Former President Donald Trump released the following statement around 12:05 am Friday on the release of the documents pertaining to the search warrant served at Mar-a-Lago this week.
“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,” Trump said.
“My poll numbers are the strongest they have ever been, fundraising by the Republican Party is breaking all records, and midterm elections are fast approaching.
“This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical,” Trump said.
“The world is watching as our Country is being brought to a new low, not only on our border, crime, economy, energy, national security, and so much more, but also with respect to our sacred elections!” Trump concluded. “Release the documents now!”
During a scheduled press conference on Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Garland addressed the execution of the search warrant at former President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago.
“I personally approved to seek a search warrant in this matter,” said Garland. “The search warrant was authorized by a federal court upon the required, finding of probable, cause.”
“The Department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation with the search, the surrounding circumstances, and the substantial public interest in this matter,” Garland told reporters.
“The department does not take such decision lightly Where possible, it is a standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope,” Garland added.
“Let me address recent unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors. I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked, The men and women of the FBI and the Justice Department are dedicated, patriotic public servants,” said Garland.
“Every day they protect the American people from violent crime terrorism and other threats to their safety, while safeguarding our civil rights. They do so at great personal sacrifice and risk to themselves, I am honored to work alongside them. This is all I can say right now. More information will be made available in the appropriate way,” concluded Garland.
On Wednesday, Newsweek reported a confidential informant told the FBI the location of classified documents seized during the agency’s Monday raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, citing two senior government officials.
FBI agents raided Trump’s home early Monday and seized roughly ten boxes of documents in connection with files sought by the National Archives that Trump had brought to his home from the White House, according to multiple reports. The agents were executing a search warrant signed by Judge Bruce Reinhart.
The officials, one of whom is part of the Justice Department with three decades of FBI service, told the outlet the raid intentionally happened while Trump was not there to avoid a confrontation with the president and undue attention in the press. The FBI veteran called that decision a “spectacular backfire” despite terming the raid “a routine law enforcement action, stripped of any political overtones.”
The officials added that the documents had been illegally removed from the White House, according to Newsweek.
The other official said the goal was “to avoid any media circus,” according to Newsweek. The individual admitted that “even though everything made sense bureaucratically and the FBI feared that the documents might be destroyed, they also created the very firestorm they sought to avoid, in ignoring the fallout.”
Trump’s son Eric claimed the raid occurred over official presidential records the former president had brought from the White House, according to Reuters.
The Presidential Records Act only allows presidents to take official documents “of a purely private or nonpublic character,” the outlet reported. It disqualifies those who “willfully and unlawfully” remove other official records from all U.S. offices, fines them $2,000 or imprisons them for up to three years, according to Newsweek.
Newsweek’s two sources claimed the FBI claimed the documents the FBI raided Mar-A-Lago to recover were highly classified and had been taken from the White House illegally.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Press.
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