FBI agent in charge of Trump Mar-a-Lago raid said he had ‘strong concerns’ about operation, says bureau didn’t get consent for agents to search

It was ‘very unusual’ for DC field office to lead Florida probe in testimony to Republicans

• D’Antuono laid out several abnormalities in the raid, including first that the Miami field office did not handle it
• He also noted that the FBI would not wait for Trump’s attorney to show up before conducting the search
• Trump has been indicted on seven federal charges regarding his handling of classified documents 

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said Friday an FBI agent had voiced ‘strong concerns’ and revealed ‘several unusual features’ in the Department of Justice’s raid on Mar-a-Lago.

The DOJ indicted Donald Trump on Thursday on charges related to his handling of classified documents. Three days earlier the committee did a transcribed interview with Steven D’Antuono, the former assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.

D’Antuono, one of the most senior agents in charge’ of the raid told the committee he was frustrated the FBI was going to be left ‘holding the bag again’ with the August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. 

D’Antuono laid out several abnormalities in the raid, including first that the Miami field office did not handle it – headquarters instead assigned the Washington, D.C., Field Office to carry out the warrant. 

D’Antuono said he had ‘absolutely no idea’ why the decision was made. He also noted that the FBI would not wait for Trump’s attorney to show up before conducting the search. He said the FBI should have tried to work with the attorney to get consent to search the residence before conducting the search. 

D’Antuono said he believed either Attorney General Merrick Garland or FBI Director Christopher Wray made the decision to seek the warrant ‘despite opposition from the line agents’ working the case. 

D’Antuono also noted the FBI did not assign a U.S. attorney’s office to the matter. 

Trump has been indicted on seven federal charges – including conspiracy, a violation of the Espionage Act, and classified documents retention – related to the documents he took with him after the left the White House.

Trump’s most recent charge – which he has called a persecution – marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president has faced federal charges.

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Utah Mayor Trent Staggs Slams Romney for Blaming Trump for Own Indictment: ‘He Has No Backbone’

After Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) charged that former President Donald Trump had brought a recent indictment “upon himself,” senatorial candidate and mayor of Riverton, Utah, Trent Staggs slammed the failed presidential candidate who he intends to unseat next year, accusing him of weakness in the face of the “weaponization” of the Justice Department against political opponents.

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Sunday, Staggs accused President Joe Biden of “abusing his power to weaponize the Justice Department against a political opponent.” 

“This is full-on banana republic stuff here,” he stated.

However, the reaction of Romney prompted an even greater reproval.

“And — yet again — Mitt Romney gives a milquetoast response, showing us once more, he has no backbone,” Staggs said.

“For him, the Senate is about settling his petty beefs, not upholding the Constitution,” he concluded.

On Thursday, the Riverton mayor lamented the “unprecedented times” we are currently living in, claiming that both Republicans and Democrats should be scared, viewing current events “as a sign of things to come if we do not unite and say no more.”

The matter follows Romney’s statement on Friday claiming that former President Donald Trump “brought these charges upon himself,” after the 45th president announced he had been indicted on charges connected to the classified document case. 

Romney, who had been highly critical of the New York grand jury indictment of Trump pursued by Alvin Bragg in a separate case, adopted a different tone in a statement Friday morning, recognizing that the former president is “entitled to the presumption of innocence,” while contending that Trump’s indictment was his own doing.

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FBI Documents Confirm That Joe Biden is ‘The Big Guy’

A confidential FBI record indicates that Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, referred to President Joe Biden as the “big guy.”

According to sources familiar with the FBI record, Zlochevsky discussed an alleged bribe of $5 million to Joe Biden and an additional $5 million to Hunter Biden. The conversation took place years before the date of the FBI form, as reported by the Washington Examiner.

The sources further stated that Zlochevsky believed that unraveling the alleged bribery scheme would be challenging due to the involvement of multiple bank accounts, potentially taking up to 10 years.

It is worth noting that Zlochevsky’s reference to Joe Biden as the “big guy” in this context is unrelated to the mention of the same term by a business associate of Hunter Biden during negotiations with Chinese individuals with links to intelligence agencies. This reference surfaced in a previously undisclosed May 2017 email that became public in October 2020.

The existence of the FD-1023 document related to Ukraine came to light in 2022 when whistleblowers revealed it to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). In October, Grassley urged the Justice Department and FBI to provide all relevant records, including those referencing Mykola Zlochevsky, Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Joe Biden.

To address concerns over non-compliance with a subpoena, FBI Director Christopher Wray permitted committee members to review the FD-1023 on Thursday.

House Republicans have claimed that the alleged bribery scheme is connected to Joe Biden’s efforts as vice president to pressure the Ukrainian government to dismiss Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Republicans contend that the FBI form suggests the bribes aimed to hinder a corruption investigation.

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