Donald Trump reportedly tried to send a message to Attorney General Merrick Garland after the FBI executed a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago property on Monday.
According to the New York Times, Trump wanted Garland to know that people around the country were furious about the raid.
“The country is on fire,” Trump is quoted as saying. “What can I do to reduce the heat?”
Trump attempted to convey the message to Garland before his press conference on Thursday where he said he personally approved the search warrant on Mar-a-Lago. Garland also announced that the DOJ was taking steps to unseal the warrant even though Trump had the warrant and could have released it at any time.
A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida unsealed the warrant on Friday showing that the FBI is investigating Trump for possible violations of the Espionage Act and other laws.
FBI agents removed 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago during the search. Documents show that some of the materials recovered were marked as “top secret/SCI”, one of the highest levels of classification.
Since the search on Monday, a Trump supporter was killed after trying to breach the FBI field office in Cincinnati, Ohio armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a nail gun. Other armed supporters of the former president protested outside the FBI office in Phoenix, Arizona.
