Yesterday, Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed for the first time the court-approved search that was conducted at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Monday. He spoke for two minutes and did not take any questions from reporters.
The Attorney General announced that he had personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter. The New York Times reports that according to three unnamed sources, Mr. Trump had received a subpoena last spring asking for documents that Trump had improperly removed from the White House.
Regarding the search, Garland said this:
“...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.”
As to what the DOJ was looking for when they executed the warrant, Mr. Garland said:
“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. Federal law, longstanding department rules, and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time.”
Garland announced that he had petitioned a federal court in Florida to unseal the search warrant and supporting documents in this case, if Mr. Trump agreed to their release. Late last night, Mr. Trump said he would allow it, and in fact, he encouraged their release.
Today on Midday, a Reporter’s Notebook about some of the local stories that are top of mind this week. We’ll talk with reporters from the Baltimore Banner and MD Matters about what they’ve been looking into.
We begin with Pamela Wood, who covers Maryland politics for the Baltimore Banner. She joins us on our digital line.
Then, Tom speaks with Bruce Depuyt of MD Matters, who has an update on the ballot recounts that are taking place in three jurisdictions where some tight races have yet to be settled. Bruce joins us on Zoom.
Next, Tom turns to Liz Bowie, the education reporter for WYPR's partner, the Baltimore Banner. She joins us on our digital line.
And Tom winds up this Reporters Notebook edition of Midday in a conversation with Penelope Blackwell, breaking news and accountability reporter at the Banner about her story on the sharp rise in applications for concealed carry gun permits in Maryland. Penelope joins us on Zoom.
