- Donald Trump will not oppose release of warrant that allowed FBI to search his Mar-a-Lago residence.
- Former US President’s Florida home was searched on Monday.
- Justice Department made a request to unseal the warrant, which could reveal the reason for the search.
Former US President Donald Trump has stated that he will not oppose the release of the warrant that allowed the FBI to search his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this week.
Mr. Trump encouraged its “immediate release” in a statement, but repeated his claim that the search was unnecessary and politically motivated.
The United States Department of Justice has made a rare request to a court in Florida to unseal the warrant.
If granted, the documents would be made accessible to the public.
And it could confirm the reason why Mr. Trump’s Florida home was searched on Monday, which the justice department has not yet disclosed.
It is believed that the FBI search is related to an investigation into whether or not the former president removed classified documents and sensitive materials from the White House.
The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that FBI agents were searching Mar-a-Lago for documents related to nuclear weapons.
The sources did not inform the newspaper whether the information concerned US or foreign weapons.
Mr. Trump had until Friday afternoon at 15:00 EST (19:00 GMT) to object to the unsealing, but it is unclear what his statement now means in terms of when the documents could be made public.
“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,” read the statement.
He stated this despite the fact that they were “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 six years”.
Earlier, Mr. Trump’s attorney, Lindsey Halligan, stated that his legal team was weighing whether to release the warrant before the judge makes a decision. She added that they were also considering releasing photographs and videos of the search.
According to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, FBI agents at Mar-a-Lago had requested that CCTV cameras be turned off, but the Trump team refused to comply. CBS added that Mr. Trump’s Secret Service protection team was not involved in the camera dispute because the cameras are privately owned and operated.
Mr. Trump argued on his Truth Social platform on Thursday that the raid was unnecessary because his attorneys had been “fully cooperating” and “the government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it.”
He also claimed that federal agents rummaged through the former first lady’s closet and personal belongings.
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