When the FBI served a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, they were required to leave a copy of the warrant and a full inventory of all items they took with them when they left the premises.
That warrant and inventory are now being held by former president Donald Trump, but he isn’t releasing either one, even though to do so might help bolster his assertion that he’s done nothing wrong.
Legal experts are weighing in on the matter, and they say it’s incredibly fishy that Trump hasn’t shown the warrant and inventory to the media.
Former Dept. of Justice Inspector General Michael Bromwich, who also worked as Asst. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, had this to say:
“Trump has the search warrant, specifying the crimes being investigated, and the inventory of the items seized.
“He has chosen not to share those items publicly although he is free to do so.”
Former U.S. Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal noted on MSNBC:
“Donald Trump, you have a copy of the warrant. It explains what they were looking for, what statutes they think were violated, what judge signed off on that…If you believe this is such an abuse, release the warrant and let us decide for ourselves.”
Richard Stengel, a former U.S. Under Secretary of State, agreed with Katyal:
“Trump now has the search warrant and the inventory of what was taken in his possession. If this raid was so egregious and unjustified, why not release them?”
Marc Elias, an attorney for the Democratic National Committee also suggested that Trump release his copy of the warrant:
The longer Trump refuses to release his copy of the search warrant, the more you can assume it does indeed incriminate him and spell out exactly what the FBI was looking for. If those facts become public knowledge, it would seem, Trump knows his goose is cooked and he can no longer stir up his base.
So, Donald, show us the warrant and inventory, or else we get to assume you’re guilty as homemade sin.