"Record" donations to Trump campaign following FBI search

An FBI source acknowledges that the bureau miscalculated the reaction from the Republican Party: "What a spectacular backfire!".

The FBI-ordered raid of Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago (Palm Beach, Florida) residence has had a major political impact. On the one hand, it is an incentive for 70% of Americans to vote. On the other, it has caused donations to Trump's campaign to break all records.

That's what Eric Trump, son of the tycoon and vice president of The Trump Organization, has announced. On Social Truth, the social network powered by the former president, Eric has said, "Breaking: DonaldJTrump.com is shattering all fundraising records and I’m told has raised more money in the past 24 hours than ever before in recent history! The American people are [angry]!"

On the other hand, and according to the content of some e-mails sent by Donald Trump, and to which has had access to The Epoch Times, the former president claims there is an FBI persecution of the Republican Party. "They are trying to stop the Republican Party and me once more (...). The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be exposed and stopped."

"What a spectacular backfire!"

Separately, according to unnamed sources who are part of the FBI's operation on Trump's residence cited by Newsweek there is concern at the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the political effect it is having. What several officials tell Newsweek has great political significance:

The officials, who have direct knowledge of the FBI’s deliberations and were granted anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters, said the raid of Donald Trump’s Florida residence was deliberately timed to occur when the former president was away.

FBI decision-makers in Washington and Miami thought that denying the former president a photo opportunity or a platform from which to grandstand (or to attempt to thwart the raid) would lower the profile of the event, says one of the sources, a senior Justice Department official who is a 30-year veteran of the FBI.

The effort to keep the raid low-key failed: instead, it prompted a furious response from GOP leaders and Trump supporters. “What a spectacular backfire,” says the Justice official.