U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger told NBC’s Meet the Press on Aug. 28 that if other members of the House of Representatives left Capitol Hill with sensitive documents and were asked to come back then, “and we’ve refused to do that for years, we would be. in real trouble.” FBI agents searched the former president’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida home on Aug. 8 after reviewing 184 classified documents he previously kept there, according to a heavily redacted search warrant affidavit unsealed this week. US Justice Department investigators have suggested in court documents that Mr Trump’s mishandling of classified information returned from Mar-a-Lago to the National Archives and Records Administration could obstruct justice, endanger the national security and jeopardize intelligence operations. “The hypocrisy of people in my party who spent years shouting ‘lock her up’ for Hillary Clinton because of some deleted email or ‘wiping a server’ quote are defending a man who clearly didn’t take national security head on. ,” Mr. Kinzinger said on Sunday. “This is disgusting, in my mind. No president should act that way, obviously.” Republican leaders have rallied to the former president’s defense as he continues to rage on his social media platform in the days after the raid and subsequent public scrutiny, while US intelligence officials and lawmakers have issued their own assessments of the risks. national security related to Mr. Trump’s handling of it. of the documents. House Republican leadership was quick to respond immediately after news of the raid broke. GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested a Republican-controlled Congress investigate U.S. Attorney General Merrick and accused the Justice Department of an “unbearable state of gun politicization.” GOP Caucus Chairwoman Elise Stefanik called the Justice Department “a real threat to democracy.” Meanwhile, far-right threats to federal law enforcement have stepped up in response to the raid, according to extremism researchers. The FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security also issued a joint internal bulletin warning of “an increase in threats and acts of violence” against federal officials.
