Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) said on Sunday said CBS’s “Face the Nation” that former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago estate was “inflammatory.”
Partial transcript as follows:
MARGARET BRENNAN: This deserves a full conversation and I want to get to it. Let me do this bit of business though first on the events of the past few days. Senator Marco Rubio, who’s the Vice Chair of Senate Intelligence issued a layer- a letter saying he was outraged not to have been briefed, and he blasted the FBI saying that they have done more damage to faith and the rule of law than the Russian Federation or any other foreign adversary. Is his anger misplaced?
MCCAUL: You know I think it comes on the heel— I think the Wall Street Journal did a great article about how you know after the Russian collusion, Steele Dossier, everything took place during the Trump presidency. And now out of office to have this raid take place. Look, I’m a DOJ alumni. I worked at public integrity here at main justice. And what I worry about Margaret is the lack of trust in our- and faith in our institutions that concerns me most, above all and I think when you saw the DHS bulletin about, you know, potential threats now to the agents. This is the whole fabric of our democracy, and they have lost faith, many have in the FBI and our institutions. I hate to see that. As a former federal prosecutor.
BRENNAN: Understood and there is something like a healthy skepticism about law enforcement, certainly but for the former president to be using the language that he is when there is this level of threat against FBI agents. Would you call on him to tone it down?
MCCAUL: I think it’s inflammatory. I don’t want to put any law enforcement in the bullseye of a potential threat. And that’s someone who’s worked with law enforcement most of my career. This is an extraordinary case, and what lawyers we call a case of first impression. We’ve never had a former president of the United States served with a search warrant. There was a subpoena, the court could have enforced the subpoena. That should have been a last stage process. And I would also- I agree with Brian Fitzpatrick, right. The affidavit in support of the warrant will give you the probable cause to try to understand what is going on here, and I think the American people deserve this. And I certainly think to Rubio’s point, that the Gang of 8 should have been briefed. And I believe that the relevant committees on the Hill should have access to the documents but more- most importantly, this affidavit.
BRENNAN: Thank you for your time today.
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