The Florida State Legislature should declare war on the FBI and all other federal agencies, according to GOP state Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-Fla.). In response to the FBI executing a search warrant at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion on Monday.
On Tuesday, the FBI conducted a legal search and seizure to recover classified material that Trump unlawfully took with him when he departed the White House in January 2021. In fact, in February, the National Archives referred Trump to the Department of Justice over missing documents. It’s a violation of the Presidential Records Act if you steal government records, and it’s an infraction of the Espionage Act if you sell classified information to another country like Russia. In any case, Trump would be in breach of the law.
The search has been a point of contention for Republicans, especially after Trump himself condemned it in a statement. Obtaining a warrant to search the home of a former president would have required significant proof to support it, as the FBI had one that was signed by a federal judge.
Despite all of this, and the fact that Republicans have frequently stated their support for law enforcement and the notion that they are the “law and order” party, they have repeatedly attacked and threatened the FBI and DOJ.
Now, a