Was there a rat? Retired FBI agent says ‘informant’ likely handed over evidence that led to Trump raid

The shocking FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday was likely set off by an “informant,” according to a retired agent.

Retired FBI Special Agent Michael Tabman spoke with Daily Mail about the “unprecedented” move, suggesting there was “inside information” that triggered the raid in which nearly three dozen FBI agents descended on the former president’s Palm Beach, Florida estate.

“I think somebody gave them information indicating that these documents are there,” Tabman told the outlet, positing “two hypothetical ‘insider’ revelations: ‘You have not been told the truth about their existence. You’re not getting them unless you come get them.'”

The 24-year veteran of the bureau indicated that, given the level of importance and sensitivity, the actions would have to have been given the green light by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Tabman also noted that it’s likely that some new information set the wheels in motion as agents invaded Trump’s residence, purportedly in search of documents that he may have taken from the White House at the end of his tenure.

“I think there was inside information – call it an informant if you want,” Tabman told DailyMail.com. “I believe either someone told them something or some other information was stumbled upon, which was kind of conclusive in their minds that they had to go now to get that or they’re not getting it.”

According to the outlet:

Tabman claimed while there was cooperation between Trump and the FBI at one point, the agency may have gotten a sense that the former president and his team were ‘telling you what they want to tell you with limited information.’

FBI protocol, according to Tabman, is to move forward with seizing information once they feel that ‘voluntarily’ obtaining it is no longer viable.

 

“You know, everything could disappear,” the retired FBI special agent said. “You got evidence that you need to get before it disappears or it moves and you can’t see it anymore.”

But agents should not be able to arbitrarily “poke around” without some provocation, he contended, noting that they would have to prove probable cause ahead of obtaining a warrant.

That warrant was reportedly signed by Florida federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart who once donated to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and had links to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who died in federal prison in 2019.

Trump reacted to the storming of his private residence in a statement posted on his social media platform.

“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” he declared on Truth Social.

“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, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections,” he continued. “Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!”

News of the shocking raid brought instant condemnation from Republicans and others who criticized the unprecedented move against a former U.S. president.

“I can’t think of this having happened to a former president,” Tabman admitted.

“I don’t see any protocols that were broken in any way,” he added. “They must have obviously had probable cause.”

President Joe Biden and other members of the administration insisted they knew nothing about the raid ahead of time, but Tabman noted, “I believe the Attorney General approved it himself given the sensitivity.”

“You know, maybe he delegated to a Deputy Attorney General again, maybe in order to avoid perceptions since he is a political appointee,” he told the Daily Mail, explaining that getting the approval is part of an internal process of the Justice Department.

According to the outlet, Tabman “served on the FBI-NYPD Organized Crime Task Force and FBI-NYPD Drug Task Force for eight years” where he acted as “an affiant on numerous arrest and search warrants and applications for wiretaps.”

“During his years in management, Tabman has reviewed affidavits and commanded the execution of arrests and search warrants,” Daily Mail noted.

Another former FBI agent spoke with local Florida news station WPTV about the “collateral damage” the agency’s raid created.

“This is equating to pulling the pin out of a hand grenade and throwing it into an occupied room,” Stuart Kaplan, now a Palm Beach County defense lawyer, told the outlet.

Frieda Powers

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