Supporters of President Joe Biden are doubling down in mocking conservatives’ claims that former President Donald Trump was an assassination target for the Justice Department under the Biden administration.
That claim began circulating after court documents related to the classified documents case against Trump were unsealed—revealing the FBI was authorized to use deadly force “only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person.”
However, the FBI says that language is part of its standard operating procedure. The policy also explicitly forbids the use of deadly force solely to stop a fleeing suspect or moving vehicle and additionally bans the use of warning shots.
Trump was not present at Mar-a-Lago when the FBI conducted its search, but the claim that he was an assassination target was amplified in a fundraising email sent by his campaign as well as by proponents of his, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
But similarly to Trump—Biden himself was also subject to a probe of his handling of classified documents, and Fox News reports the language around deadly force used by the FBI was the same in his case.
Special Counsel Robert Hur determined in his investigation that there is evidence Biden “willfully” retained and disclosed highly classified materials when he was a private citizen but concluded no criminal charges were warranted.
In his report, Hur also raised concerns about Biden’s memory, saying a jury would see him as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
“A person familiar with the Hur investigation confirms that the standard Department of Justice policy statement regarding the use of deadly force was also included in the operations order for the searches at President Biden’s residences in Delaware,” Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported Wednesday night.
The fact that the language was the same should come as no surprise, given that the FBI confirmed that it is part of its standard operating procedures.
Now, in somewhat of a self-own that acknowledges Biden’s reported mishandling of classified documents, Biden supporters are digging at right-wing misinformation about Trump being an assassination target.
“OMG President Biden planned to assassinate himself!” joked one X user.
“And just like that, another MAGA conspiracy has fallen apart,” wrote the X account Republicans against Trump.
“Biden is in on the conspiracy to assassinate Biden,” quipped someone else.
“OMG, BIDEN’S OWN DOJ WAS TRYING TO HAVE HIM ASSASSINATED,” echoed one prominent left-wing account.
But some right-wingers online are still unconvinced.
“No search warrant cited in Hur Report. No references to armed agents. Search was voluntary and partially delayed because Biden did not want to relinquish diary entries,” wrote one conservative user. “Let’s see the order…”
“Put up or shut up,” demanded another user. “We wanna see the docs.”
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