US Attorney General Merrick Garland has personally endorsed the decision to seek a search warrant on former US President Donald Trump’s home. That’s what Garland said yesterday at a short-notice address in Washington.
“The search warrant was granted by a federal court following the required determination of reasonable suspicion.”
“Ministry does not take the decision lightly”
Garland added: “The Department does not take such a decision lightly. Wherever possible, less intrusive means will be sought as an alternative to a search, and any search will be strictly limited.” The FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home on Monday.
The process is considered unprecedented in US history. The pressure on Garland to take a stand had grown since then. Trump was not at his home during the search. He and other Republicans have criticized the search and accused Democratic US President Joe Biden of politicizing the FBI.
Garland said he could not comment on the details of the search. However, given the public interest and Trump’s confirmation of the incident, his department has petitioned a federal court to release the search warrant and receipt for any items confiscated. Garland said, “All Americans have the right to equitable application of the law, to due process, and to the presumption of innocence.”
Trump’s handling of documents as background
The background to the search was apparently Trump’s handling of documents from his tenure. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the National Archives, which is responsible for storing presidential correspondence, suspected several boxes of confidential material were in Mar-a-Lago. Trump finally gave the authority several documents in January.
After that, according to US media reports, there was a further exchange between investigators and Trump’s lawyers. Officials suspected Trump or his team were continuing to withhold important documents, the Washington Post wrote, citing anonymous sources. The FBI is said to have taken twelve boxes.