President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort is seen in Florida. (AP Photo)
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 1:35 PM PT – TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
The FBI executed a search warrant at 45th President Donald Trump’s estate at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. In a lengthy Truth Social statement Monday, Trump said that the FBI was conducting a search of his home and that agents had broken open a safe. He said that after cooperating with the relevant government agencies, the unannounced raid on his home was neither necessary nor appropriate.
The 45th President, who was at Trump Tower in New York at the time, called the siege “prosecutorial misconduct” and a politically-motivated attack by Democrats trying to prevent his presidential campaign in 2024.
Statement by Donald Trump via Truth Social
The circumstances of the raid were not immediately clear and Department of Justice spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search, including about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized it. The New York Times reported that the FBI raid is allegedly connected to 15 boxes of documents from the National Archives that Trump reportedly returned back in February.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) was one of the first lawmakers to condemn the FBI’s actions. She called it an “unprecedented political weaponization of the Justice Department,” who has been after Trump since 2016 while targeting him as a candidate, then President and now as former President.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) directly called out Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying that if the Republicans take back the House then Garland better keep his records and clear his calendar.
Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar. pic.twitter.com/dStAjnwbAT
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 9, 2022
RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Democrats disregard the law and continually weaponize the bureaucracy against Republicans. She called the raid an outrageous abuse of power while recalling the timeless adage, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the siege on the President’s home conjures up several thoughts. One, that the midterm elections are 100 days away. Two, that Trump will likely run again in 2024. Three, that no one is above the law and the law must be above politics.
Additionally, Trump supporters immediately took to the streets of Palm Beach, unabashedly calling a spade a spade.
“Biden administration and the Democrats are weaponizing the FBI and it has to stop,” stated MAGA supporter Jennifer Eady. “The FBI is not here to weaponize against another president. It never has happened before. They should go after things that are clearly a violation, meaning the Hunter laptop, which they don’t even have to investigate because the laptop is right there. All the evidence is there. Hillary, all of that is not investigated. And President Trump is investigated because they are scared that he’s running and he will win again.”
Meanwhile, the Twitterverse lit up with calls for peaceful protests at various FBI headquarters across the country, including Phoenix in Arizona, Cheyanne in Wyoming and West Palm Beach in Florida.
Top House Republicans are now demanding answers from the FBI and DOJ concerning the recent raid on Trump’s Florida home. House Intelligence Committee ranking member Mike Turner (R-Ohio) fired off a letter to FBI Chief Chris Wray Monday, calling for him to immediately brief the panel on the matter. Turner said he’s unaware of any national security threat posed by any information in Trump’s possession and urged Wray to provide answers about the justification for the raid.