In the aftermath of the FBI’s Aug. 8 raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Miami, Florida, the ex-president has decided to turn the event into a rallying cause and fundraising opportunity for his supporters.
A recent lawsuit was filed by Trump against the Justice Department on the grounds that his constitutional rights were violated during the court-authorized search of his Florida resort, from which the FBI has seized more than 300 documents that were stashed there–many of them classified. On Monday (Aug. 22), Trump’s legal team filed a motion to appoint a special master, which is an independent legal official, to the case in order to review the seized documents before government officials themselves can review them any further.
“Law enforcement […] cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes,” the filing reads. “Therefore, we seek judicial assistance in the aftermath of an unprecedented and unnecessary raid on President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago.”
True to Trump’s past of masterfully spinning negative press into clout. However, the raid itself is strategically being turned into a political weapon in order to leverage further support–-and more money–from his loyalists for his 2024 election bid.
Though the raid may reveal that Trump has broken several laws in the keeping of sensitive information, especially pertaining to the Jan. 6 riots, that hasn’t seemed to deter the fresh wave of support that has come his way. In right-wing publications, Trump and supporters like Larry Kudlow of Fox Business have boasted about the consequences that the Biden administration could face in light of the Mar-a-Lago raid, saying the decision will backfire on Democrats.
Additionally, just two days after the raid, Trump sent out more than 100 emails soliciting donations to each of his subscribed followers, which saw his campaign raise more than $1 million before Aug. 11. The days after that also saw unusually high levels of donation activity; the usual $200,000 daily haul jumped to a whopping $300,000 and has more or less remained at those levels in recent days. The timing is fortunate for the early 2024 Trump campaign, as campaign funds were reportedly dwindling earlier this year.
Trump’s new lawsuit and the recent influx of campaign donations could very well see him succeed in his legal endeavors this year, but the result of the lawsuit and the determination of the FBI’s findings could severely hinder him on the path ahead.
