Republicans are stepping up calls to release an FBI affidavit justifying the seizure of documents from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. A search warrant released last week revealed that the former president had 11 sets of classified documents at his home and that the Justice Department had probable cause to conduct the search based on possible violations of the Espionage Act. Republicans are demanding disclosure of the reports made by the federal agency that convinced the judge to issue the search warrant. Unsealing such affidavits is highly unusual and would require approval from a federal judge. “The Justice Department will have to ‘show that this wasn’t just a fishing spree, that they had proper cause to go in and do this, that they exhausted all other means,’” Republican Sen. Mike Rounds told NBC. The request comes amid reports of increased threats against federal law enforcement personnel in the wake of the raid.
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Trump continues to try to focus attention on Obama over ‘nuclear’ files scandal — here’s why it doesn’t add up
One of Donald Trump’s many responses to the unprecedented raid on his home is another baseless conspiracy theory that claims Barack Obama took “millions” of documents from the White House when he left. It’s really untrue. In fact, the 44th president has only obtained unclassified records from the National Archives (which is the legal process to do so) for use in developing his presidential library. No one in the National Archives or the Justice Department has suggested that Mr. Obama did anything terribly wrong. Dive deep into the latest failed attempt by Donald Trump and his team to offer alternative evidence instead of addressing the issue at hand:
Trump Fails to Bring Attention to Obama on ‘Nuclear’ Files Scandal
The National Archives refutes the former president’s baseless claims John Bowden 15 August 2022 08:20 1660545978
Republicans push to see affidavit justifying FBI raid on Trump home
Republicans sought more details about the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. They are seeking disclosure of an affidavit filed by the agency that convinced a federal judge to issue a search warrant, arguing it would show the raids had “due cause” and “were not just a fishing expedition.” “I think the release of the affidavit would help, at least it would confirm that there was justification for this raid,” Republican Sen. Mike Rounds told NBC. File: Mike Rounds speaks during a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on January 27, 2021 (AFP via Getty Images) “The Justice Department would have to ‘show that this wasn’t just a fishing mission, that they had proper cause to go in and do this, that they exhausted all other means,’” he said. “And if they can’t do that, then we’ve got a serious problem on our hands.” The statement comes as a search warrant released last week showed that Trump had 11 sets of classified documents at his home and that the Justice Department had probable cause to conduct the search based on possible violations of the Espionage Act. Namita Singh15 August 2022 07:46 1660544400
Trump’s lawyer claims all investigations against him will end if he says he won’t run in 2024
A lawyer on Donald Trump’s legal team reiterated in a new interview that the Justice Department’s investigation is aimed at preventing the former president from running for office in 2024 and would end if Trump pledged not to run . There’s no real indication from the DOJ’s words or actions that its investigation has anything to do with his campaigns, past or present, but the Trump team has latched onto this conspiracy, like many others, as it rages on the growing scandal that broke on Monday. “I’ve said it 100 times — if he’s not ahead in the polls — I’ve sat across from him, every time he gets frustrated, I say, ‘Mr. President, if you want me to settle all your differences, you’re going to have to announce that you’re not running for office. and all this will stop,” said the former president’s lawyer Alina Haba in an interview with Real America’s Voice. Read more from Gustaf Kilander of the Independent:
Trump’s lawyer says all investigations will be dropped if he says he won’t run in 2024
“As we can all relate, everyone ends up bringing their work home from time to time. American presidents are no different,” Trump’s office says in the new defense John Bowden 15 August 2022 07:20 1660540800
Trump asked Merrick Garland, “What can I do to turn the heat down?” before the FBI warrant was unsealed, the report says
An unnamed source tells The New York Times that Donald Trump tried to personally contact Merrick Garland after the FBI raided his home. In a message sent by a Trump ally to a top Justice Department official, the former president reportedly asked, “What can I do to turn the heat down?” Many have speculated about the reasoning behind the message, as Donald Trump has shown little real interest in defusing the political firestorm that began last week by blasting the Justice Department over the raid. Read more from Gustaf Kilander of the Independent:
