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago?”

Biden replied ’no’ and Pelley pressed on to ask if anyone had warned him about potential national security secrets being revealed by the storage of the documents by Trump.

Biden answered: “I have not personally spoken to anyone on that regard.

“I am sure my administration is aware of all that and so is the National Security Council, but I am not.”

Biden was also asked about a photograph produced by the DOJ that showed a number of classified documents spread out on the floor at Trump’s home.

“[When I saw that image I thought] how could that possibly happen,” Biden said.

“How anyone could be that irresponsible, and I thought what data may be in there that could compromise sources methods. “By that I mean names of people who helped, etc. It was just totally irresponsible.”

On several occasions, Trump has hit out at how the FBI laid out classified materials and conducted the raid on his home.

“Terrible the way the FBI, during the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, threw documents haphazardly all over the floor (perhaps pretending it was me that did it!), and then started taking pictures of them for the public to see. Thought they wanted them kept Secret?” Trump posted on Truth Social on August 31, before making the disputed claim that declassified all the materials found at his home.

In another social media post the same day, Trump accused the FBI of being “very deceiving” for setting up the picture of the top secret documents being “sloppily thrown on the floor.”

Newsweek has contacted Donald Trump’s Office and the White House for comment.