'Like the scene of a ‘Die Hard' movie': FBI raids Trump's Mar-a-Lago, breaks into safe

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Allie Griffin and Emily Smith - New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/YKaIFvd.png

The FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and broke into a safe in his palatial home, the former president confirmed Monday.

Trump said in a message on his social media forum Truth Social that his home had been “raided, and occupied” and was “currently under siege.”

FBI agents were reportedly searching for classified documents that Trump allegedly brought with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after his presidency ended — which, if true, could be a violation of federal law.

The National Archives and Records Administration said it had found classified material in 15 boxes at the residence earlier this year and alerted the FBI. The agents executed a search warrant Monday to look for additional presidential records Trump may have relocated to his Florida estate.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”

The raid comes as the Justice Department is examining the actions of Trump in its criminal investigation of efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. That probe is separate from the department’s investigation into his handling of classified materials.

Federal law bars the removal of classified documents to unauthorized locations, though it is possible that Trump could try to argue that, as president, he was the ultimate declassification authority.

There are multiple statutes governing classified information — including a law punishable by up to five years in prison — that makes it a crime to remove such records and retain them at an unauthorized location.

Another statute makes it a crime to mishandle classified records either intentionally or in a grossly negligent manner.

Trump has also been accused of attempting to destroy presidential records.

The National Archives has said that some of the records it received back from the former president had been torn up, according to the Wall Street Journal.

https://i.imgur.com/YaF0nIm.png

https://i.imgur.com/6q0TYJW.png

Photos published by Axios report to show torn White House documents in the bottom of a toilet though a spokesperson for Trump denied claims that he tried to flush the papers.

Trump called the raid a politically motivated move by Democrats who don’t want him to run again in 2024.

“It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024,” he wrote.

Trump compared the FBI search to “an assault [that] could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries” and also to the Watergate scandal.

https://i.imgur.com/UzbaAar.png

The former Republican president said the “large group” of FBI agents even broke into his safe.

“The lawlessness, political persecution and Witch Hunt must be exposed and stopped.”

A source who was at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the FBI raid told The Post that it was “like the scene of a ‘Die Hard’ movie” as armored cars came screeching up to the Palm Beach resort Monday morning and “at least 100” FBI agents charged into Trump’s home.

“It was totally unexpected,” the source said. “The place was mostly closed today, so the only people there were close personal friends of Trump.

“The staff were absolutely terrified.”

The former president was at Trump Tower in New York at the time of the raid, Post sources said.

Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search, including about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized the search.

Despite Trump’s potential law-breaking, several GOP lawmakers have lined up behind him to denounce the Justice Department and FBI’s unannounced search.

“I’ve seen enough,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement. “The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.”

He threatened to conduct “immediate oversight” of the department and “leave no stone unturned” if Republicans take back the House.

“Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar.”

Right-wing Rep. Lauren Boebert also attacked the FBI, saying the GOP must set up a Select Committee to investigate the “politically-motivated” raid.

“The #DepartmentOfInjustice has been weaponized against the American people,” she tweeted. “We’ve known this for awhile but they no longer are trying to hide it.”

Trump’s son Eric Trump slammed the abrupt search in an appearance on “Hannity.”

“To have 30 FBI agents, actually more than that, descend on Mar-a-Lago, give absolutely no notice, go through the gate, start ransacking an office, ransacking a closet — you know, they broke into a safe, he didn’t even have anything in the safe — I mean, give me a break,” Eric Trump said.

He said the raid was “more political persecution of Donald J. Trump.”

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Seems like an attack

[KevinD]

But, they couldn't find Hilary's server, or Biden laptop...

[DemonGeminiX]

The problem is, anything a President takes with him when he leaves the White House is reviewed, cleared and, approved beforehand, including all papers, so this is another bullshit witch hunt.

I am seriously considering voting for Trump regardless of who else runs for the Republican nomination just to watch Trump fucking clean house when he gets elected. This is going way too far.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

The problem is, anything a President takes with him when he leaves the White House is reviewed, cleared and, approved beforehand, including all papers, so this is another bullshit witch hunt.

I am seriously considering voting for Trump regardless of who else runs for the Republican nomination just to watch Trump fucking clean house when he gets elected. This is going way too far.

Remember when the Clintons tried to steal all the furniture ?

