Locals React to FBI Raid on Mar-a-Lago

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—George said he thinks former president Donald Trump got what he deserved with the Mar-a-Lago raid.

But he also said the raid was politically motivated and that he doesn’t trust the FBI.

“Even though I don’t like him, I think it’s all part of the same game from the other side, just to take away the election from him,” said George who preferred not to have his surname published.

George said that while he supports the Democrats, the Biden administration has done so badly that it’s almost guaranteed to lose the next election.

Among Florida locals interviewed near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, most said the FBI raid has destroyed their trust in the federal government.

Even the release of new documents explaining the FBI raid would likely not change their feelings.

“I feel like whatever we get is whatever they want us to see. So they may give you a good reason. They may not. But I feel like, in the end, it’s just whatever they wanted,” George said.

He added that he believes the FBI has always been political. He said he sees the Trump raid and former FBI director James Comey’s press conference on Hillary Clinton as two sides of the same coin.

‘Shattered Trust’

West Palm Beach resident John Leary said that no matter what new court documents get released on the Mar-a-Lago raid, the FBI can’t repair his shattered trust. Leary supports Trump.

“The damage has been done,” he said. “This is a pattern to see that it has been engaged in for a long time. For the four years of the Trump administration, senior people at the FBI engaged in exactly this type of behavior.”

John Leary, West Palm Beach resident, on Aug. 18, 2022. Leary said he doesn’t trust the FBI after

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