GOP officials accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department after Donald Trump revealed the FBI had searched his Florida residence.
Republican lawmakers and officials accused the Biden administration on Monday night of weaponizing the Justice Department for political ends after former President Donald Trump revealed that the FBI had searched his Florida home.
Allies were quick to back Trump’s claim that the unprecedented search of a former president’s home was politically motivated, with some vowing to take action on Capitol Hill.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, said the Justice Department had reached “an intolerable state of weaponized politicization” and vowed that Republicans would conduct oversight of the department if they win back the chamber in the November midterm elections.
“Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar,” McCarthy said in a statement.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who leads the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, tweeted that the search was part of a history of the Biden administration’s “going after” its political opponents, without providing any supporting details. Scott also demanded answers about the FBI’s actions, insisting that the bureau “must explain what they were doing today & why.”
A source familiar with the matter said the search was tied to classified documents Trump is alleged to have taken with him from the White House to his Palm Beach resort in January 2021.
A separate source said it is the Trump team’s understanding that the investigation is related to the transfer of documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago and that agents seized several boxes of documents.
The Republican National Committee’s chair, Ronna McDaniel, suggested the FBI activity was a partisan attack.
“Countless times we have examples of Democrats flouting the law and abusing power with no recourse,” McDaniel said in a statement, suggesting the only way to stop Democrats “is to elect Republicans in November.”
Other Republicans raised concerns about the potential electoral implications, both in November and in 2024.
