Facebook is deploying so-called “fact-checkers” to run interference for the FBI after it was revealed the agency authorized the use of “deadly force” against former President Trump during its 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate.
On Thursday, the Big Tech platform slapped an “independent fact-check” on The Federalist’s May 21 report detailing the contents of unsealed court documents that revealed the FBI gave agents raiding Trump’s Florida residence the green-light to use “deadly force” against the former president “when necessary.” The raid — which took place on Aug. 8, 2022 — was approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland and reportedly aimed at retrieving “any document Trump ever saw, read, or created for the entirety of his four years as commander-in-chief.”
According to the filing by Trump’s legal team, the FBI’s operations order “contained a ‘Policy Statement’ regarding ‘Use Of Deadly Force,’ which stated, for example, ‘Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary …’” The document further revealed that these agents “planned to bring ‘Standard Issue Weapon[s],’ ‘Ammo,’ ‘Handcuffs,’ and ‘medium and large sized bolt cutters,’ but they were instructed to wear ‘unmarked polo or collared shirts’ and to keep ‘law enforcement equipment concealed.’”
The FBI also appeared to provide guidance to agents on how to engage Trump and Secret Service personnel if they were encountered during the raid.
[READ: Did Federal Agencies Plant Classified Documents To Frame Trump?]
In its “fact-check” of The Federalist’s report, Facebook claims the post is “missing context” and warned that users “who repeatedly share false information might have their posts moved lower in News Feed so other people are less likely to see them.” The platform also links to an AFP Fact Check titled “Trump falsely claims Biden authorized FBI assassination attempt,” which attempts to downplay the FBI’s actions by contending that allegations the agency gave agents the go-ahead to harm Trump, if necessary, are “false” because they “misrepresent the Justice Department’s standard policies regarding how force can be used during law enforcement operations.”
AFP Fact Check has been known to issue dishonest and misleading “fact-checks” of reporting unfavorable to leftists.
Screenshot of Facebook ‘fact-check’
As noted by Federalist CEO Sean Davis, “There is nothing ‘standard’ about raiding a former and future president’s home with deadly force because a corrupt intel agency and a pathetic, unelected, paper-pushing bureaucrat got butthurt over a benign record-keeping dispute.”
This point is further validated when considering the DOJ declined to issue similar orders to retrieve classified materials from the private residence of President Joe Biden, who wrongly possessed classified documents since his time as a U.S. senator. Unlike Trump, however, Biden’s gross negligence in mishandling these records generated nothing but a slap on the wrist from the DOJ, which opted not to charge the Delaware Democrat because of his senility.
As The Federalist’s Tristan Justice previously reported, Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded “that no criminal charges are warranted” in his investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified materials despite his team finding records “related to foreign policy in Afghanistan and handwritten notes ‘implicating sensitive intelligence.’” Federal authorities justified their refusal to charge Biden because the president “would likely present himself to the jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
[RELATED: If Joe Biden Is ‘Sharp As Ever,’ Why Is He Trying To Suppress The Hur Audio?]
Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s lawfare against Trump over his handling of classified documents is temporarily stalled. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial after Smith’s team admitted to evidence tampering.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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