WASHINGTON – As Republicans continued on Sunday to defend former President Donald J. Trump following an unprecedented FBI search of his Florida residence, deep cracks were visible in support. party support for law enforcement amid a federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of top secret documents.
Immediately after the search, members of Congress Republicans, including members of the leadership, react with anger, attacking the nation’s top law enforcement agencies. A number called “depreciate” or “Destroy” the FBIand others called the Nazi secret police, using words like “gesture” and “despot. “
On Sunday, more moderate voices in the party chastised their colleagues for anti-law enforcement, making a more limited case in defense of Mr. to the Ministry of Justice.
Many Republicans call for release oath supports the search warrant made last Monday, which will detail evidence convincing the judge that there may be reason to believe a search will find evidence of a crime. Such documents are usually not made public before fees are paid.
“It is an unprecedented act and should be supported by unprecedented justification,” Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania and a former FBI agent, said on “Face the Nation” ” by CBS. But he added, “I’ve called on all of my colleagues to make sure they understand the weight of my words.”
Calls for a more cautious tone came as threats against law enforcement emerged. A gunman on Thursday attack an FBI office in Cincinnatiand on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security distribute an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement nationwide warned of “an increase in threats and acts of violence, including armed encounters, against law enforcement, judicial and the government” after the search.
“The FBI and DHS have observed an increase in violent threats posted on social media against federal officials and facilities, including the threat to plant a dirty bomb in front of the headquarters. FBI headquarters and issued a joint call for ‘civil war’ and ‘arms. riots,” reported The New York Times.
Add a sense of alarm, another shooter crash a car into a barricade outside the Capitol around 4 a.m. Sunday. After getting out of the car and it was engulfed in flames, he shot into the air several times before killing himself, Capitol Police said.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said he had begun checking with his former colleagues at the FBI “to make sure they were okay.”
“We are the oldest democracy in the world and the only way that can be unraveled is if we disrespect the institutions that lead to Americans turning away from Americans,” he said, adding, “A lot of things start with the words we are using. “
Republicans have struggled to rally into a unified strategy to respond to the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Fla., amid scenes of daily revelations and quick conversion explanationthe former president’s excuses, excuses and false accusations.
On Friday, a federal judge sealed an order authorizing searches and inventory of items removed from the property by federal agents. The list shows that the FBI obtained 11 sets of classified documents in the form of part of an investigation into potential violations of the Espionage Act and two other laws.
More news about the FBI’s search of Trump’s home
Some documents are marked as “classified/TS/SCI” – which stands for “sensitive/top secret partitioned information”. Such information should only be viewed in a secure government facility.
Mr. Trump and his allies allege that former President Barack Obama also mishandled the document (an allegation quickly dismissed as false by the National Archives); that the judge who signed the warrant for the search must be biased; that the FBI may have produced evidence; that the material was covered by attorney-client or executive privilege; and that Mr. Trump declassified the documents.
The former president worked for money.
Mr. Trump’s political action committee has raised funds wildly from the FBI’s search, sending at least 17 text messages to donors since Tuesday. “The Dems broke into Pres’ house. Trump,” one read. “This is a POLITICAL GOAL!” other accusations. “THEY COME AFTER YOU!” one third said.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, wrote another fundraising email on Sunday: “The witch hunt continues… The FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago was a DISCLAIMER. In fact, it is IMPOSSIBLE”.
On Saturday, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, also Calling for the repeal of the Espionage Actone of the statutes promoting the investigation.
But the shifting explanations have made it difficult for Republicans, many of them eager to please the former president, to come up with a unified defense. They are divided over whether to attack the nation’s top law enforcement agencies and how aggressive those attacks are.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican whose National Republican Congressional Committee is working on fundraising appeals, has begun selling merchandise that reads “Breaking the FBI.”
It’s a much different approach than Representative Michael R. Turner of Ohio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee who defended Mr. Trump on Sunday.
Republican members of the committee said they continue to support law enforcement. However, they said tough questions remained for Attorney General Merrick B. Garland about his decision to take the bold step of ordering a search of the former president’s home and that they promised to force the Department of Judiciary is responsible.
“Clearly, no one is above the law,” Turner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Donald Trump is not above the law. And Attorney General Garland is not above the law either. And Congress has oversight. He needs to comply.”
Mr Turner said he was not convinced “whether this is really classified material and whether it rises to the level of the highest classified material”, although the documents have announced by the court.
“I would be very surprised if he had factual documents that rose to the level of an immediate national security threat,” Mr. Turner said.
Two of the laws mentioned in the search warranthowever, it is a crime to obtain or conceal government records regardless of whether they are related to national security. Third, the prohibition on unauthorized storage of material containing restricted national security information applies Is the material classified?.
Republican leaders in the Senate and House, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, have also said Mr Garland needs answers.
Mr. Garland, for his part, hold a press conference on Thursday defend the way the Justice Department handled the case.
“Upholding the rule of law means applying the law equally, without fear or favor,” he said. “In my view, that’s exactly what the Justice Department is doing.”
The White House, trying to avoid the appearance of partisan interference, has been reluctant to comment on the investigation. “We do not interfere. We weren’t briefed,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said on ABC’s “This Week,” adding, “We’ll let Merrick Garland speak for himself and his department.” that.”
But other Democrats immediately objected to Republican anti-law enforcement claims.
“I think the Republican Party used to be on the side of law enforcement in the past,” Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat of Minnesota, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And I hope some of them do the same today because this kind of rhetoric is so dangerous for our country.”
She pointed out that when reviewing classified documents, she must do so in a secure room. “I can’t even wear my Fitbit,” she said.
Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, called on the director of national intelligence to conduct an “immediate review and damage assessment” and provide a call confidential meeting before the National Assembly about the potential harm to national security. by Mr. Trump’s handling of documents.
“The fact that they’re in an unsafe place, guarded with nothing but locks or whatever security they have at the hotel is alarming,” he said on “Face the Nation.”
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, called on his panel to look closely at Mr. Garland’s actions.
“Never before has a former president and potential political opponent of the current president been subjected to such a search,” Portman said in a statement. “The Attorney General and the FBI should now demonstrate unprecedented transparency and explain to the American people why they allowed the raid.”
Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, took a similar approach.
“I’m not one of those individuals who say, you know, ‘Attack the FBI or the Department of Justice immediately,'” he said on “Meet the Press”.
“But,” he added, “I think it’s very important in the long term for the Department of Justice, when they’ve done this, they show that this is more than just a fishing expedition.”
