The FBI Probe “Reeks of Politics”: GOP Flock to Defend Trump in Wake of Mar-A-Lago Search

House and Senate Republicans are standing by their man, former President Donald Trump, following the FBI’s execution of a court-approved search warrant on Mar-a-Lago last week. The GOP leadership including House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and a myriad of other Trump-supporting members of Congress have shifted the conversation away from Trump’s potential criminal violations, and toward politicizing the move, the motives of the Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland, and whether the documents were, in fact, classified.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-N.Y.), the No. 3 Republican in the House leadership, on Friday called the FBI search a “complete abuse and overreach of its authority” and repeated unfounded claims that the agency protected Hillary Clinton, former FBI director James B. Comey and President Biden’s son Hunter, according to the Washington Post. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) echoed this rhetoric on Friday, tweeting: “Seven email chains from Hillary Clinton’s personal email were considered classified to the highest degree. Why didn’t the FBI raid her home?”

The FBI “raid is outrageous and unjust, but predictable,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted on Monday. He doubled down on his stance on Saturday, when he called to “Repeal the Espionage Act.” He added: “It is long past time to repeal this egregious affront to the 1st Amendment.”

“I know doing this 90 days before an election reeks of politics,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Tuesday. 

Merrick Garland “has a lot of questions to answer. … No one is above the law. Donald Trump is not above the law and Attorney General Garland is not above the law either,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said on “Statue of the Union” on Sunday.

“The raid of [Mar-a-Lago] is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted.

“Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) took aim at Merrick Garland: “The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization. When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts and leave no stone unturned. Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar.” If Republicans do take control of the House in the next election, Rep. McCarthy is next in line to become speaker.