Republican lawmakers and officials accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department for political purposes on Monday night after former President Donald Trump revealed that the FBI had searched his Florida home.
Allies backed Trump’s claim that the unprecedented search of the former president’s home was politically motivated, with some vowing to act 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 oversee the department if they win the chamber back in the November midterm elections.
“Attorney General Garland, keep your documents safe and clear your calendar,” McCarthy said in a statement.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who leads the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, tweeted that the finding was part of the Biden administration’s history of “going behind” its political opponents, without providing any supporting details. Scott also sought answers about the FBI’s actions, insisting that the bureau should “explain what they were doing today and why.”
A source familiar with the matter said the search was linked 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 pertains to the transfer of documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago and that agents have seized several boxes of documents.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna McDaniel suggested that the FBI activity was a partisan attack.
“Countless times we have examples of Democrats flouting the law and abusing power without recourse,” McDaniel said in a statement, adding that the only way to stop Democrats “is to elect Republicans in November.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump pressured to help him carry out his plan to reverse the 2020 election, also slammed the Justice Department.
“No former President of the United States has ever raided his private residence in American history,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “After years where FBI agents were acting on political motivation during our administration, the presence of continued bias must be addressed by the Justice Department.”
“Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our justice system and Attorney General Garland must give the American people full account of why this action was taken and he must do so immediately,” he wrote.
Other Republicans raised concerns about potential election implications in both November and 2024.
“We are 100 days away from mid-term elections. President Trump is likely to run again in 2024. No one is above the law. Law must be above politics,” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “However, launching such an investigation of a former president close to the election is beyond problematic.”
Republicans considered potential White House contenders in 2024 also weighed in.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested the finding was “another escalation” in an attempt to use political power against opponents of the administration, “while people like Hunter Biden deal with baby gloves.”
South Dakota Gov. Christie Noem also referred to the discovery as an example of the Justice Department’s “unprecedented political weaponization,” saying Trump’s investigations by the agency over the years were “un-American.”
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the FBI finding, and the White House said it was given no heads-up.
“We were not informed of the reported action and we will refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information,” a White House official said.