Donald Trump Announces Mar-A-Lago “Raided, Under Siege, And Occupied” By The FBI

Update (2053ET): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) came out with a blistering response to the Monday FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, reportedly in connection with materials Trump brought with him after leaving office.

“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,” said DeSantis. “Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.”

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

BREAKING: @dbongino goes off on the FBI Raid on Donald Trump:

“This is some Third World BULLSH*T” pic.twitter.com/2e9jryfVOi

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 8, 2022

*  *  *

Moments ago, Donald Trump – who is still banned by Twitter – published a statement on Truth Social in which he said that his Florida home, Mar A Lago is “currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents“, an assault which according to Trump “could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries.” He is probably right. He also claims the Fed’s presence was unannounced and the reason was politically motivated.

His full statement posted on his Truth Social account is below:

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the

United States of America

These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate. It is 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, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections. 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! What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee? Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.

The political persecution of President Donald J. Trump has been going on for years, with the now fully debunked Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, and so much more, it just never ends. It is political targeting at the highest level!

Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 E-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House.

I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption, I restored power to the people, and truly delivered for our Country, like we have never seen before. The establishment hated it. Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more. The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt must be exposed and stopped.

I will continue to fight for the Great American People!

Local reporters confirmed the raid, saying the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. “They just left,” although it isn’t clear what the search was about.

Scoop — The Federal Bureau of Investigation @FBI today executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, two sources confirm to @Fla_Pol.

“They just left,” one source said.

Not sure what the search warrant was about.

TBH, Im not a strong enough reporter to hunt this down, but its real. pic.twitter.com/hMsGhlVp3d

— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) August 8, 2022

Social media was predictably full of kneejerk reactions.

BREAKING: The U.S. government is currently raiding an opposition party leader’s home, as seen in tin pot dictatorships.

If this were happening in another country, the State Department would condemn it and fund the opposition. https://t.co/CKp7P9yRsz

— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) August 8, 2022

Trump said the FBI is *raiding* Mar-a-Lago, not *raising* it. 😬

— Tim O’Brien (@TimOBrien) August 8, 2022

This is disgraceful and it happens because Republicans refuse to weaponize their prosecutors as Dems do.

Chris Wray is a Democrat operative. https://t.co/RK2Ld2Ahel

— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) August 8, 2022

We live under a morally repugnant Gestapo regime.

Our Founders would puke.

This is NOT America.

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 8, 2022

So you’re saying we’re a Banana Republic…??? https://t.co/iJFdRavEjt

— Kuppy (@hkuppy) August 8, 2022

According to the New York Times:

The search, according to two people familiar with the investigation, appeared to be focused on material that Mr. Trump had brought with him to Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence, after he left the White House. Those boxes contained many pages of classified documents, according to a person familiar with their contents.

Mr. Trump delayed returning 15 boxes of material requested by officials with the National Archives for many months, only doing so when there became a threat of action being taken to retrieve them.

As Techno Fog notes, the politics of the search can’t be ignored. If the New York Times is to be believed, Trump’s purported crime – the delay of returning materials – could have been resolved in another manner not involving raiding his home and breaking open a personal safe. No doubt the search is an escalation by a desperate Regime confronted by their own failures at home and abroad.

This doesn’t necessarily mean there wasn’t another reason for the search. Could it have to do with the DOJ’s ongoing January 6 probe (although, given the politicization of Biden’s DOJ, that is no guarantee)? Maybe not, but it might be too soon to tell. Last week there was reporting that a federal grand jury investigating January 6 had issued subpoenas to the Trump White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone, and his top deputy, Patrick Philbin.

According to the author, it is possible that the roadmap for the DOJ comes from the January 6 Committee, “which has poured out the thin gruel of purported criminal charges against Trump, alleging he and others, including attorney John Eastman, could be charged with”:

1. Obstruction of an Official Proceeding (18 USC 1512(c)(2)); and
2. Conspiracy to Defraud the United States (18 USC 371).

Each of these counts, as well as the DOJ’s pursuit of Trump and his attorneys and advisors, amounts to the criminalization of politics, or as Technofog puts it, “arguments of law that might fail in the courts are now prosecutable offenses. Attempts to delay a vote count based on novel, and not corrupt, interpretations of the law can put you in prison. Issues surrounding the counting of state results or whether the Vice President can refuse to count electoral votes is a matter to be decided through the civil or political process, not through charges brought by vindictive opponents.”

Meanwhile, we are still waiting for an official comment:

No comment yet from either @TheJusticeDept or @FBIMiamiFL.

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 8, 2022