# FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence, August 8, 2022, Case Dismissed July 15, 2024 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 8, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329 "2022-08-08T23:18:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 217
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4321 "2022-12-13T14:20:25Z")
The metaphor is apt. Hippos are aggressive shit flingers, [literally](https://youtu.be/U-jXMeo4a4k?t=17). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4322 "2022-12-13T14:29:04Z")
Protect a thousand hippo calves from crocodiles, but do they call us hippos protective, caring, and even heroic? No. Help maintain the balance of thousands of miles of riverine ecosystem, but do they call us ecologically careful and environmentally beneficial? No. But fling one load of dung… ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4323 "2022-12-13T16:48:27Z")
We seem to be having difficulty focusing here… ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4324 "2022-12-13T17:07:31Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > So does that mean that Jack is looking seriously at the Georgia phone call, as well as the Jan 6 insurrection and the NARA Lago documents theft? Yes. They are proceeding as 2 investigations, one focused on the Mar-a-Lago documents violations and the other on the January 6th insurrection activity. Both are being overseen by Jack Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4325 "2022-12-13T17:10:28Z")
Moderating: > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Angeschwärzte? Verratene? Several words mean “denounced/calumniated”, but I’m not sure any carry quite the same implied force of placing the blame for one’s own actions on an underling who might at worst have just been doing what you told them to do. There is a mod note earlier in the thread directing others to cease with this thread hijack. It applies to you, too. * * * As for the newer hijack re hippos, drop it now or risk warnings. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4326 "2022-12-13T17:11:08Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Yes. They are proceeding as 2 investigations, one focused on the Mar-a-Lago documents violations and the other on the January 6th insurrection activity. Both are being overseen by Jack Smith. If Jack Smith is looking into Georgia vote tampering by Trump, I think that would be three… ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4327 "2022-12-13T17:15:35Z")
I think that falls under January 6th happenings, because it’s all related to the efforts to derail Biden’s certification as president. ETA: Here’s a thread I created awhile ago to discuss DOJ’s and Jack Smith’s efforts once the January 6th Committee has closed up shop: > [@DOJ/Jack Smith Investigation into Trump and Election Interference, January 6th Insurrection (Indicted 08-01-23)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-department-investigation-into-trump-and-january-6th-insurrection/975455): > > The January 6th Committee is winding down, we don’t know what future investigations may occur in the Senate to pick up where the House left off. However, the investigation that will matter most to Trump is what the DOJ does. We’re aware there is an investigation and it has gone on for a long time. Many lower-level defendants have been scooped up and are in various stages of prosecution. What is less clear is where the investigation is with respect to Trump and those who assisted him in his a… ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4328 "2022-12-13T17:19:27Z")
as i understand it, they are looking at federal violations in documents, false electors, vote tampering, and insurrection. some overlap happens in the latter three; the documents stand alone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4329 "2022-12-13T17:22:29Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I think that falls under January 6th happenings, because it’s all related to the efforts to derail Biden’s certification as president. Yeah, I guess that does all fit together. I wonder If Geogia will bring state charges though. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4330 "2022-12-13T17:23:44Z")
Oh, count on it. Which is good, because there are a lot of forces at work that would undercut a federal conviction. I’m glad prosecutions are continuing on both state and federal tracks. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4331 "2022-12-13T17:49:33Z")
Deleted after getting to the hippo warning. Awww. We’re just marking time while waiting for Jack Smith to get rolling. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4332 "2022-12-13T17:58:51Z")
Meanwhile, here’s [Ari Melber](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxTZgZ8UTw) on the difference in the speed Germany and Peru had in dealing with insurrectionists compared to the US. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4333 "2022-12-13T18:26:22Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Awww. We’re just marking time while waiting for Jack Smith to get rolling. Jack Smith _is_ rolling. Please see the above-referenced thread re the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump actions surrounding January 6th. > [@DesertDog](#): > > Meanwhile, here’s [Ari Melber](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxTZgZ8UTw) on the difference in the speed Germany and Peru had in dealing with insurrectionists compared to the US. I know it’s going to be hard, but I’d really like us to try and draw a distinction between DOJ’s January 6th investigation and their Mar-a-Lago documents investigation. These are two separate and distinct courses of misconduct by Trump. They are being investigated on separate tracks. All they have in common is that they fall under the Jack Smith/DOJ umbrella. Our threads will be much more clear and hopefully more easily understood if we can all keep the attendant investigative steps in the separate threads. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4334 "2022-12-13T18:37:11Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Meanwhile, here’s [Ari Melber](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OxTZgZ8UTw) on the difference in the speed Germany and Peru had in dealing with insurrectionists compared to the US. The main difference is that in Germany, no elected politicians were involved, and in Peru, all the elected politicians (except the President) recognised the auto-coup for what it was. In the US, significant elected politicians are saying “What insurrection?” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4335 "2022-12-13T18:42:38Z")
Silly me. Here I thought I was living in a country where no one was above the law. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4336 "2022-12-13T19:12:53Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > In the US, significant elected politicians are saying “What insurrection?” Well, to be fair, some of them are saying (in effect) “Insurrection? It was too small. If I was in charge of the insurrection, there would have been more guns, more dead cops, and Democrats strung up. That’s a REAL insurrection, which I hope happens soon!” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4337 "2022-12-13T19:16:20Z")
In the mean time, we should leave them alone to work it out. No sense in the left jumping in to keep the right from splitting. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4338 "2022-12-13T20:07:31Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > These are two separate and distinct courses of misconduct by Trump. But that would imply that a person could commit two crimes at once! Or at lease concurrently! Inconceivable! 🤡 > [@DesertDog](#): > > Silly me. Here I thought I was living in a country where no one was above the law. The rich and the powerful have, for the most part, always been above the law. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4339 "2022-12-13T20:21:41Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Silly me. Here I thought I was living in a country where no one was above the law. Seriously? There’s so much pontificating over the effects of charging an ex-president. It’s not even subtext that some people think he should be above the law. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/4340 "2022-12-13T20:28:40Z")
Things like executive privilege, Congressional privilege from arrest, and diplomatic immunity mean that some people are legally and explicitly above the law, and have been since the founding of the country. What it should be stated is that, _in theory_, people are above the law only when it is in the country’s best interest for them to be. And honestly, I don’t have a problem with that. It’s only when those privileges are abused, or people try to expand them far past what they need to be, that’s when I have a problem. And really, I think this Mar-A-Lago case completely rests on that. There is absolutely no question that what Trump did would get almost anyone else arrested long before now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329.md?page=216) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329.md?page=218)