Former President Donald Trump has called for the “immediate release of documents” relating to the FBI’s search of his Florida home.
Trump issued the statement late Thursday, hours after Attorney General Merrick Garland broke his silence on the situation and revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed a motion to unseal the search warrant relating to the Mar-a-Lago search.
Trump, in a statement that described the situation as an “unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement,” noted that he will “not oppose the release of documents” and in fact is “ENCOURAGING” their release. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls For FBI, DOJ Employees To Come Forward With Info On Trump Mar-A-Lago Raid)
“Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me, much as they have done for the last 6 years,” the former president declared.
“Release the documents now!” Trump added.
Trump not opposing warrant release pic.twitter.com/HjlarShXIg
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 12, 2022
The FBI executed a search warrant Monday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, sparking a flurry of reactions and swift condemnation from Trump and his allies. Until Thursday, however, the DOJ and Garland had remained silent on the news.
Garland said Thursday during his brief statement that the DOJ pushed to unseal the search warrant because Trump and his attorneys confirmed the search and gave details into “the surrounding circumstances.”
“The property receipt is a document that federal law requires law enforcement agents to leave with the property owner,” Garland said. “The department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter.”
Trump’s son Eric Trump told Fox News shortly after the search that it was related to the DOJ’s investigation into the possible mishandling of documents. Trump and his team have not yet released the search warrant themselves.
Earlier in the day Thursday, immediately after Garland gave his speech, Trump said “they [the DOJ] got way ahead of themselves” with the raid.