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Trump Responds to Filings Unsealed in Classified Docs Case

Image copyright: Joe Raedle/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Court filings released Tuesday revealed that the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) authorized FBI agents to use "deadly force" during their Aug. 8, 2022 raid of former Pres. Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in search of classified documents.

  • The newly unsealed filing contained an "operations order" detailing how agents were allowed to conduct their raid and what they were allowed to bring. The DOJ says"deadly force" is in line with its manual on the use of force and with standard practices.


The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

The FBI's unconstitutional raid of the former president's residence seemed unfairly violent on the surface. This filing shows how far the Biden administration and the Democratic Party were willing to go to try to derail Trump's return to the White House. Now it's more difficult to deny this is a political witch hunt.

Anti-Trump narrative

Unsurprisingly, Trump and his campaign are blowing the wording in this filing out of proportion to deceive the public and play the victim. The FBI has already demonstrated it conducted its search in adherence with standard DOJ protocols. But Trump is trying to play up his victim status in order to drum up more fundraising.


Metaculus Prediction


Public figures in this story


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