UPDATE: (Aug. 12, 2022, 2:05 p.m. ET): NBC News on Friday obtained a copy of the warrant used in the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, as well as the related property receipt. The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents in the search, according to the documents.
Eric Trump and the rest of the Trump clan have been fuming since Monday, when federal investigators executed a search warrant on his dad's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The search is sending tremors through the Republican Party, with members using the occasion to denounce federal law enforcement. (As best we know, none of them have even read the search warrant.) Their tantrums seem transparent: Conservatives know former President Donald Trump is prone to lawlessness, and they fear the Justice Department has him dead to rights.
But in a rant meant to defend his dad Tuesday, Eric Trump missed the mark by a wide margin.
Appearing on Fox News, he baselessly claimed that President Joe Biden was involved in authorizing the court-approved search warrant on Mar-a-Lago, which would be in clear violation of the traditional separation between the White House and the Justice Department.
And how does Eric Trump know this? “I know the White House as well as anyone. I spent a lot of time there. I know the system,” he claimed, adding, “This did not happen without Joe Biden’s explicit approval.”
Let’s put our investigative hats on for a moment, shall we?
Eric Trump has been affiliated with exactly one (1) White House: his dad’s. So he appears to be arguing that based on this experience, he’s certain a president would involve himself in a criminal investigation in connection with a political nemesis. Not the best defense to offer pops in a time of need, Eric.
To be clear, this would hardly be a revelation. In fact, Eric Trump's suggestion matches up with things we already know about his dad's public statements and his time in office.
I wrote in June about Donald Trump’s publicly expressed desire for the DOJ to investigate his critics and political opponents. From James Comey to Jeff Sessions to Bill Barr, Trump has routinely shown he sees law enforcement as his personal investigative team. His son all but confirmed it Tuesday — and at the worst time imaginable.