Former President Donald Trump’s attorney, Christina Bobb, confirmed that FBI agents searched former First Lady Melania Trump’s closet during its raid of Mar-a-Lago last week.
Bobb, who suggested that Melania wasn’t there, told Newsmax that she “wasn’t allowed to observe what they were doing or see really any part of the raid” when the agents went into her close.
The agents “told me I have no legal standing to be there,” Bobb claimed. “Those were the words they gave to me. We argued over whether that was true or not, and I explained to them … it’s better for you to allow me to observe because then I can’t say, ‘They kept me out and wouldn’t let me observe.’”
“I don’t think anybody just takes the word of the FBI anymore,” she continued. “But they seem to be OK with that risk.”
Last week, former President Trump wrote on Truth Social that agents entered and rummaged through Melania’s closet, appearing to confirm prior reports from the New York Post.
The FBI and Department of Justice have not issued public statements on the claims that agents went into her closet. The Epoch Times has contacted the agencies for comment.
The FBI told Bobb “that they did take some attorney-client privileged information and possibly other privileged documents,” she added to Newsmax on Tuesday. Regarding those documents, Bobb said she is still “waiting for an explanation.”
“If [the federal government] actually had something, at the very least, they would have held a press conference resolving a lot of these questions in Americans’ minds, and they haven’t even done that,” she said. “I don’t think they have anything.”
Battle Over Affidavit
On Monday, the Department of Justice issued a motion that sought to block the affidavit in the case from being released to the public—even in its redacted form. Lawyers for the department said that releasing those documents to the public would harm the agency’s investigation.
A judge in the case, Bruce Reinhart, set a Thursday at 1 p.m. hearing on whether the affidavit should be released. Several third-party groups, watchdogs, and media outlets have made court filings asking for the affidavit to be unsealed, while Trump and other Republicans have called on the government to release it.
The affidavit could potentially reveal what the FBI is trying to investigate and would provide a reason why the Department of Justice sought an FBI search warrant targeting Mar-a-Lago.
“We need the affidavit, show your cards, Merrick Garland can’t have it both ways, he can’t give us the inventory of the warrant without telling us why it was necessary … without the affidavit, we’re flying blind in the dark,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News before adding, “The American people are going through too much pain, too much heartache on this endless effort to destroy Donald Trump.”
Reinhart last week issued an order unsealing the warrant and property receipt, suggesting Trump could be under investigation for possible Espionage Act and obstruction of justice violations.
Several boxes of allegedly classified and top secret documents were taken from the Florida residence, although Trump and his team argued that while he was president, he had a standing order to declassify materials leaving the Oval Office.
Image via Wikimedia Commons. Article by Jack Philips from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
Yes, it’s actually very much like an “opening the door” argument for when one invokes the 5th Amendment against testifying. You can take the 5th for everything—or nothing. But you can’t take it for some questions and not others.
In this case the Federal Magistrate and the DOJ agreed to release the warrant but not the supporting affidavit. I’m confident that an appeals court will require the affidavit to be released to the public as well, although they may allow the redaction of certain names.
The real target of that illegal raid was information about people working with Trump that the FBI iasn’t aware of.
Those people, if any identified, will now be the target of FBI attacks.
In post-Constitutional they play fast and loose with the rules.
A form of heads we win and tails you lose.
All that remains to do is exterminate the deplorables. This is just a warm up.
You can’t trust the FBI today. They are not the Patriots and good cops that I had the pleasure to work with many years ago. There are still a few of those left, but probably not many. The “Seventh FLoor” at the FBI HQ is a hive of partisan Lefty Loons. The Bureau morphed from a law enforcement agency to the Stasi under Bob Mueller after 9-11 and it was the demise of a really good outfit. More’s the pity.
I bet they rubbed their weewees on Melania’s panties.
I’ve heard rumors that the FBI was predominately homosexual males these days-maybe they were trying on gowns?
No surprise. The FBI has a history of crossdressing faggotry. Right, J Edgar Hoover?
If it takes 100 armed FBI agents, a well-planned raid, hours of searching, blowing safes, breaking locks, etc. for the government to find documents, and this after they were welcomed in to the development and onto the property with a warrant, and that after they’d already searched a month earlier themselves, and all that with the Secret Service, security, local police, sheriff, etc. standing aside allowing them through, how in the sam hilll could a foreign government get the documents?
If the FBI had to do all that, then Russia or China would have to send a full battalion.
Tell us Garland, if the documents weren’t secure then why did you need dozens of armed agents, with a warrant, hours of time, expertise to break locks, crack safes, etc., across two searches? If you needed all that, then they must’ve been fairly secure, you reckon? How in the sam hill are you going to argue they weren’t, and keep a straight face?
The FBLie is merely a federally sanctioned criminal organization that was purged during the soetoro administration of all ex-US military patriots, Constitutionalists and true law enforcement personnel.
It is now a democratic party controlled hit squad that kills, arrests, suicides, destroys any person, organization family that gets in the way of the agenda of illegitimate coup cabal now illegally occupying the district of corruption.