Last update 1 hour ago
The former president arrives at Trump Tower in New York, a day following FBI agents raided his home
Former US President Donald Trump has said he does not object to revealing the details of the memo that allowed FBI agents to search his Florida home.
The US Department of Justice asked a Florida court to disclose the details of the memo, saying it was in the public interest.
Trump said in a statement that he supported disclosing the details of the memo “immediately”, stressing that he believed that a search of his home was not necessary.
If this request is approved, the documents will become publicly available.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also explained that he personally approved the search warrant, which was carried out at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
The Ministry of Justice has not yet revealed the reason for the search, but the note, once released, can explain the reason.
The FBI’s actions on Monday are believed to be linked to an investigation into whether the former president took classified records and highly sensitive materials from the White House.
To date, the Ministry of Justice has followed its usual practice of remaining silent during an investigation, and documents such as search warrants remain classified during ongoing investigations.
But Garland said he is asking the court to make documents linked to the search warrant available to the public, in the public interest.
He said his decision was also influenced by Trump’s public announcement of the inspection.
“The public’s clear and strong interest in understanding what happened under these circumstances favors the move to reveal the details,” Justice Department lawyers said in a petition filed in federal court on Thursday.
Monday’s search was the first time in American history that a former president’s home was searched as part of a criminal investigation. Trump and other Republicans have criticized the decision, calling it politically motivated.
But Garland, at a news conference Thursday, defended FBI agents and Justice Department officials once morest the charges.
“I will not stand idly by and in silence when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” Garland told reporters.
He also said that the decision to search was not taken lightly. “Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means,” he said.
Donald Trump’s other legal fights:
- A House Select Committee is investigating Trump’s actions surrounding the rioting at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 – when Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. as lawmakers gathered to certify Biden’s election victory
- The Justice Department is studying the former president’s objection to the results of the 2020 presidential election
- A Fulton County, Georgia attorney general is investigating whether Trump and his associates attempted to interfere with that state’s election results
- Trump faces another set of lawsuits ranging from allegations of fraud, to inflating asset values, to sexual harassment. He denies any wrongdoing.
Analysis by John Sudworth, BBC North America correspondent
No details were provided at Merrick Garland’s press conference regarding what the search warrant contained, what was found, or whether, as media reports indicated, it was an inside source for Trump who provided key information to the FBI.
However, the Public Prosecutor confirmed that he personally authorized the search warrant. He said the Justice Department is seeking a court order to publish the memo and the list of items taken from Mar-a-Lago.
Prosecutors tend not to reveal their papers publicly during the ongoing investigation, which Garland made clear with good reason.
But accusations from Republicans — and, of course, from Donald Trump himself — that the department is backed by Democrats have been harmful.
In the absence of any official statement, this account has been left largely unanswered.
And it was Garland who insisted that the inspection meant the law was taking its course.
