Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett calls FBI search on Mar-a-Lago “the weaponization for political purposes by the FBI and the Department of Justice”
Published
Citation From the August 8, 2022, edition of Fox News' Hannity
SEAN HANNITY (HOST): If you look at the Presidential Records Act, which is what we're told this is all about. I mean, I assume there's a chance that maybe classified documents were taken to Mar-a-Lago. I understood from reports that there was a process that they were on – you know, they were going through they said they willing to give all those things back. But why didn't they just say, can we come over and take a look at what you have and make sure that there's no classified documents here? Just like why didn't they say to Peter Navarro, his attorney, Have your client reported at 8 am at this location or Paul Manafort or Roger Stone? Why the big show only when it's a conservative?
GREGG JARRETT (FOX ANALYST): Because it's Donald Trump. And this is the weaponization for political purposes by the FBI and the Department of Justice. You're right, Sean, when you identify the Presidential Records Act of 1968 – 78, which is far from a model of clarity, and in fact, it's one of the more opaque laws you'll ever read. One of the problems with it is that it gives discretion and authority to the incumbent president to decide what constitutes presidential papers. He may identify, exclude and dispose of presidential papers. And you point out the classified nature, allegedly, of some of the documents identified by the National Archives there. They're not a competent agency to recognize classified documents because the president is the ultimate authority in declassifying documents. He may do so with a wave of his hand without notification to the National Archives. So, I think what you're really seeing here is an abuse of power by the FBI and absolutely both Merrick Garland, the attorney general, and the FBI director, Christopher Wray.