The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, appeared this Thursday to give explanations about the search of Donald Trump’s residence in Florida by FBI agents, the first operation of its kind against a former president of the country.
Garland, whom Trump and his Republican allies accuse of “political persecution” and “politicization” of justice, acknowledged that he himself gave the green light to the operation: “I personally approved the decision to obtain a judicial registration authorization in this matter” .
The attorney general, who until now had remained completely silent, did not provide information on the big questions surrounding the case: why the search was requested – authorized by a federal judge after the presentation of credible evidence of a crime – and what agents found at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s mansion on the Florida coast.
“Federal regulations, Department rules, and our ethical obligations prevent me from elaborating on the rationale for the search at this time,” Garland said.
However, he announced that the Department of Justice had requested the “publication of the judicial authorization”, due to the fact that Trump himself had publicly confirmed the registration and the “public interest in the matter”.
Faced with criticism from Trump and his Republican allies of the search and the demand for explanations from Garland, many Democratic voices had demanded that Trump publish the content of that judicial authorization, something that the former president has decided not to do.
The request presented by the Department of Justice, which Trump can oppose, affects the judicial authorization, two documents attached with the affected inventory and the owner’s receipt. But it does not include the affidavit that the investigators presented to the judge to obtain the search warrant and that explains what the object of the search was and what evidence they had so far to justify it. Without that document, much of the investigation will remain under judicial secrecy. And, also for this reason, the suspicion of “politicization” of the Department of Justice will not dissipate, since it will not be possible to know, at least immediately, the phone number of the reasons for the registration of a former president.
Garland’s appearance is highly unusual. “Since becoming attorney general, I have made it clear that the Justice Department will speak through her court documents and through her work,” she said as soon as she took the stand. The White House said it had no information about Garland’s appearance, which comes at a time of mounting public pressure on the Justice Department. Faced with the accusation of “persecution” by the Republicans, the attorney general had received criticism from the other political side for slowness and lack of aggressiveness in the investigations against Trump’s role in the attempt to turn around the 2020 elections. and in the assault on the Capitol in January of last year.
“Respect for the law means applying it equitably, without fear and without favours,” Garland said. “Under my direction that is what the Department of Justice is doing,” he added, before making a strong defense against partisan attacks on his Department and the FBI: “I will not remain silent when its integrity is unfairly attacked. », He said about the criticism and threats they have received. “The men and women of the FBI and Department of Justice are dedicated and patriotic public servants.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism