Apparently, those close to Donald Trump are encouraging him to release the footage from his Mar-a-Lago property being raided by the FBI earlier this month. Though the former president hasn’t confirmed whether or not he’ll release the tapes, his son told Fox News that it’ll happen.
When asked by Sean Hannity last week whether the footage will be shared with the public, Eric Trump replied: “Absolutely Sean, at the right time.” The move to release scenes from the raid could send a shockwave through the Republican party and galvanize them into action.
It could also help paint Trump as a self-described victim of political persecution and bolster support if and when he announces his next run for the White House. However, some believe it could have the opposite effect. If the tapes were made available to the public, it would show the 11 sets of classified material acquired as they investigated Trump for: violations of the Espionage Act, criminal handling of government records and obstruction of justice.
An anonymous source told CNN: “It’s one thing to read a bunch of numbers on an inventory list, it’s another to see law enforcement agents actually carrying a dozen-plus boxes out of President Trump’s home knowing they probably contain sensitive documents. I don’t see how that helps him.”
Although it’s unknown what the surveillance footage shows, Trump and his lawyers say they taped the August 8 search by federal investigators even though agents asked them to turn off the security cameras. On Tuesday, Trump shared on his Truth Social platform that FBI agents “demanded that all security cameras be turned off… We said no!”
The investigation against Trump continues, but if the tapes are revealed there’s no telling how it will affect his chances at another presidency.