Following allegations that federal officials who carried out a raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in August 2022 were prepared to use "deadly force" if it became necessary, former President Donald Trump called for the removal of President Joe Biden from his position in accordance with the 25th Amendment, Newsweek reported.
After leaving the courtroom in his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan, Trump claimed in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon that he "was shown Reports that Crooked Joe Biden's DOJ, in their Illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE."
Trump was referring to the fact that the Bureau of Investigation was authorized to use deadly force, something that Biden's DOJ would have had governance over, making the case that it was an illegal action.
Guidelines for the raid, which resulted in the seizure of hundreds of secret papers and ultimately led to criminal charges being brought against Trump, were described in a court filing that was unsealed on Tuesday.
The filing included a section that stated that officials "of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary."
"NOW WE KNOW, FOR SURE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEMOCRACY," Trump added. "HE IS MENTALLY UNFIT TO HOLD OFFICE—25TH AMENDMENT!"
Trump, who is accused of stealing classified documents from the White House and neglecting to return them to federal authorities, has entered a not-guilty plea to all forty felony charges. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida is currently adjudicating the case.
A motion filed by Trump attorney Christopher Kise in February that challenged the legality of the FBI raid was unsealed on Tuesday.
In obtaining certain documents stored at Mar-a-Lago, federal law enforcement allegedly breached the "attorney-client privilege" of Trump, according to the filing.
The court filing stated that FBI agents conducting the raid were instructed to don unmarked polos and bring "standard issue weapons, ammo, handcuffs and medium and large sized bolt cutters." The filing referenced a "Operation Order" that was obtained during the discovery process.
Invoking the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes procedures for replacing the president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation, Trump is not the first individual to demand Biden's removal.
Concerning his age and mental capacity, a number of Republicans have deemed Biden "unfit" to serve in office; however, experts have previously told Newsweek that the likelihood of any legal action against the president is minimal.
Considerations were also underway to impeach Trump under the 25th Amendment subsequent to the siege on the United States Capitol initiated by his supporters on January 6. A number of House Democrats advocated for the removal of Trump by the White House Cabinet and then-Vice President Mike Pence in the wake of the attacks.
On January 12, 2021, at a public event in Texas, the former president stated that the 25th Amendment "is at zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration."
