Jake Tapper Grills Dan Crenshaw for Defending Trump Amid Mar-a-Lago Raid: ‘He Didn’t Turn Over Boxes and Boxes’ of Classified Material

CNN’s Jake Tapper drilled down on Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) — as the congressman attempted to defend former President Donald Trump over the FBI’s search through Mar-a-Lago.

Crenshaw joined Tapper on Sunday for an interview on State of the Union, and the CNN anchor began by asking the congressman if it bothers him that the FBI located top secret classified documents at Trump’s estate. Crenshaw answered that “I want to get to the truth,” but he tried to have it both ways in a tangent where he said “it’s hard to justify what the Department of Justice did here, in my opinion.”

“It’s not a question that it’s bad to have classified material in a non-SCIF environment,” Crenshaw said. “I still haven’t seen any evidence that Trump was even asked to give these documents back. He’s been cooperating with them on these issues for a while now…Why take it to this extreme extent?”

While Tapper acknowledged the unknowns surrounding the search, he pointed out that the search warrant was executed under the watch of Trump-appointed FBI Director Christopher Wray, and “there was concern…about whether or not information would be destroyed.” As Crenshaw stood by his point that the search, while authorized, was still a “very unprecedented measure,” Tapper pointed out that the search follows Trump’s dispute with the National Archives and Records Administration over his claim to the classified documents.

“Why not just ask him [for the documents],” Crenshaw said, parroting Trump.

“I thought they were negotiating and trying to get the information from him,” Tapper said.

“And he cooperated,” Crenshaw responded.

“But he didn’t turn over boxes and boxes of materials, the Justice Department says,” Tapper pointed out.

“But he’s been cooperating, and I think he’s on the record saying whatever you need from us, just ask,” Crenshaw said.

“But his lawyers said we didn’t have any more classified information, and the Justice Department said ‘yes you do,’ and they went and got it,” Tapper rebuked.

Crenshaw acknowledged Tapper’s point, saying it was a “huge mistake” for Trump’s lawyers to say they didn’t have anything left.

“But even if it was nefarious,” Crenshaw said, “why not say, ‘Hey, we don’t believe you. Let us come back and let’s go through these boxes again?'” He went on by questioning the “intent” of the FBI’s search and the charges that may be leveled at Trump over his handling of classified documents.

Watch above, via CNN.

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