‘Defund the FBI’? GOP leaders sharpen criticism of FBI, DOJ after Mar-a-Lago search

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in recent years have become increasingly critical of the FBI and Department of Justice.

Now, after federal agents showed up unannounced at former President Donald Trump’s South Florida home, they’re starting to support actually doing something about it.

Monday’s surprise search and seizure of documents at Mar-a-Lago elicited a forceful reaction from top Republican and conservative officials, many of whom condemned the federal law enforcement agencies, talked openly of retribution and even spoke of defunding them outright.

Should the party take back either chamber of Congress in November’s election, the rhetoric offered a glimpse of how the party might govern — and how far it is willing to go to change the country’s law-enforcement apparatus.

“This should scare the living daylights out of American citizens, and say, we have got to change our federal government,” said Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, during an interview Tuesday on Fox Business. “The way our federal government has gone, it’s like what we thought about the Gestapo, people like that. They just go after people.”

The response from Republicans risks putting the party at odds with its stated support for law-and-order policies, particularly as they continue to insist that Democrats want to defund police departments nationwide. And although Republicans from top to bottom have been critical of the FBI’s action, some party leaders have stopped short of blunt calls to censure the agency — while others have urged their grassroots activists to hold off on judgment until the reasons for the search warrant become more clear.

A source familiar with the matter said federal prosecutors have been investigating Trump on two fronts, including his handling of classified information and his potential role in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

A separate source close to the investigation said FBI agents seized dozens of boxes of what could be classified materials, after establishing probable cause with a federal magistrate in West Palm Beach, Florida.

But most top Republicans, including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, accused the nation’s top law enforcement agencies of carrying out a political agenda instead of serving justice.

The DOJ, McCarthy said in a statement, had “reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.”

“When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned,” the California Republican said. “Attorney General (Merrick) Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar.”

Other Republicans went even further, threatening to withhold funding from the nation’s most well-known law enforcement agency.

“DEFUND THE FBI!” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia.

Republicans have increased their criticism of the FBI and DOJ since the start of Trump’s presidency in 2017, after it was revealed the FBI had investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between the country and Trump’s campaign. Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey in 2017, less than halfway into his 10-year term.

The distrust deepened during the investigation into possible collusion between the president and a foreign adversary by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which became a frequent target of the president’s while in office. Mueller’s report, released in 2019, stopped short of recommending charges against the president or members of his campaign but has been derided by conservatives ever since.

“After years where FBI agents were found to be acting on political motivation during our administration, the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed,” said Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president.

But the criticism after Monday’s search and seizure at Mar-a-Lago was often specific, offering not just a broad critique of the law enforcement agencies but proposing specific actions that Republicans would take if they win control of Congress during this year’s midterm elections.

“At a minimum, Garland must resign or be impeached,” Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted. “The search warrant must be published. (FBI Director) Christoper Wray must be removed. And the FBI reformed top to bottom.”

Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017. Garland was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate last year.

Other Republicans, even some figures seen as plotting a future presidential campaign, issued a more measured response. Tim Scott, a Republican senator from South Carolina, urged people on Tuesday not to rush to judgment, saying he wasn’t sure what the FBI is investigating or what it found.

“This is going to raise more questions, in my opinion,” Scott said during an appearance on CBS. “We need to let this play out and see exactly what happens.”

Scott is seen as a possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate, though he has repeatedly praised Trump and his actions as president.

Democrats, for their part, said the GOP’s rising level of criticism against law enforcement officials could give their party an opening to accuse Republicans of being soft on crime.

Doing so would mark a turnabout for the party, which suffered politically in 2020 after calls from some of its politicians to reduce funding to police departments.

“The GOP is all about ‘backing the blue’ until an investigation doesn’t go their way — then they accuse cops of being corrupt partisan operatives,” said Sacha Haworth, a Democratic strategist. “This is only the latest example of how extreme the Republican Party has become, and how they will abuse and sully respected institutions of government to further their anti-democratic agenda.”

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(McClatchyDC reporter Michael Wilner and Miami Herald reporter Jay Weaver contributed to this story.)

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