McCarthy vows to investigate 'weaponized politicization' of DOJ after FBI raid on Trump's home
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has warned that if Republicans take back control of the House they will investigate the "weaponized politicization" of the Department of Justice following the FBI raid on the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted to his official Twitter account on Monday, McCarthy denounced the raid and vowed to investigate the U.S. Department of Justice should the Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives in January.
“I’ve seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization,” McCarthy said. “When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned.”
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“Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar,” McCarthy said.
The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday evening in a move that has been denounced by many Republicans and conservatives as politically motivated and unprecedented.
The White House was reportedly not told about the raid, which was reportedly tied to classified documents that Trump allegedly took with him after leaving the White House last year, according to multiple reports.
In February, the National Archives and Records Administration reported that it needed to retrieve 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago the month before that were supposed to be handed over to them.
The January collecting of documents raised questions on if Trump was violating the Presidential Records Act, which mandates the preservation of written communications related to a president’s official duties.
“The Presidential Records Act is critical to our democracy, in which the government is held accountable by the people,” said archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, as reported by The Washington Post.
“Whether through the creation of adequate and proper documentation, sound records management practices, the preservation of records, or the timely transfer of them to the National Archives at the end of an Administration, there should be no question as to need for both diligence and vigilance. Records matter.”
Jonathan Turley, a professor and constitutional law expert, told Fox News on Tuesday morning that laws on classified documents were "not heavily enforced" and usually included only light punishments.
"Sandy Berger being an example. He actually stuffed documents in his socks and snuck them out of a secure location leaving them at a spot to be retrieved later. He received no jail time and just pled guilty to a misdemeanor. He wasn’t even forced to lose his security clearance permanently," said Turley on "Fox & Friends."
"It was just a three-year suspension. So this is an act that is not known for robust criminal enforcement. That does raise questions as to the all-hands-on-deck raid that occurred."
Trump released a statement Monday confirming the raid, which he described as a “weaponization of the Justice System” and “an attack by Radical Left Democrats.”
“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” wrote Trump.
“Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before.”
Trump added that FBI personnel “broke into my safe” and drew parallels between the raid and the Watergate scandal, “where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee.”
“Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 E-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House,” he added.
“I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption, I restored power to the people, and truly delivered for our Country, like we have never seen before. The establishment hated it. Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more.”
