After Trump Raid, Republicans Call to Investigate, Defund FBI

Republicans are vowing vengeance on federal law enforcement, including a wiping out of their budgets, following the FBI search of former President Trump's home of Mar-a-Lago. "I've seen enough," Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted following Monday's early morning raid, part of a Justice Department investigation into the handling of presidential documents, which must be preserved under the Presidential Records Act. "When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned," he continued, per Politico, directing Attorney General Merrick Garland to "preserve your documents and clear your calendar."

"House Republicans are prepared to hug the former president as tightly as ever," despite the raid tied to allegations that presidential records, including classified information, were removed from the White House, reports Politico. Many in the GOP echoed language Trump himself used in his statement on the raid, including that "such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World countries." "In third world countries and banana republics they prosecute the former presidents/leaders and their staff," tweeted Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, per the Hill. "Right now, we look beneath them." "Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships," added Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, who made reference to the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi by his political opponents, called for an investigation into "the viability of our federal law enforcement agencies that abuse their authorities for political purposes," per Politico. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks called the raid a "political ploy to destroy lives of political opponents," adding hearings from a GOP-led Judiciary Committee "can't come soon enough!" Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential rival of Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, called the raid "another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime's political opponents," while Reps.Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert made calls to defund the FBI. (More Republicans stories.)