[DemonGeminiX]

Remember when the Clintons tried to steal all the furniture ?

Yeah, they had to return it. About $28000 worth.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The problem is, anything a President takes with him when he leaves the White House is reviewed, cleared and, approved beforehand, including all papers, so this is another bullshit witch hunt.

I am seriously considering voting for Trump regardless of who else runs for the Republican nomination just to watch Trump fucking clean house when he gets elected. This is going way too far.

The problem is, he can't win, he has far too many negatives going for him. That's why we have a President Biden administration. There are far too many people that will simply vote "Not Trump" and we'll end up with another democrat in office, possibly even worse than what we have in there right now.

[DemonGeminiX]

The problem is, he can't win, he has far too many negatives going for him. That's why we have a President Biden administration. There are far too many people that will simply vote "Not Trump" and we'll end up with another democrat in office, possibly even worse than what we have in there right now.

I think you're wrong. I think he can win, and the more shit like this people see, they'll start thinking that he can and should win too.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

I would 100% vote for Trump again, but I think I'm with Lance on this one

[DemonGeminiX]

I think they're afraid of him running again, because they know he'll win, and that's why they keep trying to demonize him and try to get anything at all to pin on him to prevent him from running. They're trying to make him look bad so that he doesn't run and win, and it's gonna backfire in their faces.

[perrhaps]

Trump running is probably the only way the Democrats will win.

Trump is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Period.

However, I would remind you that his lawyers have already acknowledged that when he left the White House, he took classified documents with him. Remember the 15 boxes of them that have already been returned? The question here is if he, ahem, lied when he claimed there weren't any more.

Instead of playing victim here, there are two documents that Trump already has in his possession, assuming his present lawyers are at least a step higher on the legal evolution chain than the buffoons he ran out after the 2020 election.

First, is the Application for Search warrant that stated the reasons for the Federal Magistrate to issue the warrant. Next would be the receipt of items seized during the search, which is issued at the conclusion of the search itself. Nothing prevents Trump and/or his legal team from releasing these documents to the public. Nothing. Need I quote the late, great Clara Pellar? And before I'm asked, prosecutors usually don't release this documentation over justifiably being accused of slanting public opinion against a Defendant before charges are filed.

Time for Trump to put up or shut up instead of running another fundraising con.

[Pony]

I'm with Lance on this too, if the R Party puts up any solid candidate it will be a Republican landslide. If it's Trump it will be a close race and I really don't want to take a chance with it.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Lawrence Richard | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/HZnBl0E.jpg

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday pushed back on social media threats made against him and other law enforcement officers, following his agency’s unprecedented search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

On Monday, the FBI executed a "raid" on Trump’s Florida home and by that night, droves of social media posts criticized the incident and accused the bureau of being politicized in nature. Some messages also called for violence towards Wray, a massive uprising, and even a civil war.

"I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement," Wray said Wednesday, condemning the posts. "Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with."

He called the threats "deplorable and dangerous."

The comments were made after a news conference at the agency’s field office in Omaha, Nebraska, where Wray provided comments about the FBI's focus on cybersecurity.

At the presser, Wray declined to comment further or answer any questions about why FBI agents spent hours on Monday searching Trump's Palm Beach, Florida resort. This was the first time in U.S. history that the FBI has conducted such a search at the residence of a former president.

Since Monday, scores of messages have been seen on Twitter, Gab, and TRUTH Social calling for violence across the country.

Authorities monitoring these posts spotted a significant increase in death threats aimed toward Attorney General Merrick Garland, Wray and FBI agents, sources told Fox News.

Both Garland and Wray travel with armed security.

A post on Gab said, "All it takes is one call. And millions will arm up and take back this country. It will be over in less than 2 weeks."

Another said, "Lets get this started! This unelected, illegitimate regime crossed the line with their GESTAPO raid! It is long past time the lib socialist filth were cleansed from American society!"

Trump and several top Republicans have demanded an answer from the FBI and the Justice Department on why the search was conducted and what property was seized.

"These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, was raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents," Trump said Tuesday in an email sent by Trump’s Save America political action committee.

"The country deserves a thorough and immediate explanation of what led to the events of Monday," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday. "Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice should already have provided answers to the American people and must do so immediately."

Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the "raid" could lead to Garland’s impeachment, should an investigation find he misused his office.

