Former Vice President Mike Pence said the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort “undermines” Americans’ faith in the justice system and called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to give a full explanation on why the search of the ex-president’s home was necessary.
“I share the deep concern of millions of Americans over the unprecedented search of the personal residence of President Trump. No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history,” Pence tweeted Tuesday.
“Yesterday’s action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately,” he said, adding his voice to the chorus of Republicans seeking answers from the Justice Department about Monday’s raid.
The former veep said because of events during the Trump administration when FBI agents were found to be acting out of political motivations, “the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed.”
Trump confirmed the FBI’s raid on his South Florida property on Monday when he released a statement saying that his home had been “raided, and occupied.”
He blamed the search on “Radical Left Democrats” who are trying to stop him from running for re-election in 2024.
“The political persecution of President Donald J. Trump has been going on for years, with the now fully debunked Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, and so much more,” he said in the statement released on Truth Social.
“It just never ends. It is political targeting at the highest level,” Trump said.
The FBI’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election was decried by supporters of the former president as a politically motivated hit job that was largely based on an unsubstantiated dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele and allegations against former campaign aide Carter Page.
Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general, examined the FBI’s probe into the Trump campaign, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane, and found that the agency had committed multiple errors but did uncover any political bias.
