Attorney General Merrick Garland has tightly limited the Justice Department’s public statements about the investigations, particularly the Jan. 6 criminal probe and especially anything to do with the former president. Monday’s FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, linked to a criminal investigation into the handling of classified information, was designed in part to avoid a spectacle, according to people briefed on the matter. . The agents showed up around 10 a.m. ET in plain clothes, not early in the morning, and wearing the jackets with the FBI logo that are commonly seen during 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, calling it a “siege.”
Garland has repeatedly addressed why he says so little about ongoing investigations, citing not only the department’s general policy of not commenting but also as part of a strategy to protect the investigation by not letting potential targets know what he’s doing the department He also cited the importance of protecting the rights of people not yet charged with crimes to prevent them from being tried in the public sphere before the Justice Department brings a case.
Some Justice and FBI officials, however, have argued internally that the silence is detrimental to the department’s and the public’s interest, in part because Trump and his allies have filled the void.
On Wednesday, the department sidestepped questions about Trump’s search by releasing a videotaped statement about a major criminal case, accusing an Iranian military officer of trying to kill John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser.
The video statement by Matt Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for Homeland Security, and Larissa Knapp, Executive Deputy Director of the FBI’s Homeland Security Branch, was unusual.
Such a high-profile case would normally be the subject of a press conference by the attorney general. But holding a press conference this week would likely be dominated by questions about Mar-a-Lago.
It’s not unusual for the FBI and US attorneys to issue public statements about search warrants, at least confirming that investigators were conducting court-authorized searches when their presence is clearly seen by the public or caught on camera. .
They did so recently after the public became aware of an FBI search of Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar’s home and after former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark went public to complain of the search of his house.
In this case, the only comment has come from the FBI agents’ association, which obliquely defended the agents’ conduct without referring to the Mar a Lago search.
“FBI special agents perform their investigative duties with integrity and professionalism, and remain focused on upholding the law and the Constitution,” said Brian O’Hare, president of the FBI Special Agents Association. ‘FBI. “As part of this process, all search warrants executed by special agents are issued by federal district courts or magistrate judges, must follow detailed and clear procedural rules, and are the product of cooperation and consult with the appropriate Department of Justice attorneys.”
FBI Director Chris Wray in Omaha was asked Wednesday about Trump’s accusation that the agency may have planted evidence in the search and about threats against agents.
“I’m sure you can appreciate it’s not something I can talk about, so I would refer you to the department,” said Wray, a 2018 Trump appointee.
“On the issue of threats, I will say that I am always concerned about violence and threats of violence against law enforcement,” he said. “Any threats made against law enforcement, inducing the men and women of the FBI, as with any law enforcement agency, are deplorable and dangerous.
CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.