Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that the Justice Department is filing a request to unseal portions of the search warrant for former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
News Movement: Garland also said he “personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.”
- “The department does not take such a decision lightly. Whenever possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to limit the scope of any search undertaken,” Garland said.
The big picture: The FBI on Monday searched Trump’s Florida residence in what is likely to be related to documents Trump took from the White House that may have been classified, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
- When a search warrant is sought for an important figure, such as a former president, “it goes through a long review process,” Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor, previously told Axios.
Details: “Both the warrant and the FBI property receipt were provided on the day of the search to counsel to the former president who was on site at the time of the search,” Garland said.
- The Justice Department moved to unseal the search warrant, signed and approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 5, “including Exhibits A and B” and “the redacted receipt listing items seized during the search, filed in court on August 11, 2022.”
- “Under these circumstances, involving a search of a former president’s residence, the government requests that the court unseal the notice of filing and its attachment (entry 17), absent an objection from former President Trump,” the filing states.
Current Status: Garland also addressed “baseless attacks on DOJ agents and prosecutors” after the search.
- “I will not stand by when their integrity is unfairly attacked. The men and women of the FBI and the Department of Justice are dedicated, patriotic public servants every day.”
- “Every day, they protect the American people from violent crime, terrorism and other threats to their safety while protecting our civil rights.”
- “They do it at great personal sacrifice and risk to themselves. I am honored to work alongside them,” he said.
Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday after Garland’s news conference that Mar-a-Lago was attacked “out of nowhere and without warning” by “a very large number of agents.” He claims that he and his representatives have been fully cooperative.
- “The government could have whatever it wanted if we had it,” he said.
- “They’ve gotten ahead of themselves,” he added.
Between the lines: Hours before Garland’s remarks, a gunman tried to break into the FBI building in Cincinnati, leading to a lockdown of the nearby area.
What he says: “Faithful adherence to the rule of law is a fundamental principle of the Department of Justice and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly, without fear or favor,” Garland said.
- “Much of our work is by necessity done out of the public eye. We are doing this to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations.”
Go deeper: Explaining the Presidential Records Act and the Trump search
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.
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