FBI bulletin warns of ‘dirty bomb’ threat and increasing calls for ‘civil war’ in wake of raid on Mar-a-Lago: MAGA supporters in show of support for Trump with vehicle parades outside his New Jersey golf course and Palm Beach resort

  • GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle not to jump to conclusions on the FBI’s unannounced search of Mar-a-Lago
  • He said he checked in with several former FBI colleagues to see if ‘they were okay’ amid Republicans’ verbal attacks on federal law enforcement
  • Fitzpatrick suggested the new DHS and FBI bulletin was a top concern
  • It highlights an increase in targeted, violent threats against officials including the federal judge who signed off on the Mar-a-Lago warrant 

House GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania revealed Sunday that he was told his life was ‘in danger’ amid fallout from the FBI’s unannounced search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent himself, told CBS News’ Face The Nation he was threatened by ‘some of the same people’ who are heaping verbal attacks against federal law enforcement in the wake of the raid.

He also urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ‘reserve judgment and not get ahead of yourself’ on whether the documents seized by federal officers from Mar-a-Lago meant Trump was guilty of any crimes.

But the former bureau official appeared most concerned about a new bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI warning of a surge in ‘violent threats’ against federal law enforcement in the weeks after the raid.

The chilling memo, obtained by CBS News, states the agencies ‘have observed an increase in violent threats posted on social media against federal officials and facilities, including a threat to place a so-called dirty bomb in front of FBI Headquarters and issuing general calls for “civil war” and “armed rebellion.”‘

It comes as top Republicans like House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and GOP Whip Steve Scalise have accused FBI officers of ‘abusing’ their positions and ‘going rogue’ to attack Trump. 

‘I checked in with several of my colleagues in the past few days, Margaret, to make sure they were okay,’ Fitzpatrick said. ‘Every single elected official, every single leader needs to mind the weight of their words.’

Asked if that meant Trump as well, the congressman affirmed it did.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, said he was notified that his life was threatened in the wake of increased verbal attacks on federal agents over the raid on Mar-a-Lago

Supporters of former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump rally near Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster of New Jersey, United States on August 14

There have been protests outside of Trump’s properties since the Monday FBI operation

‘I think everybody needs to be calling for calm, everybody across the board. And everybody needs to respect our law enforcement, whether they be local, state or federal,’ Fitzpatrick said.

‘I, myself, have been notified by the bureau that my life was put in danger recently by some of these same people. And it’s- violence is never the answer to anything.’

He warned democracy itself could ‘become unraveled’ in the country if ‘disrespect’ continues to grow for American institutions.

‘A lot of that starts with the words we’re using. So, I urge all my colleagues – and we’ve seen disrespect across the political spectrum – …which I mentioned with local law enforcement, with the Supreme Court, now federal law enforcement. None of it is okay. None of it.’

Last Monday morning, the FBI executed a search warrant on Trump’s resort linked to classified documents sought by the National Archives.

After mounting pressure to make the warrant public, it was unsealed in a deal between Trump’s attorneys and the Justice Department.

Attorney General Merrick Garland revealed Thursday that he personally approved the request to apply for a warrant, which was later granted by a federal judge.

Since then, the FBI and DHS have ‘identified multiple articulated threats and calls for the targeted killing of judicial, law enforcement, and government officials associated with the Palm Beach search, including the federal judge who approved the Palm Beach search warrant.’

Donald Trump has claimed that he is the victim of political persecution after the FBI executed a search warrant related to classified documents on his property

‘The FBI and DHS have also observed the personal identifying information of possible targets of violence, such as home addresses and identification of family members, disseminated online as additional targets,’ the bulletin states. 

It also highlights an incident last week when an armed Navy veteran tried to force his way into the FBI’s Cincinnati office and was shot dead in a standoff with police.

One of the most of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, further fueled the outrage by filing impeachment articles against Garland and accusing him of weaponizing the DOJ. The largely symbolic move is unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives.

But other Republican lawmakers, while urging their base to hold judgement, have demanded the release of the affidavit used to obtain the warrant.

That would include new information such as what information was used to obtain the warrant in the first place. 

‘There’s a continuum of ways to gather evidence, everything from the passive service of a subpoena with a future production date, to the dynamic execution of a search warrant, which we saw here. There’s a lot of things you can do in between, including a forthwith subpoena where you present that subpoena. At the door, you don’t enter the premises, but you demand instant production then in there,’ the former FBI agent said.

‘We don’t know what was appropriate, what was justified or not. And that’s why this affidavit is so important.’

He concluded with a final warning to lawmakers to ‘understand the weight of your words and support law enforcement no matter what.’

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