Attorney General Merrick Garland triggered an unprecedented FBI raid on Thursday, Monday The Florida home of former President Donald Trump, who said he "personally authorized" the search for the documents.
Garland, in a brief comment declining to question , said the Justice Department had asked a federal magistrate to open a copy of the search warrant, and that Trump and his legal team objected. can't chant
"In light of the public acknowledgment of the search for the former president, the circumstances surrounding it, and the substantial public interest in the matter, the Department of Justice has made the motion to release the warrant and receipts. I submitted," Garland said. Reporter.
"Fidelity to the rule of law is a fundamental principle of justice and democracy, and upholding the rule of law means applying the law equally, without fear or favor." Under my oversight, that's exactly what the Department of Justice is doing," he continued.
Garland, who spoke for four minutes and did not answer questions, confirmed that a search warrant and copies of his FBI property receipts were given to Trump's attorneys on Monday, saying they were "during the search." I was there,” he added.
Motion to Open Warrant — Filed by South Florida Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez and DOJ Counterintelligence Director Jay Bratt — The government initially We have asked for the documents to be sealed, but now believe that lifting the warrant will not "impair the functioning of the courts."
Also, representatives of the 45th President have already provided a "public characterization of the materials sought" and therefore " The subject has already been pointed out,” he said. public.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump's team intended to challenge the motion to open the documents. I have submitted a request to have the warrant unsealed, which he had submitted to the DOJ by 5:00 p.m. Corresponding Monday.
"My attorneys and agents are We were working together and had a very good relationship,” Trump responded to Garland in a post on his Truth Social platform. "If we had it, the government could have gotten whatever they wanted.
``We have been asked to install additional locks in certain areas. Then, out of nowhere and without warning, Mar a Lago was raided at 6:30 am by a large number of agents, 'safecrackers.' Crazy!"
Three days after federal agents spent more than nine hours searching for Mar-a-Lago, Garland called out — broke into the safe and paidyuan. Scoured First Lady Melania Trump's wardrobe,a locked underground warehouse. From there, agents took away about a dozen boxes of papers and other materials from the White House.
The record reportedly includes letters to Trump from predecessor Barack Obama and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"Much of our work inevitably takes place out of the public eye," AG said, trying to explain his silence about the raid. 94} "We do this to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of the investigation."
The Attorney General also referred to what he called "baseless attacks" against the FBI and DOJ in the aftermath of the search, which he said "doesn't stand" their integrity. When is unjustly attacked, shut up.
"The men and women of the FBI and the Department of Justice are dedicated, patriotic public servants. Every day, they defend civil rights and protect Americans from violent crime, terrorism and other threats. They do so at great personal cost and risk to themselves.It is an honor to work with them.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray commented on the investigation.and instead lamented the growing threat of potential violence against federal agents this week.
"I am always concerned about threats to law enforcement," Mr. Lay told reporters on Wednesday. "Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you're angry with."
