The Department of Justice, while redacting large swaths of the affidavit used in the FBI's warrant to search former President Donald Trump's home, hid the "information that might show their corruption" and whether they acted legally in the search, former White House aide Kash Patel said on Newsmax Monday.
"It reminds me of Russia-gate all over again," Patel told Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
Meanwhile, it appears that a federal judge in Florida may allow Trump's request for a special master, or third-party attorney to be present when the FBI is examining the seized documents if privileged material is contained in the seized materials, but it will take a long time for the process to sort itself out, said Patel.
"We're not going to learn anything any time soon in the process," he said. "It could take us closer and closer to 2024."
Patel, though, complained that the DOJ left his name in the document, "as if it added to the probable cause. They did that so I would be maliciously attacked, which I have been."
Other than that, Patel said he did not see anything in the redacted version of the affidavit which would support the probable cause "to invade a former president's house."
"They might have stuff under the redactions," he added, but if the DOJ's whole point was to try being transparent, then the DOJ "failed intentionally."
Meanwhile, Trump has been using his Truth Social page to disseminate information in the weeks following the raid, rather than media appearances, but such statements "are from him, directly from him," said Patel. "That's probably better than any other way. He can tell the world what he's thinking of at any given moment, and he's doing it on a not only daily basis, but sometimes hourly."
He also commented on a New York Post opinion piece claiming that the more Trump fights back against the DOJ and the FBI, the more likely it is he'll be indicted.
"We have known and now proven that this DOJ and FBI seek retribution," said Patel. "That is their end goal — to have Donald Trump removed, and the more he attacks them, I believe there's credibility that statement from whoever is saying it, that increases the chances of indicting him."
However, he said Trump isn't backing down "from a fight from the fake news media" and neither is he, "because they have mercilessly attacked him and us because we believe — he believes — that the job that is out there is to educate the American people and expose corruption."
Patel also questioned whether the raid will become another "five-year saga" like the Russia investigation became, and said he believes "Americans need to wake up."
"It's all ridiculous, and it's all moving the goalpost," he added. "The DOJ and [former FBI Director James] Comey set the apparent standard for the handling of classified information or mishandling with Hillary Clinton and gave her a giant hall pass.
"If that's the applicable standard then Donald Trump is nowhere near guilty, let alone being indicted of mishandling or storing or whatever you want to say with classified information."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.