The FBI conducted a raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion yesterday. Trump himself issued a statement to confirm the raid was taking place and a swarm of police and FBI vehicles was photographed outside the Florida residency.
It’s not known exactly what they were looking for, but sources have said it was part of an inquiry into missing White House records after Trump’s presidency.
“My beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in a statement Monday evening. “They even broke into my safe!”
Trump was not at home at the time of the raid but was at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He blasted the action as, “a prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024.”
“Communist”
Many of those on the far right of the Republican party were quick to mimic this message.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for the defunding of the FBI.
DEFUND THE FBI!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 9, 2022
In another tweet, she said, “The FBI is raiding President Trump’s home in Maralago! This is the rogue behavior of communist countries, NOT the United States of America!!! These are the type of things that happen in countries during civil war. The political persecution MUST STOP!!!
She also posted an image of an upside-down US flag (whatever dog whistle that might be to her followers).
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 8, 2022
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, a woman who knows a thing or two about being investigated for criminal activity, urged other Republicans to speak out.
“If you’re a Republican with any kind of voice, and not speaking up for President Trump tonight don’t expect any of us to speak up for you when your time comes. You may not realize it yet, but they’re coming for all of us.”
She later posted a video saying she was “pissed” and calling the raid “totally un-American.”
“This is Gestapo crap and it will not stand … I will make sure these tyrants pay the price.”
This #DepartmentOfInjustice must be held accountable.
It was President Trump today, but it’s you next if we don’t take a stand. pic.twitter.com/z9wqynaikg
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 9, 2022
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a man who allegedly knows a thing or two about FBI investigations, simply tweeted: “I stand with President Trump.”
I stand with President Trump!
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 9, 2022
Many wondered where they would be standing together. A joint prison cell, perhaps?
Related: Mike Pence aide savages Matt Gaetz, offers bleak prediction for his future
“Marxist dictatorships”
Other Florida GOP lawmakers were also quick to wade in.
Senator Marco Rubio said, “Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships. But never before in America.”
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
Fellow Florida Senator Rick Scott was a little more measured, calling it “incredibly concerning.” Before also going on to call it “3rd world country stuff.”
The @FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago is incredibly concerning, especially given the Biden admin’s history of going after parents & other political opponents. This is 3rd World country stuff.
We need answers NOW. The FBI must explain what they were doing today & why.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 9, 2022
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis borrowed from the same playbook.
The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves. Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) August 9, 2022
Fall of Rome
Other MAGA figures echoed the screams about the US turning into a Banana Republic.
In third world countries and banana republics they prosecute the former presidents/leaders and their staff. Right now, we look beneath them. We are in a race to the bottom.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) August 9, 2022
Trump’s former attorney, Rudy Guiliani, said the FBI and Department of Justice were behaving like a “fascist police state.”
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, of course, went further, comparing it to the fall of the Roman Empire. This earned scorn online.
My degree is in World History. I taught the classics – Ancient Greece and Rome. I have read more books on this subject than Cawthorn has picked up. This uneducated fool has absolutely no idea what he is blathering! pic.twitter.com/5o0UTYY6hf
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) August 9, 2022
However, not all right-wing figures rushed to condemn the raid. Mitch McConnell has not issued any statement.
Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham appeared not to condemn the raid, saying: “No one is above the law. The law must be above politics.” However, Graham called the timing of the raid, three months before the midterm elections and Trump likely announcing another run for the Presidency, “beyond problematic.”
As to media reports regarding a search of President Trump’s home in Florida by the FBI, several thoughts come to mind:
We’re 100 days away from midterm elections.
President Trump is likely going to run again in 2024.
No one is above the law. The law must be above politics.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 9, 2022
Related: Lindsey Graham has outburst on senate floor, is warned to follow decorum rules
ZzBomb
Considering Trump was caught a year after leaving the white house with 15 boxes of top secret material that should have been handed over to the archives, this raid was more than justified.
And Hunter Biden is not in the administration, holds no elected office, and has absolutely nothing to do with Trump’s criminal behavior.
Al
Plus, Trump had FOUR years to invesigate/charge Hunter Biden. Instead, he tried to bribe Ukraine into announcing a fake investigation!
Fahd
As Senator Graham points out, “No one is above the law. The law must be above politics.”
