By LaBode Obanor
For the first time in the nation’s history, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) busted the Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home of the former president of the United States. Donald Trump. In the hunt for classified documents, the former president may have allegedly illegally removed from the White House during his exit on January 20, 2021.
Trump himself announced this to the world: “My beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of F.B.I. agents. “Such an assault” he stated “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!”
But why did the F.B.I. ransack his home, rummage through his bedrooms, and scour through his wardrobes and drawers? Could it be that the ex-president committed an anomalous crime unrivaled in the history of the country? According to Section 1925 of U.S.C., “Whoever being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.” 18 U.S. Code §1924.
The law is clear, and a federal judge seems to agree that there is probable cause to search Trump’s home.
Here is what we know:
Never in history has a formal president carted away with the nation’s secrets to his private home. So that the National Archives had to send agents back in January to retrieve 15 boxes of the nation’s confidential documents from his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Pursuant to law, all those records should have been handed over to the National Archives straight from the White House once Trump left office. But they ended up in his wardrobes and cabinets at home in Florida.
Soon after retrieving those boxes, the National Archives discovered some classified information within the documents and immediately flagged the F.B.I. and the Justice Department. See National Archives Letter.
In response to this referral, D.O.J. began investigating Trump’s unauthorized and illegal removal of documents. They convened a grand jury and issued a series of subpoenas and interviews. Now, this past Monday, a lawful search warrant of his home to recover what’s left and locate evidence of apparent mishandling of sensitive information.
Never since the founding of the American Republic has law enforcement raided the private home of a former president with gun blazing under the watchful eyes of the secret service.
And never has a search warrant delivered to the Secret Service notifying them that there is going to be a takedown of their client’s home.
Like a scene from a crime movie, it was the tale this week, and boy, what a great time to be part of the generation that witnessed this strikingly uncommon phenomenon. We are indeed in strange times that keep on giving. No one knows what shoe will drop tomorrow. While the nation is still in burnout, fatigued from the deluge of alleged crimes of the former president in his spearheading of the January 6 insurrection, his party (the G.O.P.) is in a total meltdown in the wake of the raid, threatening hellfire and brimstone if they retake power this November.
Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican minority leader, threatens to probe the F.B.I. raid. “I’ve seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization,” he tweeted. “When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned.”
Echoing the same rhythm is Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). He screamed on tweeter: “Hunter Biden skates free while D.O.J. executes a political plot to destroy lives of political opponents,”
Jim Jordan (R-OH): “this is un-American..” Chairman of the Texas Republican Party Matt Rinaldi: “abolish the F.B.I.”
On and on, the G.O.P. erupts, convulsing on a routine raid the F.B.I. conduct all the time, except that this concerns the leader of their clan. And that makes all the difference.
Usually, when a high-profile sweep occurs, there is restraint and caution until facts emerge. But this crop of loyalists is going all-out to shield their champion even before they see the facts.
Other right wings echo chambers were lit on fire, and some threatened civil war.
An extremist group called QAnon immediately called for a violent response to the search.
A far-right conspiracist and MAGA chieftain, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA tweeted, “This is the rogue behavior of communist countries, NOT the United States of America!!! These are the type of things that happen in countries during the civil war.”
A congressional candidate from Florida, Laura Loomer tweeted: Time to take the gloves off. It’s been Time. If you’re a freedom-loving American, you must remove the Words decorum and civility from your vocabulary. This is a W.A.R.!,”
The G.O.P. dance with violence has taken a new turn that they now openly call for civil war whenever one of their own is under criminal investigation. Especially when they target Donald Trump. Steven Crowder, a conservative podcaster, tweeted: “If a Republican gets in, investigate everybody, raid everybody. Use all of it. I don’t care if we become Nicaragua at this point” other words like “assassination” and “Summertime was made for killing fields.” And “When does the shooting start?” were all floating in the republican ecosystem.
To call this dangerous is an understatement.
Frankly, No one knows how the Donald Trump tale will end. Some think this is just a political brouhaha bearing no ill wind, that the country will eventually break the Donald Trump’s fever.
Others think that in this current political climate, if the toxic rhetoric is not discontinued, America may indeed descend into a state of unrest that no one envisages. This is not an implausible notion, and It scares me. Notwithstanding, I am afraid when the Donald’s story is finalized, it may not be a good ending. We shall see.
Email: Jlabode74@gmail.com
Tweeter: @Obanor
The comments made by members of the G.O.P are just what you see when their is perceived to be a political witch hunting . however,the out come of this event would either uphold America as the great country that other nations look up to or reduce her placement in the eyes of the world.Nations are watching and we shall indeed see the end
Only in America (USA).What a beautiful nation,in which no one is, above the law.Imagine if Nigeria is within this governance realities.Only God knows where PMB would have been now.African countries are under demonic spells of their presidency,reason presidency is a tribal,ethnocentric,do or die affairs,when it comes to election time.Hopefully,soonest,when ‘the beautiful ones are been born’,a new lease of life will be given to African political life,divorced of tribalism,religiosity and ethnocentric enslavement,in deep dark self ignorance.Case closed IJN.HERE COMES THE LIGHT IN CHRIST JESUS.LONG PROMISED FROM BIBLICAL TIME.