Donald Trump Jr. claims 'Navy Seals' used by FBI in raid 'to intimidate' Trump

Former US president Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr on Friday accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of using intimidation tactics against his father during the Mar-a-Lago raid, noting that the federal law agency used the Hostage Rescue Team, the HRT, which is like the Delta Force of the 'Navy Seals.' Trump Jr accused the federal agency of becoming "too political."

FBI used' intimidation tactics'

Speaking with Charlie Kirk on his radio show, Donald Trump Jr claimed that the agents that executed the search warrant at his dad's Florida residence Mar-a-Lago were members of the agency's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). The latter is an elite tactical unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is a part of the Critical Incident Response Group's (CIRG) Tactical Section. They are deployed in any environment including high-risk arrests, undercover operations, and surveillance operations.

"The thing that I think a lot of people missed is that when I read that [the FBI] used the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, that is when you are like 'oh'," Trump Jr. said at the radio show. "If you even thought that maybe there was something here that isn't political you realize that is the intimidation tactic," he went on to add. The tactics that were employed by the HRT team of the FBI were "something to intimidate a political enemy," claimed former US president Trump's eldest son. 

"For those of you who are listening who don't understand, the Hostage Rescue Team, the HRT, that is like the Delta Force, that is the Navy Seals of federal law enforcement," said Trump Jr. 

The FBI, which made no official comment on Donald Trump Jr's claims, had told a judge that they expected to find "evidence of obstruction" of justice during the search at Trump's mansion. The federal agency removed 15 boxes of secret material, some with the highest levels of classification. Trump, however, labelled the search as a "raid" after releasing surveillance footage. He wrote a lengthy rant-like post on Truth Social calling federal agents the "political Hacks and Thugs". “After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate. They even broke into my safe," the former president, at the time, had lashed out.