CNN analyst and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman accused former President Donald Trump of taking a page “straight out of the Roy Cohn playbook” by declaring the FBI “the Gestapo.”
Appearing on Wednesday’s AC360 on CNN, Haberman said that while such a remark is “certainly not normal,” it is nonetheless “normal for him.”
Earlier in the day, Trump lashed out at the bureau over the search warrant it executed at his Mar-a-Lago residence in August. That search turned up thousands of government documents, hundreds of which were classified. The raid has come under new scrutiny from Republicans after President Joe Biden was found to have classified material from his time as vice president in his possession. Both men were supposed to give the documents to the National Archives upon leaving office.
In Trump’s case, lawyers for the former president told the Department of Justice he had no more government material in his possession. August’s raid showed that was not true.
On Wednesday, Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform he “did nothing wrong” and referred to the documents he took as “cool” mementos. He also baselessly floated the idea that “Marxist” FBI agents planted evidence at Mar-a-Lago:
Remember, these were just ordinary, inexpensive folders with various words printed on them, but they were a ‘cool’ keepsake. Perhaps the Gestapo took some of these
empty folders when they Raided Mar-a-Lago, & counted them as a document, which they are not. It’s also possible that the Trump Hating Marxist Thugs in charge will “plant” documents while they’re in possession of the material. As President, and based on the Presidential Records Act & Socks Case, I did NOTHING WRONG. JOE DID!
Haberman offered her reaction to Anderson Cooper on CNN Wednesday night.
“I know it’s normal, I guess at this point,” Cooper began. “But it is just startling for me to hear a former president of the United States calling FBI agents ‘Gestapo’ and suggesting they planted things against a former president.”
“It’s normal for him, but it’s certainly not normal,” she said. “And one of the things that was really striking about that sentence is, A, it’s straight out of the Roy Cohn playbook, his mentor and former lawyer.”
“Right,” Cooper replied, “who was immensely sleazy and a horrible person.”
“And known for just ruthless bareknuckle tactics, sliming people who he was against, making Nazi references,” Haberman added. “It’s also really strange to describe somebody as both a Nazi and a Marxist in one sentence, but that’s a whole other issue.”
Watch above via CNN.