Merrick Garland had some ‘splainin’ to do — but didn’t

OPINION:

Attorney General Merrick Garland went on national television and took responsibility for giving the approval that unleashed the FBI search dogs at Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago address, said his agency will follow normal Department of Justice practices and speak only through documents they file in court — then went on to insist that his agency, his agents, his federal search dogs are tops in professionalism and the American people should not worry about that.

So what’s in the affidavit again?

Well, it was narrowly tailored, Garland said. 

OK. But what were the things to be searched?

Well, the search warrant was issued after probable cause.

Great. But what exactly did FBI agents grab and why — and why did they not just ask for whatever it was they grabbed instead of storming into the former president’s private home?

Hey, this decision wasn’t made lightly.

Somebody give that man the duck and dodge blue ribbon award. Post-Garland presser, the American people are no closer to knowing the truth about this residential raid than they were pre-Garland presser. Yes, he said a couple documents were filed in court. No, he didn’t do the ’splainin’ the American people wanted him to do.

And maybe that’s the whole point: Justice was fielding fire since the raid came to public light; not only have pro-Trump, patriots taken up principled protesting stands outside Mar-a-Lago, but more recently, FBI agents have been threatened by an angry American public. So he had to say something. Something good, something of substance, something to make the naysayers go away. On that, he failed.

America still doesn’t have their questions answered.

Garland’s presser — short, brief, with a take-no-questions ending — left as many red flags waving in the wind as yesterday.

Ten minutes of nothing.

That’s called good politicking, right there.

But if this administration believes that this is an issue the American people will forget in the next few days, and that the best defense of this astonishing hours-long raid is just to let the outrage die over time, that’s a political misstep.

The American people deserve answers on this — clear, clarifying, clearly understandable answers. If Garland can’t provide that, somebody else from the administration needs to step up, step in and answer the people’s questions.

Reading redacted documents Garland said Justice has just filed isn’t the same as the authorities answering questions.

• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE  or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.