Reuters. Former U.S. President Donald Trump late on Thursday (August 11) issued a statement calling for the 'immediate release' of documents after a FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida this week.
The U.S. Justice Department asked a judge on Thursday to make public the warrant that authorized the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, after Trump, a Republican, portrayed it as political retribution.
The request means the public could soon learn more about what investigators were looking for during the unprecedented search of a former president's home.
Trump said in his statement on his Truth Social platform: "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."
Attorney General Merrick Garland, the top law enforcement officer and an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, told a news conference the Justice Department had filed a motion to unseal the search warrant and property receipt relating to the court approved search.
The search was part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he left office in January 2021, some of which the Justice Department believes are classified.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that U.S. federal agents were looking for documents relating to nuclear weapons when they raided Trump's home in Florida.
It was not clear if such documents were recovered at the former president's resort in Palm Beach, the Post said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
The Justice Department also seeks to make public a redacted receipt of the items seized.