"Without question, I think the order to allow the raid on Mar-a-Lago on Trump's house has to be revealed. It's going to have to wait until November till there's a full investigation," Paul said on "Fox & Friends." "And I've never been a fan of overusing impeachment, but I think there has to be an investigation. And if it warrants it, there's going to have to be a look at whether or not the attorney general has misused his office for political purposes. Have they gone after a political opponent? I mean, this is beyond the pale."

"No one would have ever imagined before that we would be using or one political party would be using the FBI to attack their political opponents. Now, this is really something that's going to require an investigation. And I wouldn't be surprised if the investigation leads to abuse of power that this could even lead to an impeachment of the attorney general," he added.

The raid was part of an investigation into whether Trump took classified documents to Mar-a-lago, according to people familiar with the matter.

Fox News’ David Spunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

You are the director of a criminal organization

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Ryan Saavedra - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/UbNDzyql.jpg

President Joe Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, announced Thursday afternoon that he personally approved the FBI search warrant on the home of former President Donald Trump this week and that the Department has moved to unseal the search warrant.

Showing up more than 30 minutes late, Garland did not answer any questions and gave very little information.

The announcement comes after federal law enforcement officials raided Trump’s Florida residence at Mar-a-Lago Monday morning to retrieve documents related to the National Archives.

Newsweek reported that the FBI specifically targeted three rooms at the residence — a bedroom, an office, and a storage room — and that the information used to obtain the warrant “was based largely on information from an FBI confidential human source.”

The report said that the confidential informant told the bureau what documents were taken and where the documents were located.

The report said that federal officials waited until Trump was out of state to execute the search warrant at the property because they wanted to be as low-key as possible. Agents were reportedly at the property the entire day and were dressed in plain clothes, leading staff to believe that they were U.S. Secret Service agents, which is why news of the executed search warrant did not leak.

“What a spectacular backfire,” a DOJ official told the publication. “I know that there is much speculation out there that this is political persecution, but it is really the best and the worst of the bureaucracy in action. They wanted to punctuate the fact that this was a routine law enforcement action, stripped of any political overtones, and yet [they] got exactly the opposite.”

Another senior U.S. official told the publication that the FBI “created the very firestorm they sought to avoid” by “ignoring the fallout.”

[lost in melb.]

DemonGeminiX

I've moved our conversation here.

US Justice Department seeking to unseal search warrant of Trump home


US Justice Department addresses the FBI raids on Donald Trump home
1 / 22><
The US Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the search warrant the FBI received before searching the Florida estate of former president Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Garland cited the "substantial public interest in this matter" in announcing the request at a hastily scheduled Justice Department news conference on Thursday (Friday AEST).
Garland also said that he personally approved the search warrant, which was part of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified White House records recovered from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida earlier this year.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-fbi-raid-feds-seized-documents-from-maralago-in-june-with-grand-jury-subpoena/ed1451d7-7d97-4451-b093-afe4472e07cf


Odd, but there we have it.

[perrhaps]

Let the sunshine in. Odd that Trump wants to keep it out since he claims he's a victim.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Lawrence Richard | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/oNn9S89l.jpeg

After a federal judge gave the Justice Department a deadline to determine whether former President Trump supports or opposes unsealing the search warrant and property receipt used by the FBI to search his Mar-a-Lago home Monday, the former president said he heartily supports the move.

"Release the documents now!" Trump wrote on TRUTH Social at 11:40 p.m. ET Thursday, just hours after the judge’s decision was announced.

In a pair of posts, Trump called the raid on his Florida estate "unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary" and said he approved of the "immediate release" of the warrant.

"Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents," the former president wrote, "even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me, much as they have done for the last 6 years."

Trump also said the raid was a part of an "unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement" and suggested it could be an effort to keep him from re-seeking office.

"My poll numbers are the strongest they have ever been, fundraising by the Republican Party is breaking all records, and midterm elections are fast approaching. This unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement is inappropriate and highly unethical," he said. "The world is watching as our Country is being brought to a new low, not only on our border, crime, economy, energy, national security, and so much more, but also with respect to our sacred elections!"

The two posts come just hours after Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart wrote an order on the DOJ's motion to unseal the warrant and property receipt.

