“My advice to wait until after the midterm elections was based on fairly standard circumstances. [The Justice Department] Yesterday, I planted a nuclear bomb in that landscape. This is no longer a normal campaign. President Trump’s longtime confidante Michael Caputo has previously urged the former president to wait for the 2022 election results before jumping into the presidential primary.
A senior House Republican on Tuesday personally advised Trump to start bidding by November, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, one of Trump’s Capitol supporters, told reporters that she spoke with the former president twice on Tuesday. [and] I have a stronger belief in myself now. ”
“I think President Trump is more determined than ever to put this country right,” Graham said.
The mindset between Trump’s orbit and his beloved in the Capitol has undergone a notable shift since the search was carried out at his waterfront estate, according to three sources. Advisors who initially feared Trump would steal the spotlight from vulnerable Democrats if he announced before November have largely abandoned those concerns. Meanwhile, those who fear the FBI investigation was prompted by compelling evidence against Trump should not rush into another presidential campaign. — becoming a minority in his orbit. According to people close to him, he is now shrugging off those concerns in the last 12 hours.
“Where others see the danger of crime, Donald Trump sees the dollar sign,” said one close to the former president.
“Most of the downsides to announcing early are regulatory or financial issues, but Democrats have ensured that Trump will raise three times the amount he planned, probably in the near future. Only,” Caputo added.
A second person close to Trump said the episode brought unity to the Republican Party. Noting that two former Vice Presidents Pence denounced the FBI investigation, he said he hadn’t seen Republicans “so united behind anything in a long time.”
“When did you last see DeSantis and Pence defending Trump on the same page?” said a person close to Trump.
“Call me at dawn”
After revealing in a statement Monday night that the FBI had conducted a “house raid” on his Palm Beach home, Trump urged allies to run early in the 2024 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. I was flooded with calls from He spent most of Tuesday jumping “from one call to the next,” the person said, adding that the former president “has been on the phone since dawn.”
These conversations are expected to continue until Tuesday night, when Trump plans to meet for a private dinner with members of the Republican Study Commission at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Jim Banks, Indiana, RSC In a tweet hours before the event, the chairman wrote that Republicans “have a moral obligation to fight back” following the raid on Trump’s home.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders in the Capitol have already begun talks about the Republican oversight response to the FBI investigation, but those talks are still in the early stages, according to Republican sources familiar with the situation. During a scheduled House Republican conference call Tuesday morning, top Republicans, including Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Mike Turner, said they intended to seek a full explanation from the Justice Department about the FBI’s actions. Revealed that there is… to the source in the call.
One action likely to be taken soon is to send the preservation letter to senior DOJ officials, likely including Attorney General Merrick Garland. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy alluded to the party’s investigation plans on Monday night, tweeting, “Attorney General Garland: Keep your papers, clear your calendars.”
If Republicans retake the House in November, they could create a special commission to investigate the institution. However, sources familiar with McCarthy’s thinking say he tends to let existing committees take the lead, not a decision House GOP leaders need to make for several more months.
Across Trump’s world, the sweeping Republican condemnation of the FBI investigation appears to have resolved a long-simmering disagreement among his advisers over the timing of the start of the 2024 campaign. looked like Many of Trump’s political advisers have warned Trump to wait until after the midterm elections to announce his plans, but the November ballot could see some Republican candidates start campaigning early this fall. Some believe that an early announcement will help the former president, although some fear it will put him at a disadvantage. Touts the argument that a federal investigation, or even possible indictment, of Trump is strictly motivated by politics.
Caputo said Trump’s “prosecution is an endorsement by some people,” and that if Trump were to run for office in 2024, Trump would “see himself as a victim leader, not as a victim.” Trump’s 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s “deplorable basket” gaffe was used to bolster anti-elitistism with his base. developed a strong bond.
This is the message Trump is already leaning towards. At a rally in Arizona last month, Trump told the audience, “If I renounce my beliefs… if I agree to remain silent and stay home and take it easy… to Donald Trump. The persecution will soon stop,” he said. Go to the next victim. ”
“But that’s not what I do. I can’t do it,” Trump said.
