U.S. asks judge to unseal warrant that allowed search of Trump’s home.
The U.S. Justice Department asked a judge on Thursday to make public the warrant that authorized an FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida home, after the former president attacked the search as an act of political retribution.
The request means the public could learn more about what investigators were looking for at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach on Monday during the unprecedented search of a former president’s home.
The search was part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he left office, some of which the Justice Department believes are classified.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, the country’s top law enforcement officer, told a news conference that he had personally approved the decision to order the search. The department also seeks to make public a redacted receipt of the items seized.
“The department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search, and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken,” Garland said.
His decision to publicly confirm the search was highly unusual. U.S. law enforcement officials typically do not discuss ongoing investigations to protect people’s rights. In this case, Trump himself announced the search in a Monday night statement.
Garland said the Justice Department made the request “in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter.”
A source familiar with the matter said the FBI retrieved about 10 boxes from Trump’s property during the search.
