Donald Trump said he supported the “immediate release” of documents related to this week’s FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, just hours after the attorney general agent Merrick Garland moved to seal the order and list of items obtained by federal agents.
The former US president called for the papers to be made public in a statement released just before midnight on Thursday, after meeting with his legal team to discuss next steps in the legal battle. turned him against US law enforcement agencies.
“Not only do I not object to the release of documents relating to the unwarranted, unwarranted and unwarranted American break-in and break-in to my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago , I take it a step further by RECOMMENDING the immediate release of such documents,” he wrote.
“This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical,” he added.
A federal judge has given Trump until Friday at 3 p.m. ET to decide whether to accept the Justice Department’s call for documents related to the search to remain unsealed. . In a statement from the justice department’s headquarters in Washington earlier on Thursday, Garland appealed their release “in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the circumstances surrounding and considerable public interest in the matter.
Garland said he personally approved a search of the former president’s residence, which was signed off by a federal judge, though he declined to provide details about the matter. reason behind it.
People familiar with the DoJ investigation say federal investigators executed a warrant to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate following a weeks-long legal standoff over the former president’s handling of the case. handle classified files from his time in the White House.
The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the investigation, reported that classified documents related to nuclear weapons were among the items sought in the search. But Christina Bobb, Trump’s attorney who was present at the time of the search, said she was unaware of the contents.
“I have not spoken specifically with the president about what nuclear material may or may not be in it. I don’t believe there’s anything in there,” she told Fox News.
In his statement to the press – Garland’s first public statement since the raid, he offered a firm defense to law enforcement agencies following the violent attacks against into the FBI and DoJ from trumpet and his aides, as well as Republican lawmakers. On Thursday, amid concerns that the backlash could turn violent, an armed man was killed by police after attempting to break into an FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“I will not stand by and watch when their integrity is unjustly attacked. The men and women of the FBI and the justice department are dedicated, patriotic public servants every day,” he said. “They protect the American people from violent crime, terrorism, and other threats to their safety while protecting our civil rights. They do so with great personal sacrifice and risk to themselves. I am honored to be working alongside them.”
Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, said in a statement that Garland’s response was insufficient.
“What I am looking for is the predicate for search. Was the information provided to the judge sufficient and necessary to authorize a raid on the former president’s home within 90 days of the midterm elections? ‘ said Graham. “I am urging, really emphasizing, that the DoJ and the FBI have weighed in on why this course of action is necessary. Until that is done, suspicions will continue to grow. “
