Mar-a-Lago raided

[George K]

An Informer Told the FBI What Docs Trump Was Hiding

The raid on Mar-a-Lago was based largely on information from an FBI confidential human source, one who was able to identify what classified documents former President Trump was still hiding and even the location of those documents, two senior government officials told Newsweek.

The officials, who have direct knowledge of the FBI's deliberations and were granted anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters, said the raid of Donald Trump's Florida residence was deliberately timed to occur when the former president was away.

FBI decision-makers in Washington and Miami thought that denying the former president a photo opportunity or a platform from which to grandstand (or to attempt to thwart the raid) would lower the profile of the event, says one of the sources, a senior Justice Department official who is a 30-year veteran of the FBI.

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The effort to keep the raid low-key failed: instead, it prompted a furious response from GOP leaders and Trump supporters. "What a spectacular backfire," says the Justice official.

"I know that there is much speculation out there that this is political persecution, but it is really the best and the worst of the bureaucracy in action," the official says. "They wanted to punctuate the fact that this was a routine law enforcement action, stripped of any political overtones, and yet [they] got exactly the opposite."

Both senior government officials say the raid was scheduled with no political motive, the FBI solely intent on recovering highly classified documents that were illegally removed from the White House. Preparations to conduct such an operation began weeks ago, but in planning the date and time, the FBI Miami Field Office and Washington headquarters were focused on the former president's scheduled return to Florida from his residences in New York and New Jersey.

"They were seeking to avoid any media circus," says the second source, a senior intelligence official who was briefed on the investigation and the operation. "So even though everything made sense bureaucratically and the FBI feared that the documents might be destroyed, they also created the very firestorm they sought to avoid, in ignoring the fallout."

[Horace]

Looking more and more like this will be a nothing burger in terms of severity of the offense. Which would play into a Trump 2024 campaign. Sigh.

[Jolly]

@Catseye3 said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

@Jolly

WTF are you talking about? I meant no insult. I was speaking generally.

In that case I apologize.

But you're welcome to re-use the insult.

[Horace]

Is it conceivable that Trump baited the FBI into raiding him by intentionally holding back some classified documents that nobody really cares about, in order to support his swamp victim narrative and a 2024 run?

[Jolly]

@Catseye3 said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

A bit more from the Yahoo article, some truncated:

"On June 3, [Trump's] attorneys allowed the investigators access to a basement room where the presidential documents were being kept. Some had Top Secret markings, according to one source interviewed by CNN.

"Five days later, at the request of the investigators, Trump’s aides installed a padlock to the door of the storage room.

“They probably saw stuff that Trump should absolutely not be in possession of,” Strzok said.

And anent George's Dersh postings, he said:

“Subpoenaing it won’t work, because of the chain of custody. And Trump isn’t acting in good faith to just hand the stuff over. The only other option left is to get a warrant.”

So, the Feds had to cut their requested padlock off?

[jon-nyc]

@Horace said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Looking more and more like this will be a nothing burger in terms of severity of the offense. Which would play into a Trump 2024 campaign. Sigh.

Perhaps not in terms of severity of offense, given the law Trump signed into effect in 2018. But if this is just “Trump has documents” he’ll win the politics of it.

[LuFins Dad]

@Horace said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Is it conceivable that Trump baited the FBI into raiding him by intentionally holding back some classified documents that nobody really cares about, in order to support his swamp victim narrative and a 2024 run?

4-D Chinese Checkers…

[Doctor Phibes]

@Horace said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Is it conceivable that Trump baited the FBI into raiding him by intentionally holding back some classified documents that nobody really cares about, in order to support his swamp victim narrative and a 2024 run?

That would be as genius a move as Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

[Mik]

I'm sick of the whole thing. Just let the public know what this was about.

[Jolly]

The political stupidity of the FBI radiates like a green glow. A nauseating green glow.

I've read today where they did not want to raid Trump's house when he was there because of the optics and coordinated that with the Miami office.

But what nitwit authorized a nighttime raid with 30 fucking FBI agents? The optics make the old Stazi look like they were half-assed doing things.

