According to former prosecutor and deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman, the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, is “uncharted ground.”
According to Litman, obtaining a search warrant in this situation would need a very high level of proof.
“The FBI’s high-stakes, high-level service of a search warrant. That, I believe, is unparalleled. My strong suspicion is that consent was obtained from the Department of Justice’s No. 2 official, Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general — probably [Attorney General Merrick] Garland himself “Litman said. According to CBS News, the search is related to a Justice Department probe into the National Archives’ allegations that it discovered 15 boxes of papers, including classified data, at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Documents sent and received as president must be maintained and turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration under the Presidential Records Act. However, the National Archives took 15 boxes of papers from Mar-a-Lago in January, claiming that they included secret information. It further claimed that certain Trump administration papers had been torn up or glued together. Litman said that if the FBI is concerned that data may be destroyed or not turned over, it would attempt to execute a search warrant rather than just requesting them.
Trump termed the search a “attack by extreme left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for president in 2024” in a statement. “Nothing like this has ever occurred to a President of the United States before,” he continued.
“They are intimidated by Donald J. Trump,” Trump’s son Eric said on Fox News’ “Hannity,” adding, “and honestly, I hope — and I’m saying this for the first time — I hope he goes out and defeats these people again, because honestly, this nation can’t survive this insanity.”
According to Litman, the FBI seems to be taking the probe seriously, and Trump may face sanctions if it is shown that he inappropriately handled White House data while in office.
“This is a significant move that will, in part, involve treading on a hornet’s nest. It’s not the same as saying he’ll be charged, but gosh, he’s being treated like any other criminal suspect. That’s high drama “Litman said.
President Biden has not yet responded to the search. According to a senior White House official, the FBI search warrant was not disclosed to the White House in advance.
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