The Raid on Mar-a-Lago: Just What Donald Trump Needed
Author: Greg Valliere
August 9, 2022
WITH LEGISLATIVE ISSUES largely resolved until the late-year budget battles, something has to fill the vacuum — and here comes a furious reaction by the Republican base against what it sees as a witch hunt against Trump. The ex-president’s campaign contributions will soar.
A SEARCH WARRANT has to be approved by a federal judge who believes there’s a reasonable case of a crime, and that prompted some Democrats to speculate last night that if Trump violated the law on the handling of sensitive documents, he could be disqualified from running again for president.
THIS STORY HAS PLENTY OF SUB-PLOTS, including an imminent decision by the Justice Department on whether to indict Hunter Biden for perjury, mail fraud and other offenses stemming from his business dealings with China.
VIRTUALLY EVERY REPUBLICAN on the long list of potential 2024 presidential candidates erupted last night over the FBI raid, which is exactly what Trump wants. In private, many Republicans fear Trump will disrupt their 2022 election goals, but they have to stand behind him in this latest furor.
TRUMP HAS TAKEN CONTROL of the party in Arizona, and will score his biggest victory a week from today, as Liz Cheney faces a likely defeat in the Wyoming Republican primary. She probably will head for New Hampshire, where she may launch a presidential bid, and Cheney will continue to press Attorney General Merrick Garland to indict Trump.
NOW THE FUROR over highly sensitive documents will join several other legal woes for Trump — probes into fake election delegates, his involvement in the Georgia vote count, attempted witness tampering, his upcoming testimony in a New York tax dispute, and the most dramatic case of all — Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 riot.
WE’RE STRUCK BY HOW MANY REPUBLICANS — even conservatives at the Wall Street Journal — want to be rid of Trump. But the raid on Mar-a-Lago could be a game-changer, infuriating his supporters and playing to Trump’s strong suit: his brilliant skill at victimization. We’ve said it before and will say it again: you underestimate Trump at your own peril.
SO WE’RE IN FOR ANOTHER UGLY and polarizing stretch, with Trump getting just what he needed: a foil — the FBI and prosecutors. As usual, the political key is the mood of moderate voters, who may be inching toward Joe Biden, who has enjoyed a solid summer. If gasoline and food prices continue to fall, the November election outlook could continue to tighten, with moderates holding the key.
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