Chicago alderman expects to be vindicated after federal agents raid his offices

Chicago Alderman Ed Burke is a partner at Klafter and Burke, a law firm that once represented President Trump in property tax cases. (Associated Press)

A powerful Chicago alderman whose offices were raided Thursday by federal agents said he plans to cooperate with authorities and expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ald. Ed Burke, 74, a former tax attorney for President Trump, made the remarks hours after about 15 agents arrived at his offices at City Hall and in the city's 14th Ward.

"I’ve been in office for 49 years. I’ve been under investigation in the past,” Burke told the news station. “Nothing has ever come of it, and I’ve always cooperated. And I’ll cooperate with whatever this investigation is," FOX 32 Chicago reported.

"I’ve been in office for 49 years. I’ve been under investigation in the past. Nothing has ever come of it, and I’ve always cooperated. And I’ll cooperate with whatever this investigation is."

— Ed Burke, Chicago alderman

No arrests were made and the nature of the raids and who was the target remained unclear. Burke is the longest-serving alderman in Chicago history and has been caught up in several investigations during his tenure.

He did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment Thursday evening.

The agents left the ward office with a cardboard file box, a computer and two computer monitors, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. It was not known what was seized from the City Hall location.

"I have no knowledge of what the U.S. Attorney has been doing," Burke said when asked what evidence agents were possibly looking for.

Burke is a partner at Klafter and Burke, a law firm that once represented President Trump in property tax cases involving the Trump International Hotel and Tower, which opened in 2009. He has filed six lawsuits on behalf of Trump.

Between 2009 and 2015, the firm saved Trump more than $14.1 million by convincing officials to lower the value of hotel rooms and retail space owned by Trump, according to the paper.

Citing “irreconcilable differences," Burke said in May that he stopped representing Trump.

As the alderman for an increasingly Hispanic ward, Burke had come under fire over his relationship with Trump.

Burke is well insulated in Chicago politics.

His wife, Anne Burke, is an Illinois Supreme Court justice. His father was influential in Democratic circles in Chicago until the 1960s and other Burke relatives have also been involved in Illinois politics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.