Even though the orange traffic cone is involved in “politics” (read, “demagoguery” in his case), that doesn’t mean he could take to or keep boxes of classified documents from the White House at his private residence in Florida without authorization.
Government officials have been incredibly restrained in their law enforcement efforts with regard to Tr**p and his seditionist followers until now. I just hope this isn’t too little, too late.
Too bad the tangerine palpatine does not feel shame, because this is really shameful for him.
Covid Hermit
Donald Trump has avoided being punished for his bad behavoiur for years. It’s gratifying to see that the law is finally catching up to him. If there’s any justice, one of these days we will get to see the sight of him in a courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit (that matches his hair). Personally, I think he should spend the remainder of his life in solitary confinement in a supermax prison for what he has done.
johncp56
Let us hope, what a gift, and still the lies he spews , let him at least get hit like Alex jones in the money bag, LOL can you imagine what some of the FBI people saw in that Mar-A-lardo palace, lol
Al
The GOP forgets that the director of FBI, Christopher Wray, is a life-long Republican who was appointed by Trump himself in 2017
shva08
Isn’t it awful how those pesky facts keep getting in their way?
Den
The right all have this dysfunctional memory that alters itself when their overlords desire. So at some point in the next few days Trump will make the typical “I never knew him, hardly ever spoke to him, clearly a RINO” statement. And just like that Wray will no longer be seen as an evil never-Trumper, a mole who just bided his time until he could take their MAGA-messiah down.
The most interesting statements have been comparing Clinton’s removal of an antique chair to Trump’s heist of documents, some so classified that they cannot even be publicly listed or described! And the list of those that could be listed was over 100 pages! And for some reason the right seems to think it would have been more politic to allow Trump time to destroy documents he does not want seen by advance notice from the FBI. Kind of like them telling a drug kingpin “we’ll be searching your house in a couple of days”! He knew he was flouting the law when he took them, but obviously did not care.
jcool
as morning joe pointed out this morning, all of these same republicans were fine when the fbi announced it was reopening it’s investigation into hillary clinton 11 DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION! lock him up lock him up lock him up
bachy
How many outrageous crimes does Failure 45 need to commit before he is held accountable for just one??? Slippery as a poisonous snake in an oil spill.
Cam
Even more funny is watching how panicked and enraged every Republican politician is about the IRS being fully staffed.
Sounds like a LOT of them have been cheating on their taxes for the last decade and are worried about going to jail themselves.
Jim
They are scared that their part in the insurrection will be revealed.
Kangol2
The snowflake, woke, cancel culture, coup-participating GQP is testerical, yet again, now that the law seems to be closing in on their beloved fascist, psycho traitor cult leader Don the Con.
For years Don the Con has escaped any accountability or punishment for his numerous crimes, but he is now facing a prosecutor who is careful, fastidious, and not, as so many believed, easily cowed. I hope Merrick Garland, like the prosecutor in Georgia, and NY AG James, assembles all the necessary evidence to finally indict and, in the case of the federal and state-related coup attempts, convict this criminal and put him behind prison bars, where he belongs! He and all his associates who have enabled his crimes for years also need to be prosecuted.
(And let’s not forget, Don the Con’s former campaign manager, convicted felon Paul Manafort, recently admitted that yes, he shared information with Russia during the 2016 election. The stench of treason around these folks just keeps growing!)
As for the pathetic, do-nothing, snowflake GQP, it should either just rename itself the Grand Fascist Party or disband and start over. They are further away from the party of Abraham Lincoln than the distance between the sun and Pluto!
Terrycloth
Take Agent Oranges passport. So he can’t flee. I doubt Putinhas a spare room now that the orange one isn’t president anymore..no use for him.kim Jong the same. The walls are closing in.
white-queer-african
There is NO honour amongst crooks. Trust me all these GOP criminals still surporting Dumph will suddenly change their stance when the FBI comes a knocking.
LOL.LOL.LOL.
Bitch Matty and HO Boebert et al, you going down. And NOT to give head. Well that will be later!
Mack
On Twitter, Boebert is going bananas. She asked when Hunter Biden was going to be raided. I answered: “Right after you”.
Diplomat
I’m surprised the unhinged Maga crowd hasn’t foisted a protest on us. If they do a violent protest when Trump gets indicted, well zombies, meet the National Guard. Their “civil war” will be over in minutes. Splat.