Michael Steele, MSNBC host and former Republican National Committee chair, strongly advocated for the justice system to incarcerate Donald Trump. His comments came after the former president criticized the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on social media.
Trump was indicted last summer on charges of mishandling classified documents after his presidency ended in 2021 and obstructing the government’s attempts to retrieve them following an FBI raid at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in August 2022. Trump, who is also the leading GOP presidential candidate, has denied all allegations, asserting that the charges are politically motivated.
In a recent post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that the DOJ “AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE,” referencing standard language included in federal search warrants.
Additionally, Trump sent an email to his supporters, accusing President Joe Biden of conspiring against him. The email stated: “BIDEN’S DOJ WAS AUTHORIZED TO SHOOT ME! … They are eager to do the unthinkable … Joe Biden was prepared to take me out and endanger my family.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland refuted Trump’s claims, labeling them “false” and “extremely dangerous.” Garland clarified that the language in the warrant is standard Justice Department policy regarding the use of force, applied even during the consensual search of Biden’s residence.
In early 2023, the FBI discovered classified documents at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and earlier at his Penn Biden Center office in Washington, D.C. The DOJ investigated these findings and chose not to pursue criminal charges against Biden.
Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, explained on MSNBC that Trump’s absence from Florida during the FBI raid was intentional and coordinated. He criticized the leniency shown towards Trump, emphasizing that Trump remains free on bail in several cases.
“There is a legal mechanism to address this. When a pre-trial defendant on release is deemed a danger to even one person in the community, the law mandates detention pending trial,” Kirschner explained. He argued that the law’s inconsistent application to Trump is costly for society.
Steele concurred, adding, “If we believe he’s not above the law, then incarcerate him. That’s the standard procedure for anyone else.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson and Steele via email for comments.
Kirschner expressed skepticism about U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversees Trump’s classified documents case, taking any punitive action against Trump for his inflammatory remarks. Cannon, appointed by Trump, has faced criticism for her perceived leniency towards the former president. Recently, she indefinitely postponed Trump’s trial to address classified evidence issues before presenting the case to a jury.