July 21, 2018: The President Doesn't Understand How Search Warrants Work

 

7/21/18: Sometimes, you wish the president could make it through an entire day without doing or saying anything objectionable. 

This is not that day. 

 

It’s not “breaking into an office” if you have a warrant. 

Once again, he’s tweeting criticism about the U.S. judicial system. This time his topic is former personal lawyer Michael Cohen. As most Americans know, in April, Cohen’s home, office, safety deposit boxes and electronic devices were searched after authorities convinced a judge to issue a warrant. 

Sadly, the man in charge of our government has no idea how warrants and U.S. judges work. Trump tweets: 

Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyer’s office (early in the morning) – almost unheard of. Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client – totally unheard of & perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong! 

 

First, if “your favorite President did nothing wrong,” how come he howls about the Russian probe every day? Second, dawn raids are a favorite tactic of the F.B.I. and most police departments. 

Take, for example, the pre-dawn raid on a murderous gang in Long Beach, California in 2009 that led to 88 arrests. 

Or F.B.I. raids in January 2011 that netted 125 mob figures from seven Mafia crime families. 

Or the pre-dawn raids carried out by ICE in January, while Trump himself was slumbering in the White House. More than a hundred 7/11 stores were raided, and undocumented workers were swept up by the score. 

So, yes, Mr. Trump, dawn raids are common. They work against mob families. They work against street gangs. They work against crooked business types who hire undocumented workers. 

Fearing Cohen was planning to destroy evidence, law enforcement authorities showed up at his offices in the wee hours because they wanted to catch him unawares.

One of the raided stores.