August 11, 2022

Justice Department Moves to Unseal Trump Search Warrant at Mar-a-Lago

Merrick Garland also confirmed that he personally approved the warrant.

Greg Nash/ZUMA

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The Department of Justice has filed a motion to unseal the search warrant executed by the FBI earlier this week at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday.

In a brief press conference, Garland confirmed that he personally approved the warrant, a decision Garland said he did not treat lightly.

He also defended law enforcement officials amid a torrent of threats from right-wingers directed at those perceived as responsible for the search at Mar-a-Lago, including Garland himself, the federal judge who authorized the search warrant, and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Meanwhile, Trump has fueled the alarming rhetoric, suggesting without evidence that the FBI may have planted damaging evidence at his Palm Beach residence. Republican lawmakers have largely rallied to Trump’s defense, adding their own conspiratorial spin to the extraordinary news cycle. 

Here’s the motion:

This is a developing story. 

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In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

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