Thread by @pwleaks

BREAKING: FBI official admits bureau performed illegal search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

A top FBI official has admitted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation appears to have gone out of its way to politicize the raid last August on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to ‘obtain’ records he was entitled to have in his possession.

Steven D’Antuono, a significant whistleblower due to his pivotal involvement in the kidnapping entrapment plot targeting Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan). This involvement led to his promotion as Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) in 2020.

Following the J6 protests, D’Antuono’s office took a leading role in coordinating the arrests and prosecutions of numerous Trump supporters. D’Antuono voluntarily approached the House Judiciary Committee to voice his concerns regarding the FBI’s handling of raid at Mar-a-Lago.

During his testimony, Mr. D’Antuono expressed strong concerns with the Department’s pursuit of the raid and noted several unusual features in the Department’s handling of the case,” said the letter.

D’Antuono testified before the House Judiciary Committee that he had “strong concerns” about several procedural violations that occurred ahead of the Aug. 2022 raid at Trump’s estate. Also outlining 4 key anomalies regarding the raid that he brought to the committee’s attention.

“Mr. D’Antuono testified that FBI headquarters made the decision to assign the execution of the search warrant to the Washington Field Office despite the location of the search occurring in the territory of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. (1/2)

Mr. D’Antuono stated that he had ‘absolutely no idea’ why this decision was made and questioned why the Miami Field Office was not taking the lead on this matter,” the letter notes further. (2/2)

“According to Mr. D’Antuono, it was unusual to not have a U.S. Attorney assigned to an investigative matter, especially a matter of this magnitude. He explained that he ‘didn’t understand why and raised concerns with’ Department officials because this was out of the ordinary”.

“Mr. D’Antuono recounted a meeting between FBI and Department officials in which the Department assertively pushed for the FBI to promptly execute the search warrant. (1/2)

Based upon his over-20-year tenure at the FBI, Mr. D’Antuono testified that he believed that the FBI, prior to resorting to a search warrant, should have sought consent to search the premises,” Jordan’s letter went on. (2/2)

Mr. D’Antuono testified that the FBI sought to exclude President Trump’s attorney from the search, a move with which Mr. D’Antuono disagreed. Mr. D’Antuono believed that the FBI should have worked with the attorney to get consent for the search prior to seeking a warrant.

The committee chairman demanded Garland turn over “all documents and communications” linked to the execution of the raid, including meetings by DOJ officials prior to the search and correspondence between Washington Field Office employees and the U.S. Secret Service.