Former U.S. Attorney for ND describes search of former President Trump’s home

PALM BEACH, Fla. (KVRR) – The FBI’s unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home is ricocheting around government, politics and a polarized country.

Some say this could be coming off fresh intelligence from people on the inside.

The term you keep hearing is unprecedented. Former U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Tim Purdon doubles down on that.

“I was struck by the idea this search warrant application to undertake this search had to be probably the most vetted search warrant application in the history of the United States of America. I mean this is a big deal,” Purdon said.

He says this type of action is usually at the end of the investigation, not the beginning. Purdon also says it would be odd for the Department of Justice to execute a warrant of this magnitude without something solid to back it up.

“If that’s true that creates I think serious legal jeopardy to the president,” Purdon said.

Even with all that we know there are still question marks and Senator John Hoeven says the American people deserve better.

“I’m just concerned that they’re doing it because my understanding is that the former president’s lawyers were handing over these various documents to the national archives, and they were being worked on. So why now does DOJ go in there? And that’s why I say that’s concerning. We need to know exactly what’s going on, they need to provide that information to the American people,” Hoeven said.

“It is prosecutorial misconduct. The weaponization of the justice system and an attack by radical left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for president in 2024,” Former President Donald Trump said in a statement.

Proving intent to break the law could be a challenge.

“Federal prosecutors are able to prove intent is through the word themselves of the target or the defendant. What did they say on email, what did they say on text message, what did they say on a recorded phone call. What did someone record them saying, what do the three other people that were in the meeting with them say that, that person said,” Purdon said.

Some feel this could be fuel to the fire and Trump could use this to rally his supporters to new heights, Attorney Purdon says this shouldn’t be looked at as a political issue.

“I believe that most Americans believe this, that no one is above the law and regardless of who you are, whether you’re a not so powerful person or a very powerful person, whether you’re poor or rich, or black, or white, that everyone is subject to the same federal criminal code,” Purdon said.