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Tuesday, May. 28, 2024

Is a reference to “deadly force” in an FBI Mar-a-Lago search memo evidence that Joe Biden weaponized the federal government?


no

A reference to the potential use of “deadly force” is part of standard policy for FBI agents issuing search warrants, not something that singled out former President Donald Trump in a 2022 search for classified documents at his Florida estate.

Justice Department policy restricts the use of deadly force. It states that agents “may use deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person.”

The same wording was used in the order to search Trump’s property.

The weaponized claim was made May 21, 2024, on social media by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

His office did not provide Wisconsin Watch evidence to support his claim.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in the case, which doesn’t have a trial date.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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