Justice Department asks to publish search warrant for Trump’s mansion

First modification: 08/12/2022 – 03:34

The United States is never a stranger to headlines bearing the name of Donald Trump. And this time it’s not the exception. The raid on the former president’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, has led to all kinds of reactions. A media interest that, in part, explains the Department of Justice’s request to reveal the search warrant used by the FBI to enter Mar-a-Lago.

The request, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, was taken to federal court and would allow the public to obtain more details about the investigation of the agents at the former president’s property. The motion could lead to the release of a list of seized items, along with two unspecified attachments.

“The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred in these circumstances weighs heavily in favor of disclosure,” reads the submitted text.

For now, the information is diffuse. The raid is part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally withheld and deleted White House records when he left office.

The former president may oppose the dissemination of the order until Friday at 3:00 p.m. (local time), but, for the moment, neither Trump nor his legal team have spoken.

A decision not taken lightly

The images of Mar-a-Lago raided have heated the spirits in the United States. The prosecutor and his team have received all kinds of criticism and questions that led Garland to make unusual statements.

“The Department does not make that 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 that is conducted,” Garland said. A search warrant requires federal authorities to prove that a crime was committed. before a judge.

Garland released more details. In a short press conference, the prosecutor assured that it was he himself who approved requesting the search warrant.

“Federal law, long-standing department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details based on the search at this time,” he added.

The attacks and threats by Republican sympathizers against the Department of Justice were rejected by Garland, who also defended the institution decisively.

“I will not stand by when your integrity is unfairly attacked,” Garland said of federal law enforcement officers, calling them “dedicated and patriotic public servants.”

trump fights back

Since the FBI search on Monday, Trump has made his voice heard on social media. On his platform, ‘Truth Social’, the former president assured that: “My lawyers and representatives were fully cooperating and very good relations had been established. The government could have had what it wanted, if we had it.”

But the Republican went further. He showed his anger and confirmed his message that the FBI’s actions have been “politicized.” He compared his situation to that of former President Barack Obama.

“What happened to the 30 million pages of documents that Barack Hussein Obama took from the White House to Chicago? He refused to return them! What’s going on? This act was strongly at odds with the National Archives. Will they break into Obama’s “mansion” on Martha’s Vineyard?” he sentenced.

The former president was referring to Obama’s promise to digitize 30 million pages of his administration’s records that he sent to Chicago. But as the newspaper puts it The country“there is no evidence that Obama took any confidential document and even less that he had failed to comply with any requirement to return it.”

The new tracks of ‘The Washington Post’

While doubts surround the publication of the search warrant, the American media ‘Washington Post’ released details of what might be inside the documents sought by the FBI.

According to the media, the records would have to do with issues derived from nuclear weapons that the former president. This, the newspaper notes, could explain the particular “concern among government officials.”

The article also points out that details about the information that the president would have withheld remain unclear.

“People familiar with the investigation did not offer additional details about what type of information the agents were looking for, including whether it was weapons belonging to the United States or to some other nation,” the media said on its Twitter account.

The fight for classified information

The relationship between political figures and their handling of classified information is at the center of the debate. Trump has not only criticized former President Obama but has also launched fights against former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The Democrat was involved in a scandal stemming from her use of a private email when she was Secretary of State during the Obama presidency.

In 2016, when James Comey headed the FBI, he declared that the agency would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton. Some unpublished statements that he later had to back down with the discovery of new emails.

Thus, the Department of Justice has sought to be discreet with its statements to the public. This Thursday, Garland refrained from answering questions.

With EFE, Reuters and AP