Incitement

In the wake of the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago last week, many people have spoken out against the public criticism of the FBI’s actions against a former President. Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “I will not stand by silently when their [the FBI agents’] integrity is unfairly attacked.” FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a statement saying, “Unfounded attacks on the integrity of the FBI erode respect for the rule of law and are a grave disservice to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect others.” Senator Amy Klobuchar said the agents were “simply doing their jobs.”

If the FBI agents at Mar-a-Lago were just “doing their jobs” and thus free from criticism, then why did they ask Trump’s lawyer, Christina Bobb, to shut off the security cameras? If they are professionals, doing a professional job, within the law, they should want the cameras to be rolling so their professionalism would be on display for the world to see. The one reason why they would want the security cameras to be shut off was because the 30 agents raiding Trump’s house were planning on acting illegally or at least unethically. If you want the benefit of the doubt, then don’t give a reason for anyone to doubt you.

In fact, the FBI agents cannot hide behind the defense that they were merely following orders. If they were ordered to do something that is either illegal or unethical, and they did it, they still made the choice to perform an illegal or unethical act. They had full dominion over their faculties and their body, and they decided to act anyway. We will find out sooner or later whether the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago was justified, ethical, and legal, and if it wasn’t, those involved must be held accountable for their actions.