“Locked & Loaded Ready to Take Me Out” Trump Reacts to Standard FBI Deadly Force Policy in Mar-a-Lago Search
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This week, Donald Trump and his supporters vocally criticized a seemingly alarming detail in a court document related to the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate, which mentioned the FBI’s authorization to use “deadly force.” However, it was soon clarified that this phrase is standard for all FBI searches, including the recent investigations into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported, “A person familiar with the Hur investigation confirms that the standard Department of Justice policy statement regarding the use of deadly force was also included in the operations order for the searches at President Biden’s residences in Delaware.” This statement highlights the routine nature of such language in law enforcement operations, aiming to quell the controversy stirred by its mention in relation to Trump’s property search.
The FBI conducted searches on both former presidents’ properties under similar protocols. Biden was under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Hur after attorneys found papers with classified markings among his personal items. Unlike Trump, whose actions were seen as a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice by hiding documents, Biden’s case was deemed unintentional, leading Hur to conclude the investigation without charges.
However, Hur’s final report controversially commented on Biden’s mental fitness, sparking further debate. In response to the revelation about the deadly force policy, Trump sent an email to his followers claiming hyperbolically that “Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out.” Heinrich noted in her coverage, “The FBI said standard protocol was followed, no additional steps were taken and there was no departure from the norm.
This news about the deadly force policy also being in place for the FBI searches at Biden’s homes underscores that point.” The ongoing legal saga surrounding the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago continues to evolve.
The case, which also involves Trump’s valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira, remains stalled. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump, has indefinitely postponed the trial, citing unresolved pretrial disputes that have lingered for months. As the case unfolds, the uniform application of FBI procedures in both Trump and Biden’s cases highlights the procedural standardization in such sensitive matters, despite the political firestorm it may ignite.
