Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images 
A senior FBI official who played a role in executing the bureau’s unprecedented raid of Mar-a-Lago has come forward to Congress claiming the FBI violated protocols in multiple ways to search former President Donald Trump’s resort last August.
The official in question is Steven D’Antuono, a particularly notable whistleblower given the integral role he played in the kidnapping entrapment plot of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), which earned him a promotion as Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) in 2020.
D’Antuono’s office subsequently quarterbacked the mass arrests and prosecutions of hundreds of Trump supporters following the January 6 protests.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) claimed D’Antuono voluntarily came forward to the House Judiciary Committee to reveal his objections with how the bureau executed the raid of Mar-a-Lago.
“On June 7, 2023—days before the reported indictment of former President Trump—the Committee conducted a transcribed interview of Steven D’Antuono,” Jordan wrote.
“Mr. D’Antuono served as the former Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office (WFO) and one of the most senior FBI officials in charge of effectuating the unprecedented raid of President Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago. During his testimony, Mr. D’Antuono expressed strong concerns with the Department’s pursuit of the raid and noted several unusual features in the Department’s handling of the case.”
Jordan highlighted 4 major ways the FBI deviated from standard operating procedure in pursuing its investigation into Trump:
The Miami Field Office did not conduct the search
Mr. D’Antuono testified that FBI headquarters made the decision to assign the execution of the search warrant to the Washington Field Office (WFO) despite the location of the search occurring in the territory of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. Mr. D’Antuono stated that he had “absolutely no idea” why this decision was made and questioned why the Miami Field Office was not taking the lead on this matter.
The Department did not assign a U.S. Attorney’s Office to the matter
According to Mr. D’Antuono, it was unusual to not have a U.S. Attorney assigned to an investigative matter, especially a matter of this magnitude. He explained that he “didn’t understand why there wasn’t a US Attorney assigned” and “raised this concern a lot with” Department officials because this was out of the ordinary.
The FBI did not first seek consent to effectuate the search
Mr. D’Antuono recounted a meeting between FBI and Department officials during which the Department assertively pushed for the FBI to promptly execute the search warrant. Based upon his over-20-year tenure at the FBI, Mr. D’Antuono testified that he believed that the FBI, prior to resorting to a search warrant, should have sought consent to search the premises.
The FBI refused to wait for President Trump’s attorney to be present before executing the search
Mr. D’Antuono testified that the FBI sought to exclude President Trump’s attorney from the search, a move with which Mr. D’Antuono disagreed. Mr. D’Antuono believed that the FBI should have worked with the attorney to get consent to search the residence prior to seeking a warrant for the search.
Jordan then demanded Garland turn over “all documents and communications” related to the execution of the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid, including meetings by DOJ officials prior to the search and correspondence between Washington Field Office employees and the U.S. Secret Service.
After just two years as Assistant Director in Charge of the WFO, D’Antuono suddenly retired in November 2022, leading many to speculate he wanted to get ahead of impending House Republican investigations.
Revolver News’ Darren Beattie, who extensively covered D’Antuono’s role in leading the mass arrests of Trump supporters following Jan. 6, said Tuesday his shocking decision to come forward to Congress was an important turning point in getting to the bottom of the illegitimate Mar-a-Lago raid.
“His conscience is so guilty, he’s so animated by the need to cover his bases because of the crimes and corruption of the FBI, he voluntarily put himself forth before the Judiciary Committee, and basically said, ‘the Mar-a-Lago raid was absolutely legitimate,’” Beattie said Tuesday.
FBI Agent Blows Whistle On Mar-a-Lago Raid @RevolverNewsUSA @DarrenJBeattie pic.twitter.com/wHIvBSob37
— Grace Chong
(@gc22gc) June 13, 2023
“And this is the basis of these sham charges,” he noted, referring to the DOJ’s federal indictment against Trump. “And so, that gives you a sense of how bad it is.”
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