The FBI was at one point the "pride of this country," but its actions concerning former President Donald Trump and the raid on his home, including showing a picture of documents spread on a floor during the search do not bode well for federal law enforcement, Rep. Tim Burchett said on Newsmax Wednesday.
"It is just unusual for them to show these pictures," the Tennessee Republican told Newsmax's "National Report." "This is all placed out obviously on the carpet at Mar-a-Lago, just so they can show the American public … I think they're sensationalizing it."
"The FBI had built a reputation for 100 years," but then last Friday escorted out a senior FBI agent, Timothy Thibault, a 25-year veteran, who was under scrutiny for alleged political bias during the Hunter Biden laptop inquiry, said Burchett.
"It was obviously involved in running down President Trump, and I think you're going to see a big pattern of that," said Burchett. "I think that doesn't bide well for our federal authorities, and it's sad because the vast majority of them are patriotic Americans."
However, he said he does think the Department of Justice will end up obtaining an indictment against Trump "because they'll use some Washington, D.C., judge," said Burchett.
"They can't get out of their own way in Washington, so I fear we're going to have more of this in a political environment," he added. "I think it's a deflection from how bad things are going in our country, like the economy."
A Florida judge is set to rule Thursday on a Trump call for a special master, or third-party attorney, to oversee the seized documents. The former president has claimed executive privilege and says he has the power to declassify the records that were at his home.
"Well the president does have the power to do that but you're always at war with the State Department," Burchett said. "I just think it's politically motivated. They are on a hunting expedition.
"They didn't know what they were looking at. If it was so important, why did they wait over 500 days after President Trump left the White House? That's the question that remains to be answered. I think that my Democrat friends are going to have a hard time answering that. I believe they'll be sidestepping that the entire time because they're going to find something in there that they think is controversial, and they'll seize upon it."
Burchett also on Wednesday commented on President Joe Biden's call to continue funding the police and said that his agenda is not the agenda for the Democratic Party.
"Their agenda is anti-blue," said Burchett. "I don't think the American people are buying it … I mean, look at the people. They get out and they're mugging folks, are killing folks."
But Biden is "just trying to muddy the waters," said Burchett. "He knows he's got problems in that sector, and the American public is definitely not buying it."
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.