Garland Warns that Trump’s Assertion of Deadly Force is “Highly Hazardous”

Attorney General Merrick Garland criticized Donald Trump on Thursday for spreading misinformation about the Department of Justice’s authorization to use deadly force against him, calling the claim “false” and “extremely dangerous.”

Garland made these remarks during a press conference where he announced the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster. He addressed Trump’s social media posts and fundraising email that misinterpreted a court filing unsealed on Tuesday regarding the raid on Mar-a-Lago in a classified documents case, specifically mentioning “deadly force”

However, both the FBI and Garland clarified that the use of deadly force is part of standard operating procedures for such searches, as was the case with a search at President Joe Biden’s home. Despite this, Trump falsely claimed that federal agents were ready to use deadly force against him.

“You know they’re just itching to do the unthinkable” and that “Biden’s DOJ was authorized to shoot me,” Trump stated in the fundraising appeal.

It is important to note that Trump was not present at Mar-a-Lago during the search on Aug. 8, 2022.

“That allegation is false, and it is extremely dangerous,” Garland emphasized. “The document in question outlines the Justice Department’s policy on limiting the use of force.”

“The FBI followed standard protocol in this search, including a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force,” the FBI stated in response to the allegations made by Trump.

The court filing also revealed that the FBI had a contingency plan in place in case Trump or his Secret Service detail appeared during the search at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump later took to Truth Social to further criticize the Biden administration’s actions, claiming that they authorized the use of deadly force against him during the raid.