Republican reaction to FBI raid on Trump’s home reveals a nation on the edge of lawlessness

While the former US president and the Republican Party have traditionally presented themselves as advocates of law and order, they have now chosen to attack law enforcement
Without the constraints of office, Trump has been a loose cannon, inclined to further widen the rift within the country to benefit himself

Thomas O. Falk

Published: 1:30am, 22 Aug, 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

January 20, 2021 should have initiated a stark paradigm shift. Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president should have meant a return to sanity after four years of carnage under Donald Trump. A cleansing of anti-democratic forces and a repair of constitutional norms that suffered so tremendously. However, 19 months later, the situation in the United States has arguably worsened, as the FBI’s raid on Trump’s home displayed.

The event was a reminder that Republicans are prepared to not only accept but also encourage political violence in the US as long as it benefits their agendas and helps increase their power.

The irony is that Trump and the Republicans have traditionally presented themselves as staunch advocates of law and order. Now, they have dramatically reversed course. While the Republican response to progressive Democrats’ ill-advised slogan “ defund the police” was “back the blue”, they have begun to incite hatred against law enforcement after the bureau raided Trump’s estate for, inter alia, suspicion of violating the Espionage Act. According to a receipt for confiscated items, which was also released, FBI agents found several sets of top secret documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Those who thought Republicans could withhold judgment, given that national security interests may be at stake, were quickly proven wrong. Instead of criticising Trump, Republicans have been trying to gain financial and political benefit from the FBI raid – even if it further divides society, and even though everyone ought to be cognisant, at least since the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6 last year, that words have consequences and that American democracy is currently highly fragile.

But that doesn’t stop Trump loyalists from using dangerous rhetoric. Republican politicians likened the FBI to the Gestapo, the secret police in Nazi Germany. Reacting to the FBI raid, former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka wrote on Twitter: “They have declared war on 74 million Americans.” Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said the FBI could be called the “American Stasi”. Republican Congressman Paul Gosar called for the “dismantling and elimination” of the FBI.

Moreover, since the raid, conservative broadcasters Fox News, Newsmax and OAN have fuelled the narrative that the raid is the beginning of the end of the American dream, yet another attack of “the deep state”, and that Democrats are coming for Republicans. Trump himself has been pontificating about an “attack on democracy” for days and critiquing the FBI harshly.

The impact of this barrage of attacks has already been felt. An armed man tried to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati last week and was shot dead after a chase. The man was known to the FBI in connection with the January 6 attack on the Capitol and because of contacts with right-wing extremist groups.

CNN reported that the FBI has been investigating an “unprecedented” number of threats against its employees and property since the raid. Together with the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI has warned of “violent threats” against federal law enforcement, courts, and government employees and facilities.

Right-wing extremists had previously targeted FBI chief Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, but after his name became known, the judge responsible for the case also received death threats. The Middle East Media Research Institute’s domestic terror threat monitor report lists several comments on internet platforms urging people to arm themselves and prepare for violence, and threatening that FBI agents would “die for their treason” and “public executions”.

01:36

FBI raids former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home

But even these realities have deterred neither the Republicans nor Trump. Trump himself continues to fan the flames on his Truth Social media platform, saying, for example, that “America has never suffered this kind of abuse in law enforcement” or “this break-in was a sneak attack on democracy”.

Where does it all stop? While there was a brief moment of hope that Trump’s departure could usher in some form of healing and end the extreme tribalism that has estranged families and friends alike, it is now apparent that the situation in the US continues to deteriorate.

Militias are becoming more assertive and political polarisation is arguably at its highest since the end of the Civil War. Terms such as “secession” and “civil war” are no longer bandied about just on the fringes of society.

US needs another ‘great communicator’ to heal divisions, not Biden or Trump

When will Republicans say enough is enough? When will they realise the temperature has to be lowered to avoid pushing the US into bedlam?

As the events of January 6 showed, Americans who genuinely believe their country is under attack are ready for anything. The Republican Party and Trump are well aware of this but continue to push these harmful narratives in the pursuit of political and financial gain. Fundraising has increased significantly since the raid.

03:32

One year after US Capitol attack, Biden addresses the state of American democracy

Even though Trump is no longer president, the power he yields over the Republican Party has hardly changed as the “Make America Great Again” movement within the party remains alive and well. Without the constraints of office, he has been a loose cannon, inclined to widen the rift within the country even further to benefit himself. Whether this is for political purposes, financial gain or sheer malevolence will be seen over the next few months.

What we know for certain, however, is that the Republican Party, the party of law and order, has once again decided to side with Trump, despite him ushering in yet another wave of volatility in the country.

Thomas O. Falk is an independent journalist and political analyst