politics
Acting Attorney General Says Former Attorney General Did Not Disclose Role in Trump Probes
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said former Attorney General Merrick Garland personally approved key steps in investigations targeting Donald Trump. Blanche cited documents showing Garland signed off on the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search and the opening of an FBI inquiry that became the election-interference case.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said former Attorney General Merrick Garland did not fully disclose his personal involvement in major investigations targeting Donald Trump. Blanche made the remarks Tuesday during an appearance on Fox News. He pointed to records showing Garland approved the FBI’s August 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and the opening of an FBI inquiry later handled by special counsel Jack Smith.
He argued that attorneys general should participate in significant investigative decisions. The acting attorney general said the issue was the repeated public portrayal of a hands-off approach by the Biden administration despite Garland’s direct role.
records Garland stated in August 2022 that he personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. Blanche noted that other senior officials continued to describe the investigations as distant from the White House. Blanche also referenced a declassified FBI memorandum released last year by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.
The memo showed Garland approved the 2022 FBI investigation that later became the federal election case.
