Skip to main content

Donate to Media Matters' Year-End Fundraiser Donate Arrow

  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Donate to Media Matters' Year-End Fundraiser Donate Arrow

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search
  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives
  • Online media
  • Tariffs
  • Epstein
  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS

After Mar-a-Lago search, OAN calls attack on FBI office a false flag

“It was nothing more than an attempt to distract the American people” from “Biden’s Gestapo” searching Donald Trump’s residence

Written by Bobby Lewis

Published 08/15/22 5:43 PM EDT

One America News Network’s freakout over the FBI search of former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence continues apace. Now the network is accusing the FBI of a false flag operation against its own offices in Cincinnati, OH.

OAN content about the FBI’s search of Trump’s residence has been particularly unhinged. After immediate complaints about a federal “war” on Trumpism and a set-up, OAN figures have warned that “we are the closest to Civil War II we’ve ever been,” claimed that the government has “gone rogue … hunting down anyone and everyone who stands in their way,” and even encouraged members of Congress to destroy January 6 evidence.

On August 11, after a man attacked an FBI office in Cincinnati with a nail gun, a Truth Social account bearing his name and photograph posted about recently “attacking the FBI.” The man was later killed in a standoff with police.

Complaining about inaccurate breaking reports of the incident, OAN host Dan Ball denied the unfolding story to instead suggest that the FBI attacked itself to distract from its search of Mar-a-Lago.

“Right after the raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, the next morning you got the FBI on all the major lamestream networks saying, 'oh, the chat’s up and the Google searches are up for attacking the FBI and civil war and blah blah blah,’” Ball said, “and then the next day, a guy who we can’t find jack squat about, is killed because he allegedly went in with a nail gun.” 

Ball’s guest, right-wing consultant Alex Bruesewitz, replied that the attack was a “hoax” by “Biden’s Gestapo,” and demanded partisan accountability. 

“Republican leaders need to drag FBI leadership before Congress,” Breusewitz asserted, “and demand answers because there is no way in hell this was a legitimate scene. … It was nothing more than an attempt to distract the American people, take their minds off the fact that they illegally, unlawfully, and unwarranted raided President Trump’s home of Mar-a-Lago.”

“Yep, I agree with you,” Ball said.

Video file

Citation

From the August 12, 2022, edition of OAN's Real America with Dan Ball

Don't let right wing lies set the agenda. Donate now!

The Latest

  1. Roger Stone claims Trump announced pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from the former Honduran president

    Video & Audio 12/01/25 6:36 PM EST

  2. Nick Fuentes says his interview with Tucker Carlson was “so friendly,” and that he never felt Carlson was trying to stop him from being antisemitic

    Video & Audio 12/01/25 4:37 PM EST

  3. Podcaster Tim Dillon criticizes Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy: “Hey, Sean. No one has any money.”

    Video & Audio 12/01/25 3:10 PM EST

  4. GOP candidate in Tennessee special election turns to Jeffrey Epstein's “comeback consultant” Steve Bannon

    Article 12/01/25 2:25 PM EST

  5. YouTuber Brett Cooper argues “remigration” is “necessary”

    Video & Audio 12/01/25 2:25 PM EST

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Current page 2
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • One America News Network

    One-America-News-Network-MMFA-Tag.png

Related

  1. The Trump administration launches assault on the EPA’s endangerment finding following decades-long right-wing media campaign

    Research/Study 08/14/25 2:26 PM EDT

  2. Right-wing media mocked and denied LGBTQ suicide rates. Now the Trump administration aims to gut the suicide hotline.

    Research/Study 05/16/25 5:05 PM EDT

  3. Kari Lake says Voice of America will push OAN content abroad. This is how network personalities discussed foreign policy since Trump took office.

    Research/Study 05/16/25 9:04 AM EDT

Media Matters for America

Sign up for email updates
  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • RSS

© 2025 Media Matters for America

RSS