"The United States shall immediately serve a copy of its Motion on counsel for former President Trump," Reinhart wrote Thursday. "On or before 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 12, 2022, the United States shall file a certificate of conferral advising whether former President Trump opposes the Government's motion to unseal."

The judge’s decision came just after Attorney General Merrick Garland broke his days-long silence over the decision for the FBI to execute a search warrant on the home of a former president. This has never been done in U.S. history.

During a press conference on Thursday, Garland said he "personally approved" the FBI to execute the warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, where agents spent hours searching on Monday.

"Just now, the Justice Department has filed a motion in the Southern District of Florida to unseal a search warrant and property receipt relating to a court-approved search that the FBI conducted earlier this week," Garland said. "That search was a premises located in Florida belonging to the former president."

He added: "The department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president's public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter."

It is not immediately clear if Trump or his legal representation currently has a copy of the warrant or the property receipt.

While the FBI did not specifically use the word "raid" — which has been used by Trump and many others including major news outlets — to describe their search warrant on Trump’s estate, it has yet to clarify what property was retrieved during the search and why it was executed in the first place.

The release of the search warrant, which was signed by Reinhart, and the property receipt will reveal that information.

Prior to Monday’s search warrant, Trump’s legal team communicated with and returned 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, including documents that contained classified information.

"My attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully, and very good relationships had been established. The government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it," Trump said. "They asked us to put an additional lock on a certain area - DONE! Everything was fine, better than that of most previous Presidents, and then, out of nowhere and with no warning, Mar-a-Lago was raided, at 6:30 in the morning, by VERY large numbers of agents, and even 'safecrackers.'"

The former president also said in a separate post that the agency "rummaged through" closets and personal items of former first lady Melania Trump and "left area in a relative mess."

Trump added: "They got way ahead of themselves. Crazy!"

[lost in melb.]

Trump team won’t release FBI warrant for Mar-a-Lago raid as judge weighs motion to unseal it

Former President Donald Trump reportedly has no plans to publish the search warrant used to raid Mar-a-Lago on Monday — as the judge who approved the search considers a motion to unseal the document.

The Justice Department has said little publicly about the unprecedented raid on a former president, which is believed to be part of an effort to retrieve presidential records that may contain classified information. Trump blasted the raid as a partisan “surprise attack” and “political targeting at the highest level.”
...

https://nypost.com/2022/08/10/trump-team-wont-release-copy-of-mar-a-lago-fbi-raid-warrant/

[lost in melb.]

We will know by 3:00 p.m. today if Trump is going to block the release of the documents. (Trump saying he is going or not going to do something is completely meaningless).

[lost in melb.]

https://youtu.be/sl9B4phBEII

[lost in melb.]

Trump defiant ( only He can save America)


https://youtu.be/Dk94EKBWZJA

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/what-happens-after-a-search-warrant-is-executed/

For those that don't understand how the American justice system actually works, this is true for every state, as well as the federal government. You do not get to keep a copy of the search or arrest warrant that is executed upon your property, it is returned to the official that issued it. The reason Trump can't release the details of the warrant is:

a) He doesn't have the warrant and probably hasn't actually seen it, since he wasn't at Mar-A-Lago when the warrant was executed. Warrants are served at the locations being searched, but "serve" doesn't mean the person being served gets to keep it. It doesn't work that way. They get to view the warrant and make sure that the location is correct and view the areas intended to be searched. Generally, there is a list of items being looked for, but if law enforcement finds anything of interest, illegal or otherwise, not listed on the warrant during the search, they may confiscate it and may file additional charges relating to the items found not listed on the warrant.

b) It is a sealed warrant, and that means that neither Trump himself nor the FBI can release it to the public, a court order is required from a judge to unseal it for public consumption. It is out of his hands.

I don't care what your articles say, Lost. They are wrong. You are wrong. My family was law enforcement for all of my life. I have cousins that are lawyers. I was a criminal justice and law major in college before I became a mathematics major. You don't know what you are talking about. However, I do.

Stop arguing with me. Now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlnNnF3gato

[lost in melb.]

C) Receipt. The officer executing the warrant must give a copy of the warrant and a receipt for the property taken to the person from whom, or from whose premises, the property was taken or leave a copy of the warrant and receipt at the place where the officer took the property.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_41

Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Rule 41. Search and Seizure

[perrhaps]

C) Receipt. The officer executing the warrant must give a copy of the warrant and a receipt for the property taken to the person from whom, or from whose premises, the property was taken or leave a copy of the warrant and receipt at the place where the officer took the property.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_41

Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Rule 41. Search and Seizure

How dare you confuse the issue with facts!

