The “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC dedicated extensive time Tuesday to the stunning news that former President Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida home Mar-a-Lago was raided Tuesday by the FBI with a search warrant reportedly pursuant to a possible Presidential Records Act violation.
However, the liberal networks were surprisingly not ready to celebrate with ABC and CBS noting there’s been very little “transparency from the Justice Department or the FBI”And, even if they only wanted boxes of Presidential records, it could be rightly viewed as “overreach”By the Department of Justice.
ABC’s Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos called the raid “stunning” in a tease while chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl was even more direct: “This may be the most politically explosive raid ever undertaken by the FBI. It’s a stunning development.”
Speaking after Karl’s lead-off report to chief legal analyst (and NewsNation host) Dan Abrams, Stephanopoulos said viewers need to “kinda take a breath,” inviting him to walk everyone through the process so they understand what would have to happen for that FBI search to take place.”
Stephanopoulos gave an overview of how law enforcement at any level would get a warrant and then opened up to skeptical questions.
We — we believe they took documents away from — from Mar-a-Lago. Questions remain about the mishandling classified information. This is, obviously, a crime. Although it could stop the President running again, that law must be upheld.
Abrams agreed to this argument. “there has to be something more than just a Presidential Records Act violation” Contact the FBI and DOJ “hav[ing] to know something that we don’t know about yet and I think that’s why it’s really important to pause here.”
He said that it would not be just a matter of government. “overreach”If it were only about “nothing more” than boxes of classified documents that shouldn’t have left the White House in January 2021, then “it would be a mistake on the part of the Justice Department.”
There are more CBS MorningsGayle King was the co-host, and a Democratic Party donor. She told Catherine Herridge, chief investigative correspondent for Catherine Herridge, that the raid was illegal. “[s]omething that has not happened before in American history, so just take that in for just a second” and the word “‘unprecedented’ gets used a lot, but searching a former President’s home really is an unprecedented move.”
Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett served in Abrams’s spot on CBS to provide analysis and noted “what we don’t have is very much transparency from the Justice Department or the FBI” and instead “one statement from the former President[.]”
Garrett spoke in more dire terms than others on the broadcast networks, arguing that “this is a dangerous and unstable moment in American history” and that the reaction from “Trump supporters”This raid might turn “combustible.”
He reiterated a few moments later that there’s still plenty we don’t know and that Trump himself could help by releasing the list the FBI had to have provided his counsel of what was taken (click “expand”):
GARRETT said that we don’t have any idea of the facts. We haven’t seen the affidavit. The search warrant has not been seen by us. As I understood it, the search warrant was not visible to us. There would also be an exchange between the lawyers of former President Trump about the details and the reasons for the actions. A receipt that the former President received detailing the activities and legal authority under which federal authorities, could be used as a starting point. The President — the former President is in possession of that and could help explain to the public what happened. If he so desired, he could make it public. The Justice Department could also release it. Also, the FBI. The FBI could also be questioned about this warrant. We do not have any insight as to the true motivation for it, its purpose, and the possible violations of applicable laws. To be honest, it feels highly politicized. And the President seems to enjoy the victimhood atmosphere, just as many others before.
KING: You know, Major, I hear the critics of the President saying, “listen, there had better be a real there there” or this could further divide the country. His supporters say, “look, it’s a witch hunt against the President.” You know, even using the word unprecedented, depending on your point of view.” Unprecedented, because this has never happened before — witch hunt for President Trump. Unprecedented if you’re against the President because you think, “well, surely they have something.” How do you square those two?
Gayle, GARRETT says this all the times. It is vital that our country has a rule of law and everyone must respect it.[T]This country faces a moment in its history where it needs to assess the evidence. What the evidence looks like and how the crimes might be committed.
NBC’s TodayThe biden administration was given the longest rope, but the aurora of caution they had displayed was the same. Savannah Guthrie was the co-host.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence is invaded by the FBI. This is an unprecedented act. According to reports, federal agents were issued a warrant and tied to classified material taken from the whitehouse. Trump claimed Mar-a-Lago was under siege. Protesters gathered there.
Kerry Sanders, a long-time reporter had very little to no punditry and few memorable notes. The only exception was a Trump supporter who carried a sign. reading, “Fake News Is CNN”) aside from the end of his reports leading off each of the first two hours when he invoked Hillary Clinton as having been “repeatedly blasted” by Trump in 2016 “for mishandling information and e-mails.”
CIA puppet and Justice correspondent Ken Dilanian took the spot of providing analysis and, predictably, he gave his friends in the intelligence community the full benefit of the doubt (click “expand”):
DILANIAN: [N]ormally, if an ex-president has documents he shouldn’t have, the government would simply ask for them back. This suggests there was a major rift between Trump’s and the Archives. These documents might have included sensitive information. Savannah, this does not mean Trump is going to be charged with the crime, but it is significant.
GUTHIE: So what does the FBI have in order to convince a federal judge that a warrant like this is authorized?
DILANIAN: To convince a federal judge of evidence that Trump had committed a crime in his Florida residence, the FBI would need to prove that it was possible to recover the information through a search warrant. And multiple people told us they were after — what — the FBI was trying to recover boxes of documents that may have included highly classified information and that they left there with lots of material.
GUTHRIE: What specificity do they need to have about what they are looking for? Also, could this be considered a kind of fishing expedition.
DILANIAN: It can’t be a fishing expedition. They have to tell the judge exactly what they’re looking for and they have to file a document with the court saying what they took. It’s true, however, that they can seize evidence from other criminals if they discover it. [sic] materials.
GUTHRIE
(….)
DILANIAN: [W]e’ve asked that question, Savannah and we’re being told you can’t really rule everything out. We have to be humble about what we don’t know here.
(….)
GUTHRIE: [T]The President described it as a raid and said Mar-a-Lago had been under siege. It was then broken into. What information do you have about this search?
DILANIAN: Yeah. Officials I’ve spoken to have pushed back on describing this as a raid….[T]A judge signed the warrant, giving the FBI authority to enter the home if agents required.
For ABC, CBS and NBC transcripts starting August 9, please click here.
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