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Former President Donald Trump has demanded that the FBI search warrant and property receipt used to search his Mar-a-Lago home be unsealed.
Trump made the demand on Thursday, only hours after a federal judge gave the Justice Department a deadline to determine if the former president supports or opposes unsealing the documents.
The FBI searched Mar-a-Lago on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into possible ties between the Trump Organization and Russia.
Trump has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has accused the FBI of conducting a “witch hunt” against him.
It is not yet clear if Trump will be successful in his demand to have the search warrant and property receipt unsealed. However, if he is successful, it could provide insight into the FBI’s investigation and Trump’s possible ties to Russia.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in the order: “The United States shall immediately serve a copy of its Motion on counsel for former President Trump. On or before 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 12, 2022, the United States shall file a certificate of conferral advising whether former President Trump opposes the Government’s motion to unseal.”
Trump made the demand in a tweet on Friday morning, just hours after Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed the media about the decision to raid Trump’s home.
“I have been fully briefed on the search warrant that was executed at my home, and I have been told that the FBI has found nothing,” Trump said in the tweet. “I have therefore requested that the Warrant be unsealed so that everyone can see what they are looking for.”
Trump’s demand comes as Garland is facing scrutiny for his role in the decision to raid the home of a former president. Garland said he “personally approved” of the FBI executing the warrant at Trump’s home, which agents spent hours searching on Monday.
Critics have accused Garland of overreach, and some have called for him to resign. But it’s unclear if Trump’s demand will lead to the unsealing of the warrant.
The FBI has not commented on Trump’s request.
Garland: “Just now, the Justice Department has filed a motion in the Southern District of Florida to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to a court-approved search that the FBI conducted earlier this week. That search was a premises located in Florida belonging to the former president.
“The department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter.”
Trump responded to the matter: “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.”
