Attorney General Merrick Garland makes statement on Trump search warrant

Yahoo Finance policy correspondent Jennifer Schonberger reports on the Depart of Justice's statements regarding the search warrant executed on the Trump Mar-a-Lago property.

Video transcript

RACHELLE AKUFFO: Breaking news now-- Attorney General Merrick Garland just wrapping up a news conference moments ago on the FBI raid at Mar a Lago earlier this week. Our very own Jennifer Schonberger has the details. Jen.

JENNIFER SCHONBERGER: Good afternoon. That's right. Department of Justice Attorney General Merrick Garland saying that the DOJ will unseal the search warrant that was used to investigate former President Donald Trump's Mar a Lago home earlier this week.

MERRICK GARLAND: Just now, the Justice Department has filed a motion in the Southern District of Florida to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to a court-approved search that the FBI conducted earlier this week. That search was a premises located in Florida belonging to the former president.

JENNIFER SCHONBERGER: Garland said the decision was made based on substantial public interest and Trump's own revealing of the search warrant. Garland said he personally approved this decision. And while the Department does go through methods that could be potentially less intrusive, that was not the route that the department could take for this case. Now, after coming under much scrutiny from Republicans for being politically motivated, Garland defended the department's actions.

MERRICK GARLAND: Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor. Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.

JENNIFER SCHONBERGER: Garland also defended members of the FBI, saying, quote, "I will not stand by silently when their integrity is attacked. Men and women of the FBI are public servants, they put their lives on the line every day." Garland said that more info will become available when appropriate. Of course, these comments coming just days after agents from the FBI raided former President Trump's home in Mar a Lago to search for those classified documents.

President Trump had a deposition for several hours yesterday in New York before the New York Attorney General, where he invoked the Fifth and did not answer any questions besides his name. Guys.

RACHELLE AKUFFO: All right, thanks for getting us up to speed on that breaking news there-- our very own Jen Schonberger, thanks so much.