THE FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort "to search for nuclear documents" and the Justice Department now wants the warrant unsealed, reports say.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has asked a federal court to release the warrant just days after the raid on Trump's Florida property.
Neither Trump nor the FBI has said what may have been recovered during the search, which occurred on Monday.
It is also unclear exactly what FBI agents were looking for as they raided the property beginning at 6.30am.
However, The Washington Post reported on Thursday that agents were looking for nuclear weapons documents.
Federal authorities had to prove to a judge that there was reason to believe that a crime may have been committed in order to obtain the search warrant.
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Garland confirmed that he approved the warrant, but did not offer additional insight in a press conference on Thursday.
TRUMP BLASTS RAID AS 'WITCH HUNT'
Trump previously commented about the raid on his Truth Social platform though he has not yet addressed the claims over nuclear documents.
He said that before the search, his “attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully," further stating that "very good relationships had been established."
Trump also said that government officials “could have had whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, if we had it.”
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The former president called the raid a "witch hunt" and said that there were "very large numbers of agents" present.
'PUBLIC'S CLEAR AND POWERFUL INTEREST'
Traditionally, documents like the search warrant stay sealed if there is an investigation pending.
A motion filed on Thursday cites the "public’s clear and powerful interest" in the case as reason for it to be unsealed.
In this case, revealing the warrant could disclose information about how Trump handled sensitive documents.
The Justice Department also asked that a list of the items that were taken from the Mar-a-Lago residence be released.
Trump may object to the release of the search warrant, in which case the Justice Department has to alert the judge by Friday afternoon.
'INCREASE IN THREATS'
There have been growing threats in recent days against government agencies after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, according to authorities.
One apparent threat came on Thursday when a man tried to breach an FBI office in body armor.
The armed suspect tried to get inside the visitor’s screening area at the Cincinnati FBI office at around 9.15am on Thursday.
He took off when agents confronted him and reportedly fired shots as a trooper chased him.
The suspect, identified as Ricky Shiffer, 42, was eventually shot dead by cops after an hours-long standoff.
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