WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray demanding full accountability and transparency from the agencies, including any supporting documentation, about the motivations and justifications for the FBI’s unprecedented raid of former President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago.

Read more from the Washington Examiner HERE. Read the full letter HERE or below.

August 12, 2022

The Honorable Merrick Garland

Attorney General

United States Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20530

The Honorable Christopher Wray

Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Attorney General Garland and Director Wray:

As you are both well aware, the American people are justifiably alarmed by the conduct of your agencies. This alarm has arisen not only because of the unprecedented nature of the raid conducted at the personal residence of a former president, and potential future political opponent of the sitting president, but increasingly because of the lack of transparency by you and the Biden administration in the face of repeated questions seeking the legal justification for such extreme action.  

Let me be clear: no one is above the law and no government agency, especially the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is immune from accountability to the American people. Your refusal to fully and transparently answer legitimate questions about the motivations and justifications for such provocative conduct by your agencies serves only to further damage the integrity of the DOJ and FBI, is unacceptable, and will not be tolerated.

Please respond to the following queries no later than Friday, August 19, 2022:

1. Please provide an unredacted copy of –
   1. The search warrant application and any additional materials or documents submitted to the federal magistrate judge in support of the search warrant application.
   2. All internal memoranda, briefing documents, and supporting materials of the FBI and DOJ developed and used in the drafting and review of the search warrant application in question.
   3. Did you or any member of your respective agencies inform the president, or any personnel at the White House, of the search warrant application prior to its submission to the federal magistrate judge?
   4. Did you or any member of your respective agencies inform the president, or any personnel at the White House, of the execution of the search warrant before the raid was made public by former President Donald J. Trump on August 8, 2022?
   5. Did you personally review the contents of the search warrant application prior to its submission to the federal magistrate judge?
      1. If so, when did you review the search warrant application in question?
      2. If not, who within your agency was responsible for reviewing the search warrant application prior to its submission?
      3. What "less-intrusive means" were considered and pursued by the FBI and DOJ as an alternative to conducting a forcible raid of the former president's personal residence to obtain the documents or materials sought through this search warrant?
         1. In reference to the subpoena reportedly issued to former President Trump for certain materials and records earlier this year, what steps did the DOJ take to enforce that subpoena before pursuing the search warrant in this case?

To the extent responses to these requests include confidential or sensitive information, I am willing to receive an in-person briefing and review such documents and materials in a classified setting.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your responsive reply no later than Friday, August 19, 2022.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott

United States Senator

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