Republicans Blast ‘Weaponization’ of FBI Against Trump: ‘Imagine What 87K More IRS Agents Will Do to You’

Police direct traffic outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago es
AP Photo/Terry Renna

Following the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Republican officials in the House and Senate slammed the move, calling it a “weaponization” of federal agencies while warning of the ramifications for average citizens nationwide.

On Monday, the FBI searched former President Trump’s Florida estate, apparently as part of an investigation into whether classified records were taken from the White House to the residence. 

The former president lamented the “dark times for our nation” the move signaled in a lengthy statement that claimed agents had even breached his safe.

In response, Republicans took to Twitter to blast the raid, while warning of the consequences of the Biden administration’s hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents to increase their enforcement power. 

“The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves,” wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

“Now the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic,” he added.

“Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar,” wrote House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

“We are in uncharted and dangerous territory and the DOJ doesn’t want to comment on it,” wrote Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

“This is insane!” he added.

“Hunter Biden skates free while DOJ executes a political plot to destroy lives of political opponents,” he wrote in another tweet. “This is un-American and @Jim_Jordan led Judiciary Committee hearings in January can’t come soon enough!”

Banks also claimed Republicans “have a moral duty to fight back!”

If the FBI can raid the home of a former US President, imagine what 87,000 more IRS agents will do to you,” he wrote in yet another tweet.

“The FBI isn’t doing anything about the groups vandalizing Catholic Churches, firebombing Pro-Life groups or threatening Supreme Court justices,” wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “But they find time to raid Mar A Lago.”

“After todays raid on Mar A Lago what do you think the left plans to use those 87,000 new IRS agents for?” he asked in another tweet.

“One more example of our two-tiered system of justice,” wrote Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).

 “Who do you think they’ll weaponize the 87,000 IRS agents against?” he asked. “The answer is obvious. Their political enemies.”

“WAKE UP! Joe Biden is using the FBI to go after President Trump!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!” exclaimed Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX).

“Democrats are voting to double the size of the IRS so they can come after you for MORE of your hard-earned paycheck,” he added. “Is this the Soviet Union or Communist China? They MUST be stopped!”

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” wrote RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “Countless times we have examples of Democrats flaunting the law and abusing power with no recourse, including Hunter Biden.”

“Democrats continually weaponize the bureaucracy against Republicans,” she added. “This raid is outrageous.”

“The Democrat led Department of Justice has declared an all out war on President Trump and his supporters,” wrote Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX). “This does not happen in civilized countries.” 

“If this can happen to a President of the United States. Imagine what can happen to you,” he added. “I strongly stand with Donald J. Trump.”

“In third world countries and banana republics they prosecute the former presidents/leaders and their staff,” wrote Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

“Right now, we look beneath them,” he added. “We are in a race to the bottom.”

“The DOJ & FBI are being weaponized like never before to target political opponents. This Admin has thrown the rule of law and faith in our democratic institutions out the door,” wrote Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY).

“Joe Biden and Merrick Garland must answer immediately for today’s raid against an American president,” she added.

“The FBI and DOJ are acting as the political enforcers of the Democrat Party,” wrote Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC). “The FBI must immediately release the information used to obtain the warrant. Garland and Wray must immediately come before @JudiciaryGOP.”

“Republicans must smash the FBl into a million pieces,” he added.

“The same FBI that cooked up a plot to kidnap governors before an election just raided Biden’s most likely challenger,” Bishop wrote in another tweet. “Democrats are cheering on the weaponization of law enforcement against political opponents. They don’t care about ‘democracy’: just crushing their enemies.”

“The US has become a totalitarian state run by Deep state, woke, radical Democrats who are hell bent on destroying our country,” wrote Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL).

“You want to take Trump down? All this will do is bring more people to his cause,” he added.

“The FBI has proven time and again that it is corrupt to the core,” wrote Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “At what point do we abolish the Bureau and start over?”

“The weaponization and politicalization of federal agencies is egregious and scary. These are Gestapo-like tactics,” Duncan wrote in another tweet. “If the FBI can do this to President Trump, what do you think 87,000 new IRS agents will do to the American people?”

“The FBI is raiding President Trump’s home in Maralago! This is the rogue behavior of communist countries, NOT the United States of America!!!” wrote Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

“These are the type of things that happen in countries during civil war,” she added. “The political persecution MUST STOP!!!”

 “The only thing missing from the unprecedented FBI raid at President Trump’s home is Muammar Gaddafi’s sunglasses and cap on Joe Biden,” wrote Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).

“Congress must look into the viability of our federal law enforcement agencies that abuse their authorities for political purposes,” Biggs wrote in another tweet. “Rogue individuals within the FBI and DOJ are violating their oath of office by not upholding the law and they need to be held more accountable.”

“Within 24 hrs, Senate Dems voted to double the number of IRS agents and Biden’s DOJ has raided the home of a former president,” wrote Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). “This means we’re all fair game for our newly enlarged gov’t oversight – no one is safe from political persecution.”

“Biden’s FBI just raided the house of the man most likely to be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2024…on top of all the other fake investigations into President Trump,” wrote Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

“Stop weaponizing federal agencies to distract from your own failed agenda!” she added.

“The same Democrats cheering on the FBI raiding President Trump’s house are trying to give the IRS 87,000 new agents and an additional $80 billion,” Boebert wrote in another tweet. “And we’re supposed to believe they won’t also weaponize the IRS.”

She also called on the GOP to “set up a Select Committee to investigate the FBI’s politically-motivated raid on Mar-a-Lago and on ALL the fraudulent persecution of President Trump from our government.”

“This cannot wait,” she added. “We are turning into a banana republic at record speed.”

“The same @FBI that spent four years leading a political witch hunt against Donald Trump, even going so far as to use documents that were knowingly falsified by the Democrat Party, is now raiding the President’s home,” wrote Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL).

The same @FBI that allowed Hillary Clinton to maintain a private server and delete over 30,000 emails without ever facing prosecution, is now raiding the President’s home,” he wrote in another tweet.

He also charged that the same FBI that “turned a blind eye to Hunter Biden’s laptops and shady overseas dealings, is now raiding the President’s home.”

“It’s time for us in the Florida Legislature to call an emergency legislative session & amend our laws regarding federal agencies,” wrote Florida State Rep. and congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini (R).

“Sever all ties with DOJ immediately,” he added. “Any FBI agent conducting law enforcement functions outside the purview of our State should be arrested upon sight.”

“I will support a complete dismantling and elimination of the democrat brown shirts known as the FBI,” wrote Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ). “This is too much for our republic to withstand.”

“Joe Biden is trying to use the FBI to subdue his top political opponent because they are afraid of him running in 2024,” wrote Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN).

“They will do anything to hold onto power and the administrative state, full of left leaning bureaucrats, is willing to do their bidding,” she added.

“We know officials of the DOJ have broken the rules before to target Donald Trump. We need to know if it happened again today,” wrote Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA).

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.