Key Points
- The FBI raided the former president's residence in Florida this week.
- US federal agents were reportedly looking for documents relating to nuclear weapons.
Donald Trump will "not oppose" moves to publicly reveal details of the warrant that justified the raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence, which the United States' top prosecutor says he "personally approved".
US Attorney General Merric Garland top prosecutor did not reveal the reason for , and condemned "unfounded attacks" on the FBI and the Justice Department that followed it.
"I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant," Mr Garland told reporters in his first public statement since Monday's raid. "The department does not take such a decision lightly."
While noting that "ethical obligations" prevented him from detailing the basis of the raid, Mr Garland said he had asked a Florida judge to unseal the warrant because Mr Tump had publicly confirmed the search and there was "substantial public interest in this matter."
Mr Trump, who has a copy of the search warrant but has so far declined to reveal its contents, said late on Thursday night he would not oppose the unsealing of the warrant.
"Not only will I not oppose the release of documents... I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents," the former president wrote on Truth Social, the social media site he launched this year.
In another post, Mr Trump repeated his claim that the search was an "unprecedented political weaponisation of law enforcement."
Andrew Weissmann, a former Justice Department official, said Mr Garland had "called Trump's bluff" by putting the onus on the former president to object or consent to the release of the document.
The Justice Department motion to unseal the warrant noted — and did not dispute — statements by Mr Trump's representatives that the FBI was seeking presidential records and potential classified material.
According to US media, the search related to potential mishandling of classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trump left the White House in January 2021.
The Washington Post on Thursday cited anonymous sources close to the investigation as saying that classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the papers sought by the FBI agents during the raid.
The newspaper did not clarify if the nuclear weapons involved belonged to the United States or to another country.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said he had asked a Florida judge to unseal the warrant because Mr Tump had publicly confirmed the search. Source: AAP / EPA
Political firestorm
The FBI raid on Mr Trump's palatial Mar-a-Lago residence sparked a political firestorm in an already bitterly divided country, and comes as he is weighing another White House run in 2024.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Mr Trump said his laywers had been "cooperating fully" and "the government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it."
"And then, out of nowhere and with no warning, Mar-a-Lago was raided at 6:30 in the morning," he said, adding that agents even "went through the First Lady's closets and rummaged through her clothing and personal items."
Donald Trump (centre) says he will "not oppose" moves to publicly reveal details of the warrant that justified the raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence. Source: AAP / AP
Mr Garland criticised what he called "unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors."
An armed man was shot dead by police on Thursday after trying to break into an FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio, police said.
'Without fear or favour'
The Justice Department typically does not confirm or deny whether it is investigating someone, and Mr Garland — a former prosecutor and judge who has a reputation as a stickler for protocol — took pains to emphasise the law was being applied fairly.
"Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy," he said. "The rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favour."
Since leaving office, Mr Trump has remained the country's most divisive figure and a force in the Republican party, continuing to sow falsehoods that he actually won the 2020 vote.
On Wednesday, the 76-year-old former president was questioned for four hours by Letitia James, the New York state attorney general .
Mr Trump is also facing legal scrutiny for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and over .
Mr Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House after the Capitol riot — he was charged with inciting an insurrection — but was acquitted by the Senate.