Trump reportedly asked Garland, “What can I do to turn the heat down?” after the FBI raid
“The country is on fire,” Trump reportedly told Garland John Bowden 15 August 2022 06:20 1660537200
ICYMI: Trump is up by 2,024 primary voters
Donald Trump is hitting out at Republican voters after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home. A new Morning Consult poll taken after Monday’s news broke found that as many as 10 percent of likely primary voters may have just gone for him. Read more from the Independent’s Graeme Massie:
The FBI raid gave Trump a 10-point lead over DeSantis, according to the poll
Federal agents removed 11 sets of documents marked as classified John Bowden 15 August 2022 05:20 1660533642
ICYMI: Rand Paul mocked for calling for repeal of spying law referenced in Trump’s FBI warrant
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is under fire after calling for the repeal of the Espionage Act, a controversial bill that has been used to punish whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning, in response to news that Donald Trump is being investigated for possible violations. Many users pointed out that it was the first time the libertarian Kentuckian had mentioned the legislation on Twitter — and that his past use of the law did not excuse the mishandling of important government secrets, including information about nuclear technology that the Washington Post reported was among documents the DOJ hoped to find at Mar-a-Lago. Read more from Gustaf Kilander of the Independent:
Rand Paul scoffs at call to repeal spying law in Trump’s FBI warrant
“The act of espionage was abused from the beginning to imprison World War I dissenters. This blatant affront to the 1st Amendment is long overdue,” Paul wrote John Bowden 15 August 2022 04:20 1660530042
Trump-backed candidate says he’s glad voters know he threatened ex-wife with gun
Herschel Walker, the Trump-backed candidate in the Georgia Senate race whose campaign has been upended by a cascade of embarrassing revelations, says in a new interview that he’s glad Democrats are running ads for him who threatens her life his ex-husband. In a bizarre interview with a right-wing podcaster, Mr Walker claimed the joke about him threatening to shoot his then-wife made him look like a “warrior”. John Bowden 15 August 2022 03:20 1660526442
ICYMI: Trump demands FBI return Mar-a-Lago documents
Donald Trump is calling on the Justice Department to hand over some of the documents seized Monday in a raid at his Florida resort and residence in Mar-a-Lago. In a post on Truth Social, the former president responded to a Fox News report Saturday that the FBI informed Trump’s team after the raid that some of the documents they seized were protected by attorney-client privilege. “Oh wonderful! It was just learned that the FBI, in its now famous Mar-a-Lago raid, took boxes of privileged “attorney-client” material, as well as “executive” privileged material, which they knowingly were not supposed to take. With a copy of this TRUTH, I respectfully request that these documents be immediately returned to the location from which they were obtained. Thank you!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Trump demands FBI return Mar-a-Lago documents
Former president reacts to report that FBI seized privileged documents John Bowden 15 August 2022 02:20 1660522842
ICYMI: Mar-a-Lago video subpoenaed by DoJ sparks speculation Trump may still have some classified documents
A new subpoena from the Department of Justice raises the question: Is the Department of Justice done retrieving potentially classified material from Mar-a-Lago? The New York Times reports that Justice Department investigators have subpoenaed video footage from a 60-day period “including views outside the warehouse” where the documents in question were kept. “According to a person briefed on the matter, the video showed that, following an incident in which Justice Department officials were in contact with Mr. Trump’s team, the boxes were moved in and out of the room,” it said. the Times’ Maggie Haberman. If true, it means investigators could be on the lookout for further materials removed from the White House apparently without authorization. Read more from the Independent’s Graeme Massie:
Footage from Mar-a-Lago sparks speculation Trump may still have some classified documents
The footage from the 60-day period included “views outside the warehouse,” according to the report John Bowden 15 August 2022 01:20 1660519242
John Bolton shreds Trump’s latest documents
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton, one of the…
