We very much appreciate their concern, however, unlike Democrats, we cannot stay in a state of perpetual outrage, and now it’s the time to let it play through. However, we don’t forget. Like, that the DOJ was concerned about the material all the way back in January, yet, waited till August to ask for the search warrant, then waited 7 days to implement it (paywalled Times article here)
Republicans, Once Outraged by Mar-a-Lago Search, Become Quieter as Details Emerge
In the minutes and hours after the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s residence in Florida this month, his supporters did not hesitate to denounce what they saw as a blatant abuse of power and outrageous politicization of the Justice Department.
But with the release of a redacted affidavit detailing the justification for the search, the former president’s allies were largely silent, a potentially telling reaction with ramifications for his political future.
“I would just caution folks not to draw too many conclusions,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, a Republican, said on Fox News. It was a starkly different admonition from his earlier condemnations of what he said were “politically motivated actions.”
Some Republicans will no doubt rally around Trump and his claim that he is once again being targeted by a rogue FBI that is still out to get him. His former acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said on Twitter that “this raid was, in fact, just about documents,” which he called “simply outrageous.” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. and an ardent Trump ally, was on the right-wing broadcaster Newsmax denouncing the FBI as politically biased, though he notably did not defend the former president’s possession of highly classified documents.
But generally, even the most bombastic Republicans — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Jim Jordan of Ohio — were at least initially focused elsewhere. Greene was posting on Friday about border “invasions.” Boebert noted on Twitter the anniversary of the suicide bombing of U.S. service members at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Jordan was focused on an interview with Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder. None tweeted about the affidavit.
There are plenty of things to be outraged over. The Times failed to mention what the Facebook issue is, namely, the FBI played political games in warning Zuckerberg that the information on Hunter Biden was “Russian disinformation.” Perhaps Green was concerned that documents show that the Biden admin is still releasing COVID positive illegals at the border. It’s rather important that U.S. service members were killed a year ago due to Biden incompetence, is it not?
And voters are again distracted by Trump in the political spotlight, even as Republicans try to direct their attention toward the economy and soaring inflation when the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said efforts to control rising prices would exact pain on Americans.
All of this could mean that enough Republican voters grow weary of the division and drama around Trump and are ready to move on.
We wouldn’t be distracted if the FBI hadn’t performed a dawn raid for what appears to be political purposes, and, come on, Democrats and their pet media haven’t stopped talking about Trump since he left office. Don’t expect Republican voters to move on, though. We can remember everything without the type of never-ending apoplexy Democrats engage in. There are so many issues in Biden’s America that it’s hard to focus on everything, it’s hard to continue the constant outrage. Meanwhile, if you look at the NY Times this morning, all the articles on the Mar-O-Lago raid are way down the page.
Read: NY Times Is Very Concerned That Republicans Aren’t In Perpetual Outrage Over Trump Search »