(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Newly unsealed documents in in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case reveal that the FBI authorized the use of deadly force when planning its August 2022 raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
The newly revealed information comes from a Trump motion to suppress evidence gathered during the FBI’s “unconstitutional” raid on Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s lawyers filed the motion in February, and Judge Aileen Cannon had it unsealed Tuesday.
The motion cited the FBI’s “operations order” for the Mar-a-Lago raid. That order contained a “Policy Statement” regarding “Use Of Deadly Force,” which authorized FBI agents to use deadly force “when necessary.”
The policy statement even authorized the FBI to “engage” with Trump’s Secret Service guards.
The newly revealed records sparked an immediate uproar among conservatives.
Here is the use of deadly force instructions attached to the FBI's operational instructions.
Head of Washington FBI field office when this was executed: Steven D'Antuono.
Recall who authorized the raid: Merrick Garland
The FBI risked the lives of Donald Trump, his family, his… pic.twitter.com/XHHLDYqWgV
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 21, 2024
“Recall who authorized the raid: Merrick Garland. The FBI risked the lives of Donald Trump, his family, his staff, and MAL guests for a publicity stunt to make it look like Trump stole national security files,” said reporter Julie Kelly, who first reported on the documents.
“People need to be arrested for this.”
However, former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin downplayed the new information. He said the “policy statement” flagged by Trump’s lawyers is typical for executing search warrants.
People should probably ask the @SuspendablesUSA about this stuff before going on.
There is nothing out of the ordinary in these highlights.
They are boilerplate. https://t.co/xRqoZPF6xM
— Kyle Seraphin (@KyleSeraphin) May 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Judge Cannon has paused the classified documents case until a number of pre-trial issues could be settled.
Earlier this month, Cannon vacated a May 20 trial date and set deadlines for multiple pre-trial hearings. But the judge said it was too soon to set a new trial date, especially with issues pending regarding the Classified Information Procedures Act.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 felony counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn’t have security clearance, and tried to dodge the government’s attempts to get them back.
Trump has repeatedly said that the civil and criminal charges he faces are the result of politically motivated prosecutions designed to keep him from returning to the White House.
Trump is gearing up for a rematch in November with President Joe Biden.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
