President Joe Biden’s White House continues to distance itself from the Department of Justice’s raid on former President Donald Trump.
A White House official told The Daily Wire that the White House was “not aware” that Attorney General Merrick Garland would be addressing the raid on Thursday and that the administration “learned from the press” about his remarks.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre similarly denied on Tuesday that the White House knew about the FBI raid on Trump’s home, claiming that Biden was not given any notice beforehand.
Garland: "Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Dept. and our democracy. Upholding the law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor. Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Dept. is doing."pic.twitter.com/oW7QE9utV0
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) August 11, 2022
The attorney general shared with the public on Thursday that he personally approved the raid on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home.
“Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and our democracy,” he said. “Upholding the law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor. Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.”
Garland: "I personally approved" the Mar-a-Lago raid. pic.twitter.com/qw8HJOcsGZ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 11, 2022
Asked if the White House was concerned about the appearance of an attack on another president, Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Biden has been “unequivocal” in his belief in the rule of law, and refused to comment on “any ongoing investigations from here.”
“President Biden has been very clear from before he was elected president, and throughout his time in office, that the Justice Department conducts its investigations independently,” she added. “He believes in the rule of law and [that] we are a nation of law, and again, we defer any incoming on this particular incident yesterday to the Department of Justice.”
Biden also ignored questions from reporters on Tuesday regarding the raid. Video footage shows the president walking by reporters and ignoring their questions on the topic the day after agents raided the former president’s Florida residence.
“President Biden, what did Attorney General Merrick Garland tell you about the Trump raid?” a reporter can be heard yelling to the president as he posed for a photo and while “God Bless America” plays in the background.
“Did you know about it in advance?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins can be heard asking as he leaves the room. Biden continues smiling and walks right by Collins and a slew of other reporters without responding or stopping.
Trump announced the raid in a lengthy statement on Monday, decrying the FBI’s actions as politicized and targeted.
“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump wrote. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before.”
Agents reportedly took numerous boxes and documents from Trump’s home as part of an investigation into whether he mishandled classified national security information. The former president’s Secret Service agents were made aware of the raid only moments before it took place, and though Trump was in New York City when it occurred, his lawyers were present.