6 hours ago
photo released, Reuters
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The former president arrives at Trump Tower in New York, a day after FBI agents raided his home
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The US Department of Justice has asked a Florida court to release details of the arrest warrant that allowed FBI agents to search the home of former President Donald Trump.
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If this request is approved, the documents will become publicly available.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland also revealed that he personally approved the arrest warrant, which was executed at Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
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The Ministry of Justice has not yet revealed the reason for the search, but the released note can reveal the reason.
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Trump has until Friday to object to the release of the memo – or he may reveal its details himself.
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The FBI’s actions on Monday are believed to be linked to an investigation into whether the former president removed classified records and highly sensitive materials from the White House.
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To date, the Ministry of Justice has followed its usual practice of remaining silent during an investigation, and documents such as search warrants remain classified during ongoing investigations.
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But Garland said he is asking the court to make documents linked to the search warrant available to the public, in the public interest.
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He said his decision was also influenced by Trump’s public announcement of the inspection.
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“The public’s clear and strong interest in understanding what happened under these circumstances favors the move to reveal the details,” Justice Department lawyers said in a petition filed in federal court on Thursday.
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Monday’s search was the first time in American history that a former president’s home was searched as part of a criminal investigation. Trump and other Republicans criticized the decision as politically motivated.
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But Garland, at a news conference Thursday, defended FBI agents and Justice Department officials against the charges.
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“I will not stand idly by and in silence when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” Garland told reporters.
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He also said that the decision to search was not taken lightly. “Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means,” he said.
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Donald Trump’s other legal fights:
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- A House Select Committee is investigating Trump’s actions surrounding the rioting at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 – when Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. as lawmakers gathered to certify Biden’s election victory
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- The Justice Department is considering challenging the former president for the results of the 2020 presidential election
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- A Fulton County, Georgia attorney general is investigating whether Trump and his associates attempted to interfere with that state’s election results
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- Moreover, Trump faces another set of lawsuits ranging from allegations of fraud, to inflating asset values, to sexual harassment. He denies any wrongdoing.
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Analysis by John Sudworth, BBC North America correspondent
No details were provided at Merrick Garland’s press conference about what the search warrant contained, what was found, or whether – as media reports indicated – an inside source for Trump who provided the FBI with key information.
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However, the Public Prosecutor confirmed that he personally authorized the search warrant. He said the Justice Department is seeking a court order to publish the memo and the list of items taken from Mar-a-Lago.
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Prosecutors tend not to reveal their papers publicly during the ongoing investigation, which Garland made clear with good reason.
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But accusations from Republicans — and, of course, from Donald Trump himself — that the department is backed by Democrats have been harmful.
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Without any official statement, it is a narrative that has been left largely unchallenged.
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And it was Garland who insisted that far from being an assault on the law, the inspection meant that the law was taking its proper course.
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