U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has strongly criticized former President Donald Trump’s recent claims that the FBI had the authority to shoot him during its 2022 search of his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago. Garland denounced these assertions as both “false” and “extremely dangerous.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Garland clarified that Trump and his supporters misunderstood a standard protocol governing the use of lethal force by agents during search warrant operations. This protocol, allowing deadly force only in situations of immediate threat, is a routine measure and not specific to Trump.
The FBI conducted a search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 to retrieve classified documents that Trump had retained after leaving office. This search, which uncovered numerous records, is one of four criminal cases currently pending against Trump. Despite not being present during the search, Trump later claimed in fundraising emails that the FBI had been authorized to assassinate him—an assertion vehemently refuted by Garland.
Garland stressed that such policies are standard and were similarly applied during consensual searches of President Joe Biden’s homes in a separate investigation involving classified documents. He condemned Trump’s claims as dangerous misinformation.
The use-of-force document cited by Trump was among records recently unsealed in the case accusing him of unlawfully retaining sensitive government documents after his presidency ended in 2021. Trump has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Trump’s legal team is seeking to suppress the evidence obtained during the Mar-a-Lago search, arguing that it violated his constitutional rights. Approximately 100 classified documents were seized by the FBI during the court-authorized search, conducted after Trump refused to comply with government demands to return the documents.
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