According to former prosecutor and deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman, the FBI’s execution of former President Donald Trump’s Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, is “uncharted ground.”
Litman told Catherine Herridge of CBS News that obtaining a search warrant in this instance would need an exceptionally high level of proof.
“This kind of high-stakes, high-level FBI execution of a search warrant. I believe that to be unprecedented. My strong suspicion is that the second-in-command at the Department of Justice, Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general, or maybe Attorney General Merrick Garland himself, gave consent “Litman said. According to sources speaking to CBS News, the search is related to a Justice Department probe into accusations by the National Archives that it discovered 15 boxes of sensitive information at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Under the Presidential Records Act, the National Archives and Records Administration must be given with any records transmitted and received by the president. In January, however, the National Archives acquired from Mar-a-Lago 15 boxes of allegedly classified data. It was also reported that certain Trump White House papers had been torn apart or spliced together.
When the FBI is concerned that documents may be destroyed or withheld, according to Litman, it will attempt to execute a search warrant as opposed to just requesting the data.
Trump described the search as a “attack by extreme left Democrats who urgently do not want me to run for president in 2024” in a statement. He said, “This has never previously occurred to a president of the United States.”
In an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Trump’s son Eric said, “They are threatened by Donald J. Trump, and I honestly hope — and this is the first time I’ve said this — that he defeats them again, because this nation cannot survive this lunacy.”
According to Litman, the FBI seems to be taking the probe seriously, and Trump might face repercussions if it is shown that he inappropriately handled White House data while in office.
“This is a major decision that will involve disturbing a hornet’s nest. It is not the same as stating that he will be charged, but he is being treated like any other criminal suspect. And it is a dramatic situation “added Litman.
President Biden has made no remarks on the search. A senior White House official said that the White House was not informed of the FBI search warrant in advance.