(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Attorney General Merrick Garland‘s Department of Justice admitted to over-collecting evidence in his politicized FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, Just the News reported.
According to a DOJ offical, sometimes agents just take too much stuff when they perform secret raids on the private property of American citizens.
“Occasionally a warrant collection can grab things outside the scope authorized by the court and the department is now following a procedure we would for any person affected this way,” he said said earlier this week, noting that Trump’s stolen items will be returned within a week.
The over-collection could work in Trump’s favor in court. According to Kevin Brock, FBI assistant director for intelligence under former Director Robert Mueller, it could be argued that the search was not narrow enough in scope.
“Trump’s attorneys could have a runway to argue the scope of the search is overly broad,” Brock said.
“Search warrants normally require a level of specificity that seems to be missing in this warrant. Specificity is important in order to protect 4th Amendment rights from exuberant government overreach designed to find whatever they can.”
He also noted that the DOJ is looking to establish a new legal treatment of former presidents, one which might trouble the others who are still alive.
“This apparently makes a novel legal assertion that any presidential record kept by a former president is against the law,” he explained.
“You have to wonder what the other living former presidents think about that. They have the right and, apparently, clear desire to remain silent.”
Among the things stolen by the FBI were three of Trump’s passports.
“Wow! In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country. Third World!” he added.
A recovered email from the DOJ’s National Security Division confirmed Trump’s allegation.
“We have learned that the filter agents seized three passports belonging to President Trump, two expired and one being his active diplomatic passport.”
