Former President Donald Trump responded to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s press conference Thursday afternoon by saying that the FBI raid on his property in Florida was not needed because his legal team had been cooperating with the Justice Department.
“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 F.B.I. conducted earlier this week” at Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, Garland said. “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.”
“I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter,” Garland later added. “Second, the department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.”
Garland’s announcement came after federal law enforcement officials raided the property early Monday morning to search for classified material that was supposed to be sent back to the National Archives earlier this year.
“My attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully, and very good relationships had been established,” Trump said in response to the press conference. “The government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it. They asked us to put an additional lock on a certain area – DONE! Everything was fine, better than that of most previous Presidents, and then, out of nowhere and with no warning, Mar-a-Lago was raided, at 6:30 in the morning, by VERY large numbers of agents, and even ‘safecrackers.’ They got way ahead of themselves. Crazy!”
“Just learned that agents went through the First Lady’s closets and rummaged through her clothing and personal items,” Trump continued. “Surprisingly, left area in a relative mess. Wow!”