Outrage Over FBI's Deadly Force Authorization in Mar-a-Lago Raid: Trump Slams Biden for Executive Overreach

Court filings unsealed by Judge Aileen Cannon exposed an "Operations Order" containing a chilling "Policy Statement" granting FBI agents the authority to employ lethal measures if deemed "necessary" in seizing the suspected classified documents at the heart of the probe. As journalist Julie Kelly highlighted, it stated bluntly: "Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary."

Trump wasted no time erupting in outrage on Truth Social, slamming Biden as "a serious threat to democracy" and deeming him "mentally unfit to hold office." He thundered: "WOW! I just came out of the Biden Witch Hunt Trial in Manhattan, the 'Icebox,' and was shown Reports that Crooked Joe Biden's DOJ, in their Illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE."

His allies were equally incensed -- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene unequivocally declared it "grounds for impeachment" of FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who personally authorized the raid. "Were they going to shoot SS then Pres Trump, Melania, and Barron too???" she fumed. Commentator Mike Cernovich dismissed claims it was routine, asserting "It's sketchy as hell to see people acting like this was an ordinary raid and that usual policies would apply."

Yet the FBI maintains its stance was by the book. "The FBI followed standard protocol in this search as we do for all search warrants, which includes a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force," a statement read. "No one ordered additional steps to be taken and there was no departure from the norm in this matter."

Former FBI officials echoed this position -- Frank Figliuzzi, ex-assistant director of counterintelligence, noted "every FBI operations order contains a reminder of FBI deadly force policy. Even for a search warrant. Deadly force is always authorized if the required threat presents itself."

But conservative commentators are crying foul -- they contend standard procedures simply cannot apply when dealing with a former president under Secret Service protection. As Dan Bongino, a former law enforcement officer, emphatically asserted: "This is absolutely a big deal. Don't buy the bullshit otherwise. It was not a standard op."

"The MAL raid was an unprecedented action with significant potential for confusion and blue on blue issues and conflict," Bongino elaborated on X. "It also involved competing equities between federal agencies (FBI & USSS) with equal statutory claims to interrupt the other's activities. Anyone telling you otherwise is either dumb, or playing dumb."

The filings offer a startling glimpse into the FBI's extensive preparations -- agents planned to bring "Standard Issue Weapons," "Ammo," "Handcuffs," and even "medium and large sized bolt cutters," though instructed to conceal their gear by wearing "unmarked polo or collared shirts." They were also briefed on contingencies like Trump's potential arrival and interference from his Secret Service detail.

The Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, issued a scathing rebuke, declaring all Americans "should be outraged, and frankly shaken to the bone" over the deadly force revelation. Its president, Kevin Roberts, excoriated "President Biden's weaponization of the federal government against not just his political opponent, but against parents, people of faith, and conservatives" as "unprecedented and a grave threat to our constitutional republic."

As the heated rhetoric swirls, one truth emerges -- regardless of whether protocol was indeed followed, the notion of federal agents armed for lethal confrontation during a raid on a former president's home is profoundly unsettling to many Americans across the political spectrum. The fallout seems poised to intensify the already raging partisan warfare over the Mar-a-Lago probe and the wider Trump investigations.