Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday said the Department of Justice (DOJ) was justified in searching former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence but noted that there are still “a lot of unanswered questions.”
“I was happy that they did come out and unseal the documents on the search, and I think it was a step in the right direction. But I think we still have a lot of unanswered questions, and we’re gonna continue until people understand more,” Hogan told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week.”
“The one side is gonna say that this is just politically motivated and weaponization of the Justice Department, but … they have probable cause to come after him for things that could be really important,” Hogan said.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago last week and, after pressure from both parties, related records were unsealed Friday.
The Maryland governor had been vocal in calling for transparency from the DOJ and FBI surrounding the search, which Trump and a number of other Republicans condemned as politically motivated.
A Trump critic within the Republican Party, Hogan separated himself Sunday from those who have slammed the FBI over the search, even as he pressed the DOJ to justify its actions.
“I was not one of the people that was just reacting, just defending Donald Trump, but I understood that, without anyone understanding what this was about, that it was going to and could lead to even further division and angry rhetoric from both sides,” he said.
Hogan added that this week “was actually a win for Donald Trump.”
“It seemed to motivate his base, and people were rushing to his defense and feeling as if he was being picked upon and martyred,” he said. “But I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the story yet.”