[perrhaps]

https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/what-happens-after-a-search-warrant-is-executed/

For those that don't understand how the American justice system actually works, this is true for every state, as well as the federal government. You do not get to keep a copy of the search or arrest warrant that is executed upon your property, it is returned to the official that issued it. The reason Trump can't release the details of the warrant is:

a) He doesn't have the warrant and probably hasn't actually seen it, since he wasn't at Mar-A-Lago when the warrant was executed. Warrants are served at the locations being searched, but "serve" doesn't mean the person being served gets to keep it. It doesn't work that way. They get to view the warrant and make sure that the location is correct and view the areas intended to be searched. Generally, there is a list of items being looked for, but if law enforcement finds anything of interest, illegal or otherwise, not listed on the warrant during the search, they may confiscate it and may file additional charges relating to the items found not listed on the warrant.

b) It is a sealed warrant, and that means that neither Trump himself nor the FBI can release it to the public, a court order is required from a judge to unseal it for public consumption. It is out of his hands.

I don't care what your articles say, Lost. They are wrong. You are wrong. My family was law enforcement for all of my life. I have cousins that are lawyers. I was a criminal justice and law major in college before I became a mathematics major. You don't know what you are talking about. However, I do.

Stop arguing with me. Now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlnNnF3gato

You're mistaken. Trump's lawyers had the receipt since the conclusion of the search. I don't care how many of your cousins are lawyers. I've seen Federal Search Warrants and receipts from searches. Ask your family how many criminals they've represented in Federal Court. I was an attorney who represented criminal defendants for over 35 years.

Oh, and Presidents cannot just wave their Magic MAGA wands and declare classified documents declassified. Let's see the written documentation that shows Trump initiated that process. Can't produce it? Well, if that claim won't work, let's claim that the FBI planted the docs. Yeah, that's the ticket!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Andrea Vacchiano | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/tQxz6jT.png

President Trump unleashed his latest rant against the FBI search of his home on his social media platform late Monday night and called for the immediate release of the "completely unredacted" affidavit that was used to justify the raid.

"There is no way to justify the unannounced RAID of Mar-a-Lago," the former president wrote on Truth Social. "The home of the 45th President of the United States (who got more votes, by far, than any sitting President in the history of our Country!)."

Trump also references "gun toting FBI Agents" and "the Department of ‘Justice’" in his post.

"But, in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN," the business mogul continued. "Also, the Judge on this case should recuse!"

The former president's latest tirade comes after the DOJ filed a motion to block the release of the affidavit used to search the Florida mansion.

The Justice Department says it would comply with a court order to partially unseal the affidavit, but "respectfully requests an opportunity to provide the Court with proposed redactions."

A judge had unsealed the search warrant on Friday after the government had "determined that these materials could be released without significant harm to its investigation," the Justice Department wrote.

Despite their opposition to the release of the affidavit, the Justice Department attested that it would not block the release of any other documents related to the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago, including the warrant's cover sheets.

Trump has doubled-down on his attacks against the nation's intelligence agencies, standing firm in his assertion that the searches and seizures are part of a political plot to prevent him from running for president again.

"Wow! In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else," he wrote on his Truth Social account earlier on Monday. "This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country."

[lost in melb.]

Trump warns ‘terrible things are going to happen’ as he’s blamed for anti-FBI violence

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...onald-trump-fbi-search-violence-b2145439.html

Donald Trump has warned that “terrible things are going to happen” as he faces the blame for violence and threats directed at FBI agents.

“The country is in a very dangerous position. There is tremendous anger, like I’ve never seen before, over all of the scams, and this new one, years of scams and witch hunts, and now this,” Mr Trump told Fox News

[KevinD]

He's not necessarily wrong...

[lost in melb.]

