AG Merrick Garland says he approved Trump raid and hits back at critics

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that he “personally approved” the search for documents that triggered Monday’s unprecedented raid on the Florida home of former President Donald Trump.

Garland, in brief comments during which he declined to take any questions, also said the Justice Department has asked a federal magistrate judge to unseal copies of the search warrant and would do so as long as Trump and his legal team do not object. 

“The Department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation with the search, the surrounding circumstances, and the substantial public interest in this matter,” Garland told reporters.

“Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy, upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor. under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing,” he continued.