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The US political storm unleashed by the FBI search of Trump’s resort

10 Aug 2022

By Stephen Collinson The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) search of Donald Trump’s Florida resort is an extraordinary, historic development, given that it targeted a former President of the US and set off a political uproar he could use to stoke his likely 2024 White House bid. In the past, political investigations that have threatened Trump have only increased his superpower appeal to supporters. But federal agents on Monday (8) acted on a judge-approved warrant, which suggests they had probable grounds to believe a crime had been committed. They focused on Trump’s offices and personal quarters in his Mar-a-Lago winter residence while the former President was away in New York. Monday’s search was related to the possible mishandling of presidential documents, potentially some that were classified, that may have been taken to Trump’s home – the subject of one of two Justice Department investigations related to the former President. The news was one of the most staggering twists yet in the story of Trump, who was impeached twice, incited a mob riot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss, and constantly tore at the guardrails of his office and democracy during his single term, and afterwards, like no other President. It threatened to inject new toxins into the political life of a nation that is hopelessly divided – with millions of Trump supporters already believing his lies that the 2020 election was stolen – and that on many issues no longer has a common understanding of truth itself. It also comes with the ex-President itching to launch a 2024 campaign rooted in his false claims of electoral fraud, which his authoritarian rhetoric suggests would present a profound challenge to democracy. That looming campaign will likely feed on the political rocket fuel of a perception among Trump supporters – which he himself created in his statement announcing the search Monday – that he is being unfairly persecuted. Trump seizes on the search to fire up supporters Trump was quick to put a political spin on the operation, claiming that his “beautiful home” was “under siege, raided, and occupied” while complaining that he was a victim of the “weaponisation of the justice system” by Democrats who wanted to stop him from becoming President after the 2024 election. His statement used the same explosive language and sense of grievance that motivated some of his supporters to violence in Washington on 6 January 2021. “Such an assault could only take place in broken, third-world countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!” Trump said. He did not mention that the search was conducted on the basis of a legally authorised warrant. In some ways, his statement, in itself, read like the opening salvo of a new presidential campaign built around a narrative of persecution by deep-state forces, familiar from the approach of other strongmen leaders around the world. The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment on the search. President Joe Biden was unaware of the search of Mar-a-Lago until after it was reported on the news, according to a senior administration official. Without knowing whether Trump had broken any laws, many Republicans picked up Trump’s lead, reacting furiously, demanding the Justice Department explain itself and claiming the ex-President was the victim of a political vendetta. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose hopes of becoming Speaker rely on Trump’s patronage, immediately vowed to investigate Attorney General Merrick Garland if Republicans win the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s facing voters this fall, tweeted: “Using Government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from third-world Marxist dictatorships But never before in America.”  Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the Senate Republican Party’s campaign arm, wrote on Twitter: “We need answers now. The FBI must explain what they were doing today and why.” The instant reactions supportive of the former President, more testimony to his enduring power within the Republican Party, were also an early sign of how this investigation will face extreme political pressure. Those responses may also show that the ex-President’s potential 2024 campaign could benefit from the rallying effect of a Government investigation that he can portray as politicised and unfair – and that potential Republican Party rivals may have little option but to rally around too. But the magnitude of Monday’s events should not be underestimated, even if the question of whether the former President was in real danger of being charged with a crime – in what would be a stunning, historic step – was not immediately clear on Monday night. The exact parameters of the search warrant were also not available. Presidents have the capacity to declassify sensitive information, and it was not clear whether Trump might have taken such steps with the material involved.  Former Presidents do not have such powers, however. CNN reported that boxes of items were taken by the FBI after the search on Monday. And Trump’s attorney Christina Bobb said the bureau seized “paper” after what she said was “an unannounced raid”. (This article was first published by CNN on 9 August) …………………………………….. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.  


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