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Trump says he won't oppose move to unseal Mar-a-Lago search warrant
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant" for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Politics
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant" for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and that the Justice Department filed a motion earlier in the day to make the warrant public.
Trump said late Thursday that he would not oppose the move.
Speaking about his decision at a brief news conference, Garland said the department "does not take such actions lightly" and first pursues "less intrusive" means to retrieve material. Garland noted that it was Trump's "right" to reveal Monday's FBI search of his property and that all Americans are entitled to a presumption of innocence.
Garland added that the Justice Department has asked to make public the property receipt detailing what agents found inside the Trump property.
Trump’s attorneys had until 3 p.m. Friday to oppose the government’s motion to unseal the warrant. But Just before midnight, Trump said on his social media platform that he would not oppose the government's motion.
“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,” Trump said in part.
Trump received a federal grand jury subpoena this spring for sensitive documents the government believed he retained after his departure from the White House, a source familiar with the matter confirmed.
Garland's nod to "less intrusive" avenues for recovery of documents appeared to be a reference to the subpoena and suggested that Trump had not turned over all of the material sought by the Justice Department.