Still, while many of Trump’s supporters have publicly condemned the unprecedented FBI activity in his home, some of the former president’s most loyal supporters believe the investigation was sparked by real evidence. Without something tangible to back up their actions, it is unlikely that they would take such a drastic step.
“They had better get the goods, otherwise they’ve just come a long way from being revived. [Trump]said one former Trump adviser.
A long-time Republican operative who disagrees with that sentiment said the search warrant executed in Mar-a-Lago would be Trump’s best option if it becomes “another reason to pick someone else” for Republican voters in the presidential primary. He said it could prove politically harmful.
“Trump may eventually become too much of a burden for voters. Now we have better, less depleting options,” the person said.
Meanwhile, despite growing anger over the FBI search among grassroots activists and other potential 2024 candidates, one top Republican has put the brakes on presidential announcements until after the midterm elections on Tuesday. He kept asking Trump to call.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News on Tuesday morning, “We don’t talk about the Super Bowl until we win the playoffs.
Republican reaction
Nearly all of Trump’s potential rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination have spoken out, reflecting the former president’s continued leadership of others in the Republican Party.
Since news of the raid broke, would-be White House people have expressed everything from cautious skepticism of the Justice Department’s actions to full-blown accusations of a political witch-hunt against Trump. .
Some have accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department and targeting political rivals.
DeSantis — widely seen as President Trump’s main competitor in 2024 — responded swiftly on Twitter Monday night, calling the raid a “raid” and calling it a “fed harassment against the administration’s political opponents.” It’s a further escalation of weaponization, and people like Hunter Biden don’t want children’s gloves.”
Other potential presidential candidates in 2024 echoed these sentiments with similarly harsh words and suggestions.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz wrote on Twitter that the Justice Department was “weaponized” and called the search “corruption and abuse of power.” Also referring to the “weaponization” of the department was Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who vowed “results” against Garland for the search. And Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. said the event was an “unprecedented attack on democratic norms and the rule of law,” called for Garland to resign or be impeached, “fired” FBI Director Christopher Wray, and forced the FBI “from top to bottom.” reformed.”
Some respondents expressed their anger at the FBI’s raid in a less hyperbole and cautious manner. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin called it a “surprising move” and suggested it was a “selective and politically motivated” search. He softened the criticism by saying that it showed “obvious political weaponization”.
Still other Republicans want the Justice Department to answer questions about search warrants and are more carefully framing their answers.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley asked the Justice Department and FBI for comment, saying, “If they don’t comment, Biden is obligated to answer on behalf of his agency to the American people.” Pence, who has spent months trying to find a political identity independent of Trump, tweeted a lengthy response to the search.
Pence said he was “deeply concerned” about the “unprecedented investigation” of the Trump home, and said the case “undermines public confidence” in the justice system.
“Attorney General Garland must give the American public a full explanation as to why this action was taken, and he must do so immediately,” Pence said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is being talked about as a potential anti-Trump Republican candidate for 2024, said that if the Justice Department “ultimately fails to provide overwhelming evidence of its actions, an FBI investigation will be necessary.” would “undermine confidence in democracy and the rule of law”. It was absolutely necessary. ”
The Republican collective defensive stance appears to reflect the Republican leader’s default mistrust of federal law enforcement. Born out of Trump’s own attack on the FBI.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott spoke out Tuesday morning about the FBI’s “apolitical business” during an appearance on CBS to promote his new book. , said there has long been concern among Republicans.[ly]He also said the search “raises more questions” and urged people to “let this unfold and see what happens.”
And when pressed about whether Trump will remain the Republican Party’s supreme representative, Scott insists even those who may oppose him in the 2024 primary be reluctant to accept Trump’s explanation for the investigation. provided clues as to why you feel you are not getting
“Indeed, he’s the biggest voice in American politics,” Scott said.
Source: www.cnn.com
