SWFL political party leaders react to Mar-a-Lago search

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The entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and asserted that agents had broken open a safe. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

The nation watched as former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property became grounds for the execution of an FBI search warrant on Monday.

“I just can’t think of any example that reaches this level,” said UCF political scientist Aubrey Jewett.

Jewett said he had never seen anything like this happen to a former president in our nation.

Because it did, it’s creating a never before seen​ reaction from Democrats and Republicans.

Frank Scherwin, chairman of the Collier County Republican Party, believes it’s another Democratic tactic ahead of elections.

“We’re heading into a critical election control of congress,” said Scherwin.

Annisa Karim, the chairwoman of the Collier County Democratic Party, called it due diligence to carry out the law.

“It’s clearly not partisan, but that’s always what politicians say, right? When they’re being questioned. They say it’s a witch hunt, or rather, authoritarian politicians claim it’s a witch hunt if it’s something that they don’t like that’s happening. So I think we just let it play out,” said Karim.

It’s no surprise that Democrats and Republicans don’t side together on a matter regarding Trump, but while we wait to hear what agents found or didn’t, Jewett said Trump supporters aren’t going anywhere.

“I don’t think it has much effect on his support among Republicans. They really still love him, at least many of them do,” said Jewett.

That is a stance neither side can argue.

“I think that the people who are still supporting Donald Trump have made that decision long ago,” said Karim.

“This unites us because the timing is so is so obviously suspicious before an election that this is actually going to have the opposite effect,” Scherwin said.

“It is Donald Trump, and so nothing about him since he started his run for office, you know, five, six years ago, has been sort of normal within political standards of American history, right?” said Jewett.

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