Big backfire? Unlikely suspects start raising major concern over Trump raid, demand answers

It remains unclear what probable cause the FBI used to justify an unprecedented raid on former President Donald Trump’s residence in Florida, but an overwhelming consensus has developed contending the Justice Department better put up or shut up, and it’s not just among conservatives.

Supporters of the president were out in force across social media and even outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida after it was announced the FBI had executed a search warrant. As one might expect, Republicans pointed to a miscarriage of justice orchestrated by political figures within President Joe Biden’s administration.

However, they weren’t alone in that conclusion as common sense made a resurgence amid concerns about the ramifications that a truly unwarranted raid of a former president’s home could have on the integrity of future investigations, and seemingly more concerning to progressives, Trump’s future political prospects.

Former White House communications director and newly minted “token conservative” cohost of “The View,” Alyssa Farah Griffin joined CNN’s “New Day” Tuesday on how serious the fallout could be even if the search were related to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) seeking to enforce the Presidential Records Act over potential classified materials Trump allegedly was keeping at Mar-a-Lago.

(Video: CNN)

“This, I’m hoping, goes beyond simply not complying with some archiving laws or DOJ just handed Donald Trump the Republican nominee and potentially the presidency,” she told a panel matter-of-factly.

“If it’s seen as some sort of massive overreach and not something incredibly serious, this is a very good day for Donald Trump,” Griffin, who has become a vocal critic of Trump, continued before adding her hope that the DOJ was “buttoned-up” on the investigation.

Ahead of finding out whether or not the Justice Department actually has its ducks in a row, otherwise neutral parties viewed this as a call to action contrary to what Democrats may have hoped to gain going into the midterm elections. Though himself a conservative, podcaster Chris Stigall explained that his wife didn’t care if Trump made a comeback or not, but after the perceived overreach, “She’s ready for battle.”

While it stands to reason that a former Trump loyalist and a neutral supporter might readily make these assertions, some of the other voices echoing the sentiment came across as nearly unprecedented themselves considering the volatile binary that politics has become.

Former presidential candidate, New York City mayoral candidate, and recent founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang posted a reaction Tuesday morning contending there was little chance the search would come across as anything other than a political attack.

“It seems like this was authorized by a local judge and a particular FBI office without buy-in or notification of higher levels of government,” he wrote. “But literally no one will believe that or make a distinction. It’s probably bureaucratic but it seems political.”

He then noted a legal expert quoted by Politico who shared Griffin’s view regarding the NARA investigation stating, “If they raided his home just to find classified documents he took from The White House…It will prove to be the greatest law enforcement mistake in history,” as Trump would surely win the presidency in 2024.

More surprising than Yang’s statement was the message delivered by disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) who posted, “DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigations.”

However, what may have been the most telling defense of all came from former Vice President Mike Pence. Though many suspect Trump’s VP has his own sights on the White House and his message could be laden with ulterior motives, the fact remains that Pence came out on the side of a unified GOP with the otherwise obvious notion that there should be nothing partisan happening within the DOJ.

“Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately,” Pence argued on Twitter.

Kevin Haggerty

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