On Friday, the DOJ unsealed the highly-redacted affidavit authorizing the raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. As Kevin Brock over at The Hill articulates, there is no case against Trump.
"Two realities came into better focus," he says in response to the affidavit's release.
First, Brock states that the raid is related to January 2022 requests by the National Archives to Trump for handing over certain documents. As far as Brock is concerned, "this matter is, as suspected, nothing more than a document dispute that was chugging along." Nothing, he says, indicates Trump was not cooperating.
Second, there is no clear evidence as to what law Trump had supposedly violated, and the redacted portions are unlikely to reveal anything. After all, Brock indicates, "if the FBI had that, it would have fronted that in the unredacted portions." Moreover, there is nothing to indicate that Trump was not authorized to hold any of these supposedly classified documents. He was, after all, President, and "broad, legally intimidating authority" is vested in him in regards to documents. "Trump and his legal team have asserted that this authority was exercised while he was still president," stresses Brock.
In response to The Floridian request for comment, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL-18), stated that the raid was nothing less than "political tyranny" having been committed at "gunpoint."
"NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), they should be looked at like the U-Haul service for the White House. When a President leaves the White House, they come in and pack the boxes, put in the packing peanuts, and they tape them up and deliver the boxes. They inventory what they pack, that is how they know what was at Mar-a-Lago and where it was. So of course they have no case, they packed it up to being with. Just as they did for the last four Presidents, where this turned into political tyranny is when they decided to raid President Trump's home at gunpoint," stated Rep. Mast.
Similarly, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL-17) tweeted Friday afternoon that the real reason for the raid is because "the same unit that investigated the Russia Hoax wants to keep 45 from running for President again!"
Now we know what this is all about! Page 7 of the affidavit, under 18 USC 2071(b), “and be disqualified from holding office under the United States.” The same unit that investigated the Russia Hoax wants to keep 45 from running for President again!
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) August 26, 2022
"Now we know what this is all about! Page 7 of the affidavit, under 18 USC 2071(b), “and be disqualified from holding office under the United States.” The same unit that investigated the Russia Hoax wants to keep 45 from running for President again!" Steube tweeted.
