Garland: "I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant"
(Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that he "personally approved" the decision to seek a warrant for the FBI to search former President Trump's Florida home at Mar-a-Lago.
"The department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken," Garland said.
4:17 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
Garland says DOJ is applying the law "without fear or favor"
(Leah Mills/Reuters)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said all Americans are entitled to the "even-handed application of the law" and much of the work of the Justice Department is done out of the public eye in order to protect the integrity of investigations.
"Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly, without fear or favor," he said.
He said these are the principles officials at the DOJ are operating under.
"Much of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to protect the Constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations," he said, adding ethical rules prevent him from providing further details about the search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property.
4:34 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
FBI search warrant was authorized by a federal court, Garland says
Secret Service agents stand outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home Monday, August 8, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Damon Higgins/Palm Beach Daily News/AP)
The warrant for federal agents to search former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week was authorized by a federal court, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
"The search warrant was authorized by a federal court upon the required finding of probable cause," he told reporters on Thursday.
"Copies of both the warrant and the FBI property receipt were provided on the day of the search to the former President's counsel who was on site during the search," he added.
4:00 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
Garland says DOJ filed motion to unseal Trump search warrant and property receipt
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department of Justice filed a motion to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to the search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property.
"Just now, the Justice Department has filed a motion in the southern district of Florida to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to a court-approved search that the FBI conducted earlier this week. That search was a premises located in Florida belonging to the former President," Garland said.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. It came months after federal investigators served an earlier grand jury subpoena and took away sensitive national security documents from Trump’s property during a June meeting, people familiar with the matter tell CNN.
The search was the first time in American history that a former President's home was searched as part of a criminal investigation.
4:18 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
NOW: Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks from the Justice Department
From CNN's Tierney Sneed
(Pool)
Attorney General Merrick Garland is delivering a statement from the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
This is his first public statement since federal agents searched former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The statement comes after days of silence from the Justice Department with regard to the search, as is the department’s normal practice for ongoing investigations.
4:13 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
FBI director sends message to employees
From CNN's Evan Perez
FBI Director Christopher Wray waits to speak at a news conference in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 10. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
CNN reviewed a message that FBI Director Christopher Wray sent to employees addressing "commentary about the FBI this week questioning our work and motives."
He assured employees that their "safety and security are my primary concern right now."
Here's what Wray said:
“There has been a lot of commentary about the FBI this week questioning our work and motives. Much of it is from critics and pundits on the outside who don’t know what we know and don’t see what we see. What I know — and what I see — is an organization made up of men and women who are committed to doing their jobs professionally and by the book every day; this week is no exception. As always, the way we maintain the trust and confidence of the American people isn’t by joining in the public commentary. We do it through our work. By showing, when all the facts come out, we stuck to the process. We don’t cut corners. We don’t play favorites. We ask the tough questions — including of ourselves, making sure among other things that the investigative steps we take are measured and scrupulously consistent with our national security obligations and our role upholding the Constitution. Our focus must remain, as always, on our mission and on doing the right thing, in the right way, no matter how loud the noise gets. Let me also assure you that your safety and security are my primary concern right now. Security Division is working across the agency as we continue to stay vigilant and adjust our security posture accordingly. I’m inspired by your extraordinary demonstrations of courage and sacrifice on behalf of the American people. And I remain proud of the rigor, objectivity, and fierce passion for the mission that you bring to the job. It’s an honor to serve alongside you."
2:54 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
Here's a timeline of the investigation into Trump taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago
From CNN's Holmes Lybrand, Marshall Cohen and Hannah Rabinowitz
An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is pictured on Wednesday, August 10, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Steve Helber/AP)
The federal criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's potential mishandling of classified documents ramped up this week in significant and unprecedented fashion, with the FBI executing a search warrant at Trump's home at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The Justice Department inquiry is about documents that Trump removed from the White House as his term was ending in January 2021. Earlier this year, officials from the National Archives and Records Administration, known as NARA, recovered 15 boxes of presidential documents from Mar-a-Lago.
Trump's lawyers previously worked with NARA to voluntarily turn over some documents, but the Mar-a-Lago search indicates a new phase of the probe. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and claims the investigation is a politically motivated sham, intended to derail his potential bid to return to the White House.
Here's a timeline of the key moments from the investigation:
May 2021: An official from NARA contacts Trump's team after realizing that several important documents weren't handed over before Trump left the White House. In hopes of locating the missing items, NARA lawyer Gary Stern reaches out to someone who served in the White House counsel's office under Trump who was the point of contact for record-keeping matters. The missing documents include some of Trump's correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as the map of Hurricane Dorian that Trump infamously altered with a Sharpie pen.
Fall 2021: NARA grows frustrated with the slow pace of document turnover after several months of conversations with the Trump team. Stern reaches out to another Trump attorney to intervene. The archivist asks about several boxes of records that were apparently taken to Mar-a-Lago during Trump's relocation to Florida. NARA still doesn't receive the White House documents they are searching for.
January 2022: After months of discussions with Trump's team, NARA retrieves 15 boxes of Trump White House records from Mar-a-Lago. NARA says in a statement that some of the records it received at the end of Trump's administration were "torn up by former President Trump," and that White House officials had to tape them back together. Not all the torn-up documents were reconstructed, NARA says.
Feb. 9, 2022: News outlets, including CNN, report that NARA asked the Justice Department to investigate Trump's handling of White House records and whether he violated the Presidential Records Act and other laws related to classified information. The Presidential Records Act requires all records created by a sitting president to be turned over to the National Archives at the end of their administration.
Feb. 18, 2022: NARA informs the Justice Department that some of the documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago included classified material. NARA also tells the department that, despite being warned it was illegal, Trump tore up documents while he was president, and that senior officials in the Trump administration did not properly preserve their social media messages, draft tweets and deleted tweets.
April and May 2022: On April 7, NARA publicly acknowledges for the first time that the Justice Department is involved, and news outlets report that prosecutors have launched a criminal probe into Trump's mishandling of classified documents. Around this time, FBI agents quietly interview Trump aides at Mar-a-Lago about the handling of presidential records as part of their widening investigation.
May 12, 2022: News outlets report that investigators subpoenaed NARA for access to the classified documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago. The subpoena, which is part of the process to allow investigators to take possession of the documents from the NARA, is the first public indication of the Justice Department using a grand jury in its investigation.
June 3, 2022: Four investigators, including a top Justice Department counterintelligence official, visit Mar-a-Lago seeking more information about classified material that had been taken to Florida. The four investigators meet with two of Trump's attorneys, Christina Bobb and Evan Corcoran, and look around the basement room where the documents are being stored. Trump briefly stops by the meeting to say hello to the officials, but he does not answer any questions.
June 8, 2022: Trump's attorneys receive a letter from federal investigators, asking them to further secure the room where documents are being stored. In response, Trump aides add a padlock to the room in the basement of Mar-a-Lago.
August 8, 2022: The FBI executes a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago — a major escalation of the classified documents investigation. The search focused on the area of the club where Trump's offices and personal quarters are located. Federal agents remove boxes of material from the property. The search was the first time in American history that a former president's home was searched as part of a criminal investigation.
2:46 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
Garland will make a statement on unprecedented search of former President Trump's home
From CNN's Evan Perez
US Attorney Merrick Garland attends a news conference at the Department of Justice on August 2. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
US Attorney General Merrick Garland will make his first public statement on Thursday since federal agents searched former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The statement comes after days of silence from the Justice Department with regard to the search, as is the department’s normal practice for ongoing investigations.
2:33 p.m. ET, August 11, 2022
White House didn't get advanced notice of Garland statement
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
A White House official says they did not get advanced notice that Attorney General Merrick Garland would be delivering a statement today.
Garland is expected to make a statement soon. The topic of the statement was not given.