House Republicans send preservation letters to Biden admin leaders over FBI raid

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and White House chief of staff Ron Klain, asking them to preserve documents related to the FBI's raid on Donald Trump's Florida estate.

The FBI raided the former president's estate last week seeking documents Trump may have removed from the White House. Republican leaders condemned the Bureau and the Department of Justice for alleged political bias and have vowed to investigate the raid should the GOP gain the majority in either chamber of Congress following the midterm elections.

"The FBI’s unprecedented raid of President Trump’s residence is a shocking escalation of the Biden Administration’s weaponization of law-enforcement resources against its political opponents," the group wrote to Garland. "We will settle for nothing but your complete cooperation with our inquiry."

The Republicans were particularly critical of Garland, saying "[u]nder your tenure, the Justice Department continues to shatter public confidence in the equal application of justice."

"The Department has filed politically motivated lawsuits against Republican-led states on policies disfavored by the Biden Administration, artificially inflated domestic violent extremism statistics to advance the Biden Administration’s political narrative, used counterterrorism resources to target parents at school board meetings opposed to policies supported by the Biden Administration, and selectively prosecuted and investigated political opponents of the Biden Administration," they continued. "These actions not only undermine the stated mission of the Department, they violate the most fundamental tenets of our country."

The letters to Wray and Klain contained nearly identical text, though they criticized the DOJ more generally rather than directly address either recipient in their accusations.