Former Vice President Mike Pence has slammed the FBI and Department of Justice after agents raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“I share the deep concern of millions of Americans over the unprecedented search of the personal residence of President Trump. No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history,” Mr Pence tweeted on Tuesday.
“After years where FBI agents were found to be acting on political motivation during our administration, the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed,” he added. “Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately.”
Mr Pence’s statement came hours after Mr Trump announced the search at his residence on Monday night, saying: “Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” he added.
The federal action is believed to be related to an investigation by the National Archives concerning 15 boxes of documents that he brought with him from the White House. They allegedly contain some classified information.
Mr Trump wasn’t present at the residence at the time of the raid, instead issuing a fuming statement from Trump Tower in New York City. A lot of information concerning the raid remains unconfirmed, including whether Mr Trump was told in advance. In his statement, he called the action “unannounced”.
“It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats, who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections,” Mr Trump claimed.
National security journalist Marcy Wheeler referred to the mob of Trump supporters, some of whom chanted “hang Mike Pence” during the Capitol riot on January 6 2021, when she responded to the former VP: “No President has ever attempted to have an armed mob assassinate his Vice President either.”
Virginia US House Representative Don Beyer tweeted in response to Mr Pence: “You don’t know what the FBI’s warrant said or what evidence was presented to the judge who authorized it. Your suggestion that Trump should be beyond accountability to the law, like your silence when Trump called for imprisonment of his opponents as president, harms our country”.
MSNBC producer Steve Benen wrote: “The ‘unprecedented’ talking point remains fascinating. Of course the Mar-a-Lago search, among other investigations, was historically unusual: We’ve never had a former president accused of so much criminal wrongdoing. If Pence thinks this helps his former boss, he’s mistaken”.
“No other president has ever orchestrated a violent coup to overthrow our government and remain in power,” Denver, Colorado US Representative Dianna DeGette said on Twitter.
