Dan Rather: Trump FBI raid represents the ‘spotlight of justice’ in a ‘perilous time’

The Story w/ Martha MacCallum – Tuesday, August 9

On today’s episode of ‘The Story’, Martha MacCallum discusses the FBI seizing documents from former President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago. Plus, Taiwan holds military drills in preparation of China’s potential invasion.

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Former CBS reporter Dan Rather expounded on his feelings on the FBI raiding former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home Monday night in a post on Substack.

Rather and New York Times bestselling author Elliot Kirschner co-wrote a piece on Tuesday titled “The FBI Comes A-Knockin'” that praised the actions of the FBI as a time for Trump to “face the law.”

“The spotlight of justice, which many Americans have long craved and others feared, is now shining unambiguously on the former president. His fate in our national narrative remains to be written, and this uncertainty only intensifies the acrimony across our myriad political divides. It is a moment fraught with danger, including threats of violence. But it is also a moment of hope, that a wave of redemptive energy will finally engulf the outrages of the previous administration and the grave threat it posed to the continuity of the United States as a nation of law,” The article read.

Rather and Kirschner advised readers against snap judgements and speculation on the purpose of the raid. However, they also noted “in our current political environment” that it could be beneficial for the FBI or Trump himself to share the original warrant.

Dan Rather cheered the news of an FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Florida estate on Monday. (Reuters )

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Despite this, they dismissed any concerns that the raid was partisan.

“What is not in dispute is that this is a very big deal. It likely represents the most significant criminal investigation of a current or former president ever, and that includes Richard Nixon. This search does not take place on a whim or by a rogue team of prosecutors. This move was clearly vetted by the very top of American law enforcement, and specifically by two men constitutionally averse to condoning a partisan witch hunt: FBI Director Christopher Wray (a lifelong Republican appointed by Trump) and Attorney General Merrick Garland,” Rather and Kirschner wrote.

Former Barack Obama advisor David Axelrod made a similar assertion on his Twitter account Monday night that Garland and the FBI would not sign off on a warrant without evidence. He was subsequently ridiculed for ignoring past controversies such as the FISA warrant against former Trump aide Carter Page and Garland’s targeting of parents at school board meetings.

Attorney General Merrick Garland was criticized for reports of the FBI raiding former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. (AP/Susan Walsh)

Rather and Kirschner also mourned that Trump’s “cult of personality” has allowed him to avoid “any and all accountability” and retain supporters in the face of this raid.

CNN ANALYST: FBI MAR-A-LAGO RAID ‘DANGEROUS’ & ‘NOT WARRANTED’ IF ONLY ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT 

They wrote, “This is a perilous time, but we must not let that deter us from seeking justice. What’s at stake is the rule of law in America. Donald Trump, for all his money and his minions and his dangerous rhetoric, is no longer in control of his destiny. That has to worry him. Plenty. And it should.”

“For the rest of us, it is a time to stay calm and carry on, while reminding ourselves that in our country, no person should be above the law. And no person is guilty until proven so beyond reasonable doubt. Now it is up to the justice system to do its work,” the piece closed.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump blasted the FBI and DOJ for enacting a search warrant against him on Monday. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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Rather was one of many liberal media figures who previously praised news of the raid on Twitter, mocking Trump supporters in the process.

“Perhaps ‘Lock her up’ isn’t so funny in MAGA World tonight,” Rather tweeted Monday.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.