In exceptional circumstances, exceptional measures.
Three days after the spectacular FBI search at Donald Trump's home in Florida, and while the entire Republican Party denounces the instrumentalization of the Department of Justice, its boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, broke his silence on Thursday.
In a brief press conference, he confirmed that he personally authorized the request to obtain a warrant from a Florida judge.
And on Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an appeal to have the warrant and inventory of seized documents made public.
Merrick Garland did not give details, but if Donald Trump kept classified material after his presidency ended, it is a
felony
, a crime punishable by imprisonment.
Merrick Garland confirms that he personally authorized the search, that the decision "not taken lightly".
When possible, the DOJ uses less intrusive means than a search (not the case here obviously).
Reports threats against FBI/DOJ.
pic.twitter.com/XF6xejrL8w
— Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) August 11, 2022
Access to this content has been blocked to respect your choice of consent
By clicking on "
I ACCEPT
", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners
I ACCEPT
And to better remunerate 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our "I accept for today" button in the banner below.
More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.
It is extremely rare for an attorney general to comment on an ongoing investigation.
But for three days, Donald Trump has been denouncing a witch hunt, and Republicans have been calling on Merrick Garland to provide details on this unprecedented raid in American history.
Sensitive documents
Recalling that the law and the practices of the DOJ prevent him from giving details, Merrick Garland made a point of clarifying several points.
The main thing: he “personally authorized the decision to request a search warrant”, and he “did not take the decision lightly”.
In general, alternative methods "less intrusive" than a visit by federal agents are preferred, he said.
According to American media, the DOJ had obtained a subpoena in the spring forcing Donald Trump to return documents taken to Florida when he left the White House.
Obviously, the former president did not comply, which justified a search.
The latter was overseen by the FBI's counterintelligence division.
This suggests the possible presence of particularly sensitive confidential documents.
According to CNN, some would affect national security.
World
Search at Donald Trump: What consequences for the former president after this coup?
World
Donald Trump's residence raided by the FBI, the ex-president cries out for "persecution"
World