After Attorney General Merrick Garland made a rare public statement yesterday requesting that the FBI search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence be unsealed, right-wing media continued their weeklong meltdown and called the warrant a “massive overreach” while also downplaying classified documents reportedly recovered from Mar-a-Lago, suggesting that nothing of value was found and even implying that the FBI may have planted evidence against the former president.
On August 8, the FBI executed a court-approved search warrant at Trump’s residence, reportedly in connection with his mishandling of classified government documents. Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration reportedly recovered 15 boxes of White House records at Mar-a-Lago, which had been illegally removed by Trump’s team during the presidential transition.
Conservatives have exaggerated the dramatics of the so-called “raid” on Trump’s estate, citing his own words to claim that he was given no warning. However, Eric Trump told Fox News that there was ample warning that the search would occur Monday “and he informed his father,” and Garland further confirmed that the DOJ sought “less intrusive means” for obtaining the documents before choosing to physically recover them. Garland added that he is asking the court to unseal the search warrant given “the substantial public interest in this matter.”
Right-wing media has also downplayed the importance of the documents Trump reportedly stole, suggesting that the FBI was on a “fishing expedition.” However, recent reporting from The Washington Post suggests that the FBI was looking for “nuclear documents,” among other classified materials. Right-wing media’s rush to spin this developing story for Trump has completely overlooked the possibility that he was dangerously exposing national security secrets. Instead, some right-wing media figures actually suggested that FBI agents would use the search as an opportunity to “fabricate evidence” against Trump.
Despite a legitimate reason for the FBI to enter Mar-a-Lago and a legitimate motive for the investigation, right-wing media’s rush to cast doubt and obscure the potential crimes committed by Trump dominated their coverage of the event and its aftermath.