TRUMP IS LAWLESS, EVEN FOX NEWS AGREES

By Akin Ojumu

In the aftermath of the execution of a search warrant by the FBI on Donald Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, the ex-president and his loyalists have reacted with lies, threats, violence, fire and brimstone. The rightwing social media has become a combustible of hostility towards law enforcement and ominous threats against the men and women of the FBI are bellowing from the dark recesses of the conservative media.

Allies of Trump have floated multiple talking points to defend their man, whom they see as a poor victim of a witch-hunt. Never mind that there’s no smoke without fire and that witch-hunters only hunt for people they reasonably suspect to be practicing witchcraft.

Painting the Mar-a-Lago search as a raid by Trump’s political enemies, the MAGA world attacks the Justice Department, and they issue Fatwas against the Federal Judge who signed the search warrant and the FBI agents who carried out the search. 

Over the course of 1 week since the search, however, the tale Trump and his loyalists spin about the FBI search keep shifting and their excuses have continued to evolve. They seem to be throwing Jell-O on the wall trying to see which will stick. 

As it is with most confabulations cooked up on the fly, all of Trump’s talking points have exploded in his face. Whether it’s on stuff that he has released on his Truth Social account himself or the talking-heads that he has dispersed all over television to proliferate his lies including his own children, all of the malarkeys have been debunked.

The following are samples:

1. It’s a FBI Witch-Hunt 

Lie. The same FBI announced reopening an investigation of Hillary Clinton, ten days to the 2016 presidential election in which she was the leading candidate. That announcement, which turned out to be a dud, contributed to Clinton’s loss to Trump.

2. I Wasn’t Given a Copy of the FBI Search Warrant

Lie. Trump’s own lawyer, Christina Bobb, confirmed that Trump received a copy.

3. The FBI Didn’t Allow Anyone to Witness the Search

Lie. Christiana Bobb, Trump’s lawyer, witnessed the search.

4. The FBI Planted Evidence During the Raid

Lie. His own lawyer was there.

5. I didn’t Keep Classified Documents in Mar-a-Lago

Lie. As many as 40 boxes of secret government documents at various stages of classification have been seized from Trump since leaving office.

6. The Raid Wasn’t Necessary, We Were Cooperating with the FBI

Lie. The FBI tried everything necessary to get Trump to return government secret documents in his possession. He was afforded the respect as an ex-POTUS; they met and pleaded with him over 18 months to get him to relinquish the documents. In June, after all cordial attempts had failed, the FBI subpoenaed him. Still, Trump did not comply, he held on to the documents. 

7. Obama Also Kept 33 Million Pages of Secret Documents in his Home

Lie. The National Archives released a statement denying the allegation. 

Sheepishly, Trump followers have been brainwashed to thoughtlessly parrot these debunked talking points. At no time have these incandescent, spittle-flecked MAGA minions paused to ask themselves why an ex-president would store in his basement Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) meant to be kept only in a highly secured specialized facility, long after he’s left office.

That Donald Trump is a pathological liar with no regard for the rule of law is a fact established decades ago. This is a man who falsifies his wealth depending on who’s asking; he understates it to avoid paying taxes and alimonies, and he conveniently inflates it when applying for loans and to get on the Forbes List. It’s the same man who told the Secretary of Georgia, “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” openly asking an election official to rig the election for him.

Donald Trump is a liar and a lawbreaker. Anyone who defends him, and helps proliferate his lies, is complicit in his crimes.