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Efforts by the nation’s top law enforcement official to provide clarity on the FBI’s unprecedented search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate have done little to quell the fierce blowback from some Republican lawmakers.
Despite an extraordinary press conference from Attorney General Merrick Garland and the unsealing of the warrant that allowed FBI agents to seize highly classified documents from Mr. Trump’s private residence, top Republicans continue to rail against the Department of Justice’s actions and demand greater transparency into the information used to obtain the warrant.
“No one is above the law. Donald Trump is not above the law, and Attorney General Merrick Garland is not above the law, either,” Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the House Intelligence Committee’s top Republican, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Congress has the powers of oversight. [Mr. Garland] needs to comply … His actions are unprecedented.”
The unsealing of the search warrant revealed that the DOJ is investigating Mr. Trump for three potential violations of federal law related to the documents: the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and the removal or destruction of records.
Accusations of politicizing the FBI prompted Mr. Garland to make a rare public statement last week defending the agency’s actions that he personally approved.
“Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor,” he said. “Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.”
SEE ALSO: Maryland Gov. Hogan says ‘outrageous’ GOP rhetoric on Trump search, calls to defund FBI ‘dangerous’
The White House remained mum through the weekend, refusing to comment about the search that led to the FBI carrying out 11 sets of classified materials that reportedly included information about nuclear weapons programs.
Mr. Biden learned of the raid through media reports, administration officials have said.
“The Department of Justice has complete, complete independence,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “We do not interfere. We do not get briefed. We do not get involved.”
But while many powerful elected Republicans vow to dig deeper or retaliate against the DOJ, others in the GOP, such as Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have struck more reserved tones as more details come to light. They have publicly advised their Republican colleagues to dial back the language against law enforcement.
Mr. Hogan labeled his party’s rhetoric as “outrageous,” “absurd” and “dangerous.”
But some far-right lawmakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona have called for the FBI to be defunded or disbanded in the wake of the raid.
