FBI Raid on Trump Residence Is ‘Puzzling,’ Says Former AG Gilmore

If you consider the legality of the “raid” on Mar-a-Largo, the FBI pursued its investigation by the book.

However, when you consider the political component of the raid on a former president, the FBI’s conduct is puzzling, said former Virginia governor and attorney general James (Jim) Gilmore.

“This search has two components to it. One is the legal side … The second issue is political. Usually, if you’re a law enforcement official, you are careful about taking public actions against a public official,” Gilmore told The Epoch Times.

Gilmore stated that in Virginia, for example, law enforcement couldn’t investigate a public official without first obtaining permission from the governor, the attorney general, or a grand jury.

U.S. attorney general Merrick Garland turns away and leaves the podium after speaking about the FBI’s search warrant served at former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Fla., on Aug. 11, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstei/Reuters)

If law enforcement doesn’t have one of the above, they can’t conduct the investigation.

He said it was set up that way because there’s recognition of the potential political fallout and a desire for people to retain confidence in democracy.

“These things are handled with a recognition of the seriousness of the attack on an elected official, and in this case, a former elected official because it undermines the public’s confidence in their own democracy.

“I just questioned whether or not the attorney general understood both of these components.

“I think that the legal side of it is not that difficult, although it is puzzling to me. But the political side seems to be completely ignored.”

Too Many Questions

Gilmore said he doesn’t understand why Trump’s lawyers couldn’t work out an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the document handover.

Some have suggested lawyers on both sides were

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