Of course if the FBI, DOJ just lets this go and allows Trump to keep and do whatever he wants the squarking will stop and all will be well :P


https://media4.giphy.com/media/3gYWogvLv5A0Nw9K6D/giphy.webp?cid=6c09b952eebc6ba93915c0b152dd22bae9a 147a30954ae75&rid=giphy.webp&ct=g

[PorkChopSandwiches]

To date they have lied and been wrong about everything. Not sure why this would be any different

[Pony]

To date they have lied and been wrong about everything. Not sure why this would be any different

Doesn't matter. All that matters is that their lies have been effective. Half the population still believes everything they heard about him. If the lie reaches billions of people but the truth that comes out only reaches millions "they" still win.

Personally, if they found something so be it. The only thing I want to see change is the double standard. Why do all the liberals get a free pass even on blatant illegal/racist/sexist things?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Haris Alic | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/DFnGApT.png

A federal magistrate in Florida is set to hold a hearing Thursday on whether to make public the probable cause affidavit used to justify the FBI's raid of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

The hearing is in response to several media outlets asking the court to make the affidavit public to understand the reasoning for a raid on the home of a former commander-in-chief.

Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who green-lit the original search warrant Aug. 5, is slated to preside over the hearing, although it is unclear whether he will make a decision from the bench or take the case under advisement.

The hearing comes as political tensions have heightened since news of the FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago first broke last week over Trump's purported failure to hand over presidential records and classified documents to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Trump, for his part, claims that his staff was working with the National Archives to provide the documents as required under the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

"Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before," Trump said in a statement last week. "After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."

Trump also claims that seized documents were declassified and therefore not subject to special safeguarding requirements. Given the denials, GOP lawmakers have called for the Justice Department to make public its affidavit laying out its justification for a search warrant for the home of a former president.

"They can redact the names and other sensitive information, but DOJ must lay their cards on the table," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "Media speculation is rampant … Let America see the affidavit."

Attorney General Merrick Garland and the DOJ are pushing back on demands for the document to be made public. The Justice Department has said that disclosing the affidavit would breach longstanding legal precedent, potentially jeopardize the government's investigation and expose any confidential sources.

"If disclosed, the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigative steps," the DOJ said in a court filing earlier this week opposing the affidavit's release.

Usually, an affidavit listing the probable cause for a search warrant is not unsealed until after an indictment or arrest is made. That precedent has been broken in the past, however, especially in extraordinary circumstances.

Legal experts say that a raid on the home of a former president is sufficient cause.

"In these cases, the court balances the public's interest against the need for continued secrecy," said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School. "This was a historic raid that has caused a great deal of public unrest. Millions of Americans are questioning the motivation of the Justice Department."

https://i.imgur.com/1XjvRIq.png

Much of the debate centers on what is included in the affidavit and whether it can be made public without undercutting any ongoing investigation.

"The affidavit of probable cause is usually based upon more than just one interview or one piece of information. It's usually a series of steps that explain the reason for why you believe a crime has been committed and where the evidence is located," said Ken Gray, a former FBI agent and lecturer in criminal justice at the University of New Haven.

"A lot depends on the details that are within the document. Even a redaction may still end up revealing the sources, especially if only certain people are known to hold that information."

In filing to oppose unsealing the affidavit, the Justice Department argued that the act could damage the government's ability to entice sources to come forward.

https://i.imgur.com/mQz6QVO.png

"Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations," the DOJ wrote.

Experts say that there is a larger issue at play, mainly the credibility of the Justice Department in investigating one of President Biden's top political rivals and a likely 2024 opponent. Those questions have only grown amid leaks surrounding the raid that have revealed insight into the DOJ's conduct.

Given that reality, legal experts say the Justice Department should make at least some effort to be transparent about its case for raiding Mar-a-Lago.

"The Justice Department continues to operate as if everyone is asking for full disclosure," said Turley. "They can redact portions of the affidavit. They can allow the court to review the redaction and make judgments as to how sensitive the provisions might be. But they oppose it wholesale to the detriment of the American public."

[lost in melb.]

"Disclosure of the government's affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations," the Justice Department wrote. "The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly."

Media organizations, including CNN, had asked for the affidavit to be unsealed after the search last week at Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, club and residence.

The Justice Department said in its filing that disclosing the affidavit details "at this juncture" would "cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation."

"The redactions necessary to mitigate harms to the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such a redacted version would not serve any public interest," the Justice Department stated.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:link: https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/08/Trump-raid-affidavit.pdf

It's the redacted affidavit that was released today.

[lost in melb.]

https://youtu.be/QDxPzkAdVsA

[lost in melb.]

FBI: Trump mixed top secret docs with magazines, other items

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-government-and-politics-4ee554f467252929f96c70d42a93a05d

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Tim Pearce - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/Ocab3vtl.jpg

A federal judge on Monday approved former President Donald Trump’s request to appoint a special master to oversee the FBI’s audit of materials seized in an August raid on Mar-a-Lago.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved Trump’s request after the former president’s attorneys and a legal team from the Department of Justice (DOJ) met over the request in court last week. Cannon’s decision comes days after she released a more detailed list of materials confiscated by the FBI from Trump’s Florida resort, which has served as his residence since he exited the White House in January 2021.

On August 8, the FBI raided Trump’s residence in an unprecedented move that ignited a firestorm of controversy around the agency. Cannon said the case’s unusual nature partly contributed to her decision.

“Pursuant to the Court’s equitable jurisdiction and inherent supervisory authority, and mindful of the need to ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under the extraordinary circumstances presented, Plaintiff’s Motion [ECF No. 1] is GRANTED IN PART,” Cannon wrote in her order. “The Court hereby authorizes the appointment of a special master to review the seized property for personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege.”

Cannon’s order also temporarily stops the FBI’s criminal investigation into the materials seized from Trump.

Last week in court, the DOJ team argued against a special master, saying that the FBI’s privilege review team had already separated potentially protected materials from government documents. The DOJ also noted that a special master appointment at such a late stage in the audit would needlessly slow the bureau’s work.

Trump’s team asserted that a special master was needed to protect Trump’s interests as the FBI reviewed seized materials, many of which have not been claimed to belong to the government. Trump’s legal team is most interested in documents and records that it claims are protected by attorney-client privilege and executive privilege, however.

Cannon said on Thursday that she would unseal a more detailed list of the materials taken during the Mar-a-Lago raid. The 8-page document, released on Friday, provides a fuller picture of what agents took from Mar-a-Lago, though it still lacks specifics of what numerous documents contained.

According to the inventory list, agents removed material from Trump’s office and a storage room consisting of classified documents and records and more mundane objects such as “clothing/gift” items, books, and printouts of news articles.

For example, a box of material taken from Trump’s office contained two documents marked confidential, 15 documents marked secret, seven documents marked top secret, and 69 other documents or photos without classification markings. The box also contained 99 magazine or news articles written between January 2017 and October 2018 and dozens of empty folders labeled either “CLASSIFIED” or “Return to Staff Secretary/Miliary [sic] Aide.”

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Nikolas Lanum | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/DGV7iix.png

Following a federal judge’s ruling to grant former President Trump a special master to review evidence obtained by FBI agents from his Mar-a-Lago estate, left-leaning media figures on MSNBC and CNN cried foul, and slammed the judge for her decision.

MSNBC’s "The ReidOut" host Joy Reid hosted an entire panel of disgruntled interviewees on Monday, with guests claiming that the judge’s decision was wrong and "corrupt," among other things.

"Trump—he always looks at things as my or mine. My generals, my Kevin, my classified documents, my judges. Apparently he’s got one," Reid said as she smirked.

She then past on the baton to frequent MSNBC guest and The Nation justice correspondent Elie Mystal, who made bold claims about the judge’s credibility and character.

"She’s biased and corrupt. Like, I don’t know what to tell everybody anymore," Mystal said. "Like, I’ve been saying this since he took office. When you allow Republicans to control the courts you get nothing. Trump judges do not believe in the rule of law, they do not believe in precedent, they do not believe in facts, they do not believe in logic—they just believe in whatever’s going to help Donald Trump, and they’ve proven it again and again and again."

The conversation continued on over on "Morning Joe," where the show discussed the Trump court ruling at length. Former top Obama official Neal Katyal, described the judge’s ruling as a "grafted on solution." He also suggested that the ruling looked like it was meant to "protect their guy" or at the very least, "delay justice."

Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who was forced to exit the network in 2020, returned as a guest to "Morning Joe" on Tuesday, and echoed Katyal’s perspective that the ruling acted as a delay, and a possible short term win for the former president.

"It’s a classic Trump delay," he said.

https://i.imgur.com/fK47JYu.png

MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissman also weighed in on the decision to appoint a special master. He claimed that the ruling seemed "so out of the ordinary" and did little to help "people’s confidence" in the case, if it appeared Trump was receiving "special rules."

