Fallout and a Divided GOP from the FBI’s Raid of Trump

Photo credit: The Week

The fallout continues from the F.B.I.’s raid of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. 

Deep fissures within the Republican party’s support for Trump, and support for law enforcement, have become more and more visible after the unprecedented F.B.I. search of the Florida residence. 

Some Republicans have attacked the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies. Others are chastising their colleagues for outlandish language, and have been restrained in criticism of the raid. 

A handful of Republican governors are criticizing the “outrageous rhetoric” of their party colleagues in Congress. These other Republicans have accused federal law enforcement officers of a politicized attack on the former president after the raid was conducted. 

After the search, some Republicans, including some in leadership positions, reacted with fury, attacking the F.B.I. And top enforcement agencies. 

Republican moderate Maryland governor Larry Hogan described attacks by party members as both “absurd” and “dangerous” after a week in which Republicans compared the F.B.I. to the Gestapo and began fundraising off the slogan “Defund the F.B.I.” 

Words like “tyrants,” “Nazis” and “gestapo” were thrown around flippantly by these Republicans. 

Ironically the Republican Party also claims to be the party that supports law enforcement. Law enforcement includes the F.B.I. 

It shows a growing split on extremist rhetoric from far-right Republican Party members who are Trumpists, versus others within the Republican Party. 

The politicized rhetoric was also called into question even more so this weekend especially after an armed gunman, enraged by the raid, attacked an FBI office in Ohio. He was shot dead after a six-hour armed standoff. 

Trump is back posting on his beloved Truth Social, still fuming over the raid last week. In a post yesterday afternoon, Trump claimed he just left a gathering of diehard supporters and warned of a “great simmering anger” within his base of fans.  

Homeland Security warned of “an increase in threats and acts of violence” against law enforcement, “including a threat to place a so-called dirty bomb in front of F.B.I. Headquarters and issuing general calls for ‘civil war’ and ‘armed rebellion.’”

On Friday, a federal judge unsealed the warrant authorizing the raid, as well as an inventory of items that were removed from the property by federal agents. The list showed that 11 sets of classified documents were retrieved as part of an inquiry into potential violations of the Espionage Act and two other laws. 

Now some Republicans are calling for the release of the affidavit supporting the search warrant. This would reveal what persuaded a judge there was probable cause to believe a search would find evidence of crimes. These documents are not typically made public before charges are filed. 

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