Republicans in Congress who are relying on Donald Trump to excite voters in the fall elections are not only defending the former president against the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home but politically exploiting it with grave and potentially dangerous rhetoric.
The party that once stood for law-and-order has dramatically reversed course, stirring up opposition to the FBI and tapping into political grievances and far-right conspiracy that fed the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
It's all part of the GOP's election year strategy to harness voter outrage over the unprecedented search, quickly and directly set in motion as Trump hosted a dozen Republicans for dinner at his private Bedminster club the day after the FBI action.
The former president was told by a Republican at the table that it was time for him to run for president.
The American people are concerned with the DOJ and the FBI.
"If I were you, I would tell you to run for president," Nehls said. Take that doubt away from the people who want you to be the next president.
There are stark warnings of violence against law enforcement, including the Ohio police shooting Thursday of an armed man clad in body armor who tried to break into the FBI office. The director of the FBI called the threats to agents and DOJdeplorable. An increase in social media threats to bureau personnel has prompted the FBI to warn its agents. The FBI is being demanded to be dismantled and defunded in some extreme cases.
It's all coming at a time of attacks on the nation's civic institutions that experts say is worrisome, if not dangerous. The White House, Congress and the Supreme Court are at risk of being distrusted. Public access to the government has been restricted in Washington.
Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI special agent who led the bureau's field offices in Seattle and Honolulu, said that all of this rhetoric is being thrown around without any consideration for the consequences.
The minority within the base that aren't satisfied with just words want to act it out.
The co- founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism said that the rhetoric coming from extremists, white supremacists and others has been "overwhelmed."
She said that the same kind of rhetoric is coming from prominent Republicans and Trump allies. The comments coming from Republicans are worrisome.
Kevin McCarthy blamed Attorney General Garland when asked about the responsibility of leaders to keep the nation calm during times of uncertainty and distress.
McCarthy thinks the attorney general has a problem.
McCarthy, who is in line to become speaker if his party wins House control, resurrected Republican concerns that Trump is being treated unfairly, as the first former president to have his home searched by the FBI, and he criticized the attorney general for delivering only a few minutes' explanation during a press conference
McCarthy believed that Garland, not his own party's rhetoric, was to blame for the nation's divisions.
He is inflaming the public and why would you only speak for a few moments? McCarthy made a statement. The attorney general has a lot to explain.
Republicans think the Justice Department has been too tough on Trump going back to the Russia investigation into allegations the president was colluding with a foreign entity, including when he called on Russia to release emails it had stolen from the DNC.
Hillary Clinton was investigated for using a private email server in violation of government rules during her time as secretary of state, which led to long chants of "lock her up!" during Trump rallies.
The No. 3 House Republican claimed without evidence that the Justice Department was being used against Trump.
She joined fellow House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee on Friday in demanding information and promised if their party won control in the election they would find out what happened.
When it comes to transparency and accountability, the House Republican majority will leave no stone unturned.
Congressional Republicans said they've never seen their colleagues more fired up to fight back than they are right now, after the raid.
Jim Banks, the Indiana Republican who organized the dinner with Trump, said they encouraged the former president to "kick off the campaign now"
The House Republicans' campaign will be led by Trump, Banks said.
The January assault on the Capitol led to metal detectors being used to screen against firearms in the house. Legislators had a security meeting earlier this week.
Pelosi said that Trump's role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol was enough reason to have concerns about inflammatory political rhetoric.
"You would think there's an adult in the Republican room who would say, 'Just calm down and see what the facts are and let's go for that,'" Pelosi said.
Brian Fitzpatrick is a former FBI agent.
Fitzpatrick told reporters that he didn't think any of this was okay.
He said that we are the world's oldest democracy. Our adversaries have said many times that the only way they can beat America is by defeating America from the inside. If you want to beat the world's greatest democracy, you have to turn American on American.
He said, "So it's incumbent on everybody to act in a way that's becoming of the office they hold, and that's not casting judgement on anything until you know all the facts."
Is that true?
Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Nathan Ellgren contributed to the report.
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