Attorney General Merrick Garland has severely restricted the Department of Justice’s public statements regarding investigations, particularly the January 6 unregulated criminal investigation and anything that specifically involves the former president.
An FBI raid on President Trump’s Mar Arago property on Monday was linked to a criminal investigation into the handling of classified information, according to a person familiar with the matter, who said it was partly held to avoid the spectacle. It was designed for The agent showed up around 10am ET. It wasn’t early in the morning, it was plain clothes with the FBI logo jacket commonly seen in searches. Trump was in New York at the time.
It became public when Trump issued a public statement near the end of the hours-long search, describing it as a “siege.”
Garland has repeatedly explained why he says little about ongoing investigations, not only the agency’s general policy of not commenting, but also keeping potential targets from knowing what the agency is doing. He also cites the rights of people who have not yet been charged with a crime to avoid being tried in public before the Justice Department can file a lawsuit. emphasizes the importance of protecting
But some law enforcement and FBI officials internally argue that silence is harmful to the Justice Department and the public interest, in part because Trump and his allies have filled the void.
On Wednesday, the Defense Department charged Iranian military officials with attempting to assassinate Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, by releasing a recorded video statement on a major criminal case. Dodged questions about Trump’s search.
The video statements from Matt Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Larissa Knapp, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Division, were unusual.
High-profile cases like this are usually the subject of the Attorney General’s press conference. But this week’s press conference will likely be dominated by questions about Mar-a-Lago.
It is not uncommon for the FBI and U.S. attorneys to issue public statements regarding search warrants. Confirm that an investigation has been carried out.
In this case, the only comment came from the FBI Agents Association, who obliquely defended the agents’ actions without mentioning the Mar a Lago search.
“FBI Special Agents remain committed to conducting their investigative duties with integrity and professionalism and to complying with the law and the Constitution,” said Brian O’Hare, president of the FBI Association of Agents. All search warrants executed by Special Agents must be issued by a federal district court or magistrate, meet detailed and well-defined rules of procedure, and are the result of cooperation and consultation with relevant Department of Justice attorneys. .”
On Wednesday in Omaha, FBI Director Chris Wray was asked about Trump’s accusations that the FBI may have planted evidence during the search, and about threats against investigators.
Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2018, said, “I hope you understand that’s not something I can talk about, so I’ll refer you to the department.
“When it comes to the issue of intimidation, I would say that I am always concerned about violence and threats of violence against law enforcement,” he said. Enforcement is deplorably dangerous.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
