As soon as Donald Trump confirmed that the FBI raided his Florida compound (Mar-a-Lago), Trump’s political allies began screaming and crying about the FBI and “political witch hunts.” Nevermind the fact that the raid was apparently conducted under the auspices of gathering the classified documents Trump stole, which means that the raid was largely conducted at the behest of… the National Archives. Defund the National Archives! That’s what they’ll cry about next. Right now though, they’re ready to defund the FBI (!!!!) and they want to know who in the world appointed Christopher Wray as FBI Director. (It was Trump. Trump appointed Wray.)
Top Republicans on Monday rallied quickly behind Donald Trump’s efforts to discredit the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago Club, embracing his claims, presented without evidence, that it was a political attack intended to impede Trump’s chances if he runs for president again.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a top Trump ally, responded with a threat to the Justice Department, vowing to investigate the agency if the Republicans win back the House in the midterm elections. Claiming without evidence that the department has “reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization,” McCarthy warned, “Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar.”
Many of the Republicans aghast at the FBI raid had supported FBI probes of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server in 2016. When then-FBI Director James B. Comey found no reason to charge Clinton after an initial investigation, and after another probe of emails on a laptop belonging to a Clinton aide shortly before the election, they asked whether the Democrat had gotten off easy.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a onetime Trump critic turned Trump defender during the 45th president’s tenure, said Monday on Twitter: “We’re 100 days away from midterm elections. President Trump is likely going to run again in 2024.” He added, “Launching such an investigation of a former President this close to an election is beyond problematic.”
Trump and the Republican National Committee quickly sought to capitalize on the search as a fundraising opportunity, sending out texts to supporters that referred to “Biden’s FBI” or “Biden’s Department of Justice.”
Trump was at Trump Tower in New York on Monday with limited staff, according to three advisers, and learned of the search only after the FBI was at the property, one adviser who spoke to him said. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private interactions.
If I’m being honest, I think the timing is fascinating – we’re coming off a historically amazing week for the Biden White House and Congressional Democrats. The summer polling suggests that people are completely prepared to get out the vote across the board in the midterms. And then the FBI raids Trump’s Florida compound? LMAO, the cherry on top. It’s especially notable because for months, everyone has complained about how AG Merrick Garland is moving so slowly. Turns out, DOJ and the FBI had built a good enough case for a judge to sign off on the raid of a former president.
As for Graham’s pissiness about the raid coming “100 days before the midterms,” I seem to remember Amy Coney Barrett being jammed onto the Supreme Court just weeks before the 2020 election. My theory is that the Republicans are mostly upset about the raid because they can see that it was completely above-board. The FBI got the warrant because it’s well-documented that Trump stole classified material. It’s likely the FBI got a limited-scope warrant… and that they’ll be able to use whatever they find as they’re looking for all of those stolen classified documents. That’s why Republicans are mad – nothing discovered at Mar-a-Lago will be thrown out on a technicality.
For the Fox News viewers, the Director of the FBI—who approved the raid on Trump’s home—was appointed by him five years ago this week.
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) August 8, 2022
Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships
But never before in America
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 9, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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