Results for: Mar-a-Lago raid

The authorization of deadly force in the felony search warrant executed at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 has raised concerns about the weaponization of the criminal justice system. Former federal prosecutor Brett Tolman argues that the use of such language was inappropriate and unnecessary, given that Trump was not present at the property and had active legal counsel and Secret Service protection. The Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation could have exercised discretion to conduct the search without using raid tactics that dictated the use of deadly force. Tolman emphasizes the potential for violence when law enforcement agencies are given excessive power, especially in politically charged cases like this one.

In an abrupt shift in strategy, attorneys for Donald Trump’s co-defendants have filed a motion arguing that FBI agents were not thorough enough in their search of Mar-a-Lago, potentially missing key evidence. They claim that a hidden room and a locked closet, which may have contained classified documents, were not searched. The motion seeks records related to the FBI’s alleged failure to search these areas, which the defense argues invalidates their obstruction charges.