1. The Raid
In June, the Department of Justice visited Mar-a-Lago for talks with Former President Donald Trump's lawyers over alleged documents Trump took from the White House. Both the FBI and Justice Department claimed they were not receiving enough cooperation from the Trump team and thus requested a warrant for a search of Trump's residence. Just before 7pm, Trump released a statement on his TruthSocial platform announcing that his home was, "currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents." The announcement quickly went viral on all social media platforms and in the news.
2. The White House
According to reports, news of the raid came as a surprise to the White House. One White House official said, "We did not have notice of the reported action and would refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information." New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin tweeted that the White House had "found out about the FBI’s Mar a Lago raid on Twitter…"
3. Democrat Reactions
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC that she too was surprised to hear about the raid. "I was surprised that it flashed on my phone last evening, so I don't really have too much to say except that to have a visit like that, you need a warrant. To have a warrant, you need justification. And that says that no one is above the law, not even a president or a former president of the United States," Pelosi told "Morning Joe". Washington Democrat Representative Pramilia Jayapal said in a tweet, "That's what happens when you break the law, try to steal an election, and incite a deadly insurrection." She ended the tweet saying that the former President "should be in jail." While most Democrats supported the raid on their political opponent, some Democrats criticized the raid. Former Obama chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod stated that Attorney General Merrick Garland had gone too far and said, "He has crossed a rubicon here — if you are going to prosecute a former President of the United States, you’d better be pretty darn sure that you have an open-and-shut case."
4. Republican Critiques
Republicans from around the nation immediately came to Trump’s defense. The controversial Representative Marjorie Taylor Green tweeted out, “DEFUND THE FBI”. Florida Representative Matt Gaetz tweeted, “I stand with President Trump!”. The GOP Minority Leader of the House, Kevin McCarthy released a statement which said, “When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned.” Former Green Beret and Republican candidate for Washington’s 3rd District tweeted, “We must bring the national security state to heel or we won’t have a country anymore.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the raid, “another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents.” He ended his tweet calling the country a “Banana Republic.” Some Republicans took their criticisms even further, Florida State Representative and Candidate for Florida’s 7th District called for an “emergency legislative session” for the state to “Sever all ties with DOJ immediately.” Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump went on Fox News to criticize the event.
5. Public/Social Media Reaction
Shortly after news broke out of the raid on Mar-a-Lago, Trump supporters began gathering outside the residence to express their support for their former President. Videos online showed crowds playing music, waving flags, and honking car horns. The FBI’s raid was met with cheers and jeers online. Former Wall Street executive Amy Siskind tweeted, “Who wants to bet that Trump sold or planned to sell classified U.S. top secret documents for his own financial gain?” Long time writer and commentator Bill Kristol implied in a tweet that Trump supporters are only upset because “they too suspect… he’s guilty.” Former White House official Darren Beattie said, “America is no less a corrupt police state than any other third world cesspit” in a quote tweet of Trump’s statement. Many conservatives online started comparing the FBI to the Soviet’s KGB to express their discontent with the government. Other conservative commentators, like canceled columnist Scott Greer and youtube commentator Red Eagle Politics, criticized many conservatives for their lack of support for Trump.