Jesus, people! Go up to the front door in the light of day, knock like normal law enforcement does and show your warrant. Then, have four or five guys get out of the van and do what you came to do.

Next big raid, I guess they'll have to parachute in or maybe just use a helicopter gunship.

[Mik]

As one who has had a search warrant executed upon my home, I can assure you daytime is sufficient.

I'm also grateful that we were better at hiding things than they were at finding them.

[Jolly]

Bias?

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/08/10/you-wont-be-surprised-by-what-the-judge-who-approved-raid-on-mar-a-lago-said-abo-n2611533?utm_campaign=rightrailsticky3

[Jolly]

Bongino weighs in...

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/08/09/bongino_nobody_in_trumps_inner_circle_is_safe_you_woke_up_in_a_different_us_this_morning.html

[Horace]

@Jolly said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Bias?

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/08/10/you-wont-be-surprised-by-what-the-judge-who-approved-raid-on-mar-a-lago-said-abo-n2611533?utm_campaign=rightrailsticky3

How shocking to find a 100% indoctrinated leftist in a high status position of power in America. I wonder how many boxes he'd check for belief in verifiably false narratives fed to him by leftist popular culture?

Never mind all that, I'm sure there are just as many Trump cultists in those same positions of power, who believe just as many objectively false things. Both sides are the same.

[Renauda]

@Doctor-Phibes said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

@Horace said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Is it conceivable that Trump baited the FBI into raiding him by intentionally holding back some classified documents that nobody really cares about, in order to support his swamp victim narrative and a 2024 run?

That would be as genius a move as Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Let’s find out if he hired Vladimir Vladimirovich as a consultant. Apparently they are not only geniuses but loyal friends. Both hold loyalty in similar high regard.

[Doctor Phibes]

@Horace said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

@Jolly said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Bias?

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/08/10/you-wont-be-surprised-by-what-the-judge-who-approved-raid-on-mar-a-lago-said-abo-n2611533?utm_campaign=rightrailsticky3

How shocking to find a 100% indoctrinated leftist in a high status position of power in America. I wonder how many boxes he'd check for belief in verifiably false narratives fed to him by leftist popular culture?

Never mind all that, I'm sure there are just as many Trump cultists in those same positions of power, who believe just as many objectively false things. Both sides are the same.

Well, the article is certainly completely unbiased. Thank God for a free press.

[Catseye3]

Bongino: "Well, you woke up in a different United States today."

We wake up in a different United States often, Dan. Practically every week. Ain't no thing. Keep your hair on.

[Jolly]

He doesn't have much hair.

Does a nice rant, though.

[Jolly]

@Catseye3 said in Mar-a-Lago raided:

Bongino: "Well, you woke up in a different United States today."

We wake up in a different United States often, Dan. Practically every week. Ain't no thing. Keep your hair on.

Actually...Just saw on tv where Trafalgar had done some recent polling and they're seeing a trend with independents starting to break GOP. They said their polling data after the raid showed an acceleration of that break by about three points.

Not huge, but interesting.

Another interesting point was that their latest polling showed 80% of Americans now think we have a two-tiered justice system.

Now, that's not totally new, but the percentage seems quite large to me. Whether Left or Conservative, people are trusting the justice system less and less.

That is a new day in America...

[Catseye3]

I'm not quite where Mik is; not quite sick of it yet. If there's crime involved in a story I'm your front-row patootie and have been since I redd my first Nancy Drew. But I am entirely sick of the orchestrated shock and affront trotted out by the injured half whenever something like this happens. Democracy in peril, country to the dogs, banana republic, blah, blah, blah.

Does no one see the irony here? The breathless fury over the supposed LE violation against a man who imperiled this country far worse than 90% of the perils it has sustained in its entire history? And might be still? And might yet again? Old Mr. "Grab 'Em By the Pussy" wracked up DAILY violations against the American people and these chin tremblers sailed right on.

Even if the FBI was the evildoer the GOP are lining up so predictably to condemn -- which they probably aren't -- their "raid" on Mar-a-Lago was barely a peccadillo in comparison.