Republicans have launched a campaign to get answers about the Monday raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, demanding details from the FBI and the National Archives about their roles in the search.
In the wake of the raid, the GOP’s response has been clear — answers are needed, and they are needed now.
Leading the way has been Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who raised “concerns” with FBI Director Christopher Wray about the raid, and who revealed on Tuesday he had spoken directly to Wray about the raid, and he warned it may “further erode confidence” in federal law enforcement.
DOJ MUST RESPOND TO REQUESTS TO UNSEAL TRUMP RAID WARRANT
Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: “I reiterated these concerns to Director Wray today. If the FBI isn’t extraordinarily transparent about its justification for yesterday’s actions and committed to rooting out political bias that has infected their most sensitive investigations, they will have sealed their own fate.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) also told Wray that “the FBI appears to have taken steps related to President Trump that it has never taken with any other former President, and that it has generally failed to take with respect to certain criminal referrals made from elements of the Intelligence Community to the Department of Justice relating to instances where individuals allegedly disclosed classified information without authorization.”
Rubio, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked Wray about criminal referrals from intelligence community agencies to the DOJ over the past five years, including percentages on how many resulted in the FBI opening preliminary or full investigations, how many resulted in raids on private residences, and how many resulted in criminal charges.
The senator added: “I expect an explanation as to why I, and to the best of my knowledge every other leader of the congressional intelligence committees, first learned of this raid on President Trump’s residence via the media, despite the law requiring the committees to be fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities undertaken by the U.S. Government.”
PRESSURE BUILDS ON TRUMP AND BIDEN TO RELEASE MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH WARRANT
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to Wray telling him “to produce the court filings the FBI used for the search warrant of Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago, the documents the National Archives sent in their criminal referral to the FBI, and the documents obtained in the agency’s unprecedented raid.” He also demanded an immediate briefing from Wray “concerning any national security threats used to justify your decision” and tweeted that he was “exceptionally skeptical” about the raid being “anything other than politically motivated.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the top House Judiciary Committee Republican, also called for House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) to bring Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland to testify before the panel Friday.
Wray declined to speak about the raid when asked Wednesday evening, saying that “that’s not something I can talk about, and I’d refer you to the department.” The DOJ and FBI have remained tight-lipped about the purpose and justification behind it, repeatedly declining to comment.
DOJ AND FBI SILENT ON MAR-A-LAGO RAID
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, believed to have signed the still-secret FBI warrant approving the raid, said Wednesday the DOJ must now respond publicly to motions to unseal the warrant.
Wray did speak about alleged threats made against the FBI following the raid.
“Any threats made against law enforcement, including the men and women of the FBI, as with any law enforcement agency, are deplorable and dangerous,” Wray said, adding, “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer no matter what anybody is upset about or who they are upset with.”
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President Joe Biden didn’t respond to questions from reporters Tuesday when asked what Garland told him about the raid. Biden officials said the White House was not informed about it beforehand. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Garland personally signed off on it.
Trump called the raid “a surprise attack, POLITICS, and all the while our Country is going to HELL!” in a post on his Truth Social account on Wednesday.
