After speculation about whether the DOJ would pursue investigating former President Donald Trump, the answer came when the former President’s residence was raided by the FBI.
The unprecedented search places the spotlight on the DOJ’s investigation and the extent to which Attorney General Merrick Garland is willing to go to conduct the probe. The search also raises questions about what investigators were looking for and what this means for Trump.
Although Trump and others have called the early morning Monday search a “raid,” the FBI was only executing a search warrant approved by a federal judge.
According to reports, the search warrant was secured because of probable cause that Trump had committed a crime and that the search would recover evidence of this crime.
Despite reports that the purpose of the search was a focus by the White House on documents in Trump’s possession, no official line exists on the search’s purpose.
Neither the DOJ nor Merrick Garland has made statements about the FBI’s search, leading to ambiguity about whether the DOJ found any evidence to support criminal charges against Trump. Yet, Monday’s search does confirm that Trump is part of an active investigation by federal law enforcement, something Garland was unwilling to clarify.
Speaking on the significance of the development, former federal prosecutor and Congressional investigative counsel Jeff Robins stated, “This was not a search conducted in the pro shop. It’s a search conducted in the former president’s residence and office.”
Robins added this meant Trump “is a target of this investigation.”