"It isn’t the case that because you’re the former president, you get more justice. You should get equal justice. You shouldn’t be treated worse, but he shouldn’t be treated better," he added.

Over on CNN, New York Times senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman said she found the decision "striking" and surmised that the judge was giving Trump "more deference" than perhaps other people would be entitled to.

"How do the two sides even agree on who the special master is supposed to be? Who has the security clearances for this? It’s a wild decision," she added.

https://i.imgur.com/tUinRRv.png

Jessica Levinson, a Law professor at Loyola Law School, also expressed concern about the ruling on CNN and questioned what might happen if Trump were to announce his candidacy for president should the investigation still be ongoing.

"Yes, the Department of Justice may be able to continue with its investigation eventually. But, it matters when you have to postpone because we know we are running up to the midterms, then we are running up to the presidential election. The former president is likely to say, again, he is going to be a candidate for the presidency. At which point, his claim will be, well the Biden Department of Justice is going after me because I am his opponent. It’s still a delay that changes things," she said.

U.S. District Judge from the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen M. Cannon ordered that the special master be appointed to "review the seized property, manage assertions of privilege and make recommendations thereon, and evaluate claims for return of property."

Trump's legal team last month asked Cannon to appoint a special master in the wake of the unprecedented search of his property, arguing that the DOJ's "Privilege Review Team" should not be the final arbiter of whether its actions were proper in such a high-profile case and that the review team's scope was too narrow.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors during the hearing last week argued that appointing a special master would delay their investigation, that Trump didn't have standing for his request and that he didn't have a right to possess the classified documents.

A Department of Justice "taint" or "filter" team had been reviewing those documents, but Cannon's Monday order temporarily halts that review.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:roll:

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyzW8SX6BQo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez39oFvxgDY

[perrhaps]

Good to see Bill doesn't spend all his time sexually harassing the help.

[DemonGeminiX]

Good to see Bill doesn't spend all his time sexually harassing the help.

Good to see you paying attention to the points of contention. Because being accused of something, yet never proven nor convicted, automatically disqualifies someone from analyzing a political situation and giving their opinion.

[perrhaps]

$30 million of what used to be Bill's money might suggest otherwise.

Maybe you can find a video of David Duke commenting on this?

[DemonGeminiX]

$30 million of what used to be Bill's money might suggest otherwise.

Maybe you can find a video of David Duke commenting on this?

Just because he paid them to go away doesn't mean he actually did anything. He took the easy way out. He has said numerous times that he shouldn't have paid them off, that he should have stood up to them, that he should have fought them. Keep in mind, he got burned during a time when women were accusing every man walking for sexual harassment. And the vast majority of those accusations were complete and utter bullshit. And they were accusing right-wing guys of sexual harassment to try to get them off the air. Virtually every accusation levelled against Bill was in reference to things he allegedly said to the woman in question. Real or imagined, right or wrong, it should boil down to a matter of free speech. Bill O'Reilly was not Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby.

And again, accusations do not disqualify the man from being able to analyze and comment on politics. It's his bread and butter and he still does it well.

And screw you for that David Duke comment.

[lost in melb.]

Been a busy week. Is Trump in jail yet? :-k

[perrhaps]

Just because he paid them to go away doesn't mean he actually did anything. He took the easy way out. He has said numerous times that he shouldn't have paid them off, that he should have stood up to them, that he should have fought them. Keep in mind, he got burned during a time when women were accusing every man walking for sexual harassment. And the vast majority of those accusations were complete and utter bullshit. And they were accusing right-wing guys of sexual harassment to try to get them off the air. Virtually every accusation levelled against Bill was in reference to things he allegedly said to the woman in question. Real or imagined, right or wrong, it should boil down to a matter of free speech. Bill O'Reilly was not Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby.

And again, accusations do not disqualify the man from being able to analyze and comment on politics. It's his bread and butter and he still does it well.

And screw you for that David Duke comment.

You're absolutely right about the David Duke comment. While my intent was to state that Bill and David have the same amount of credibility in my eyes, upon rereading my comment, I can see why you're offended.

For the record, and internet eternity, I apologize for posting a comment that even remotely could be interpreted as accusing you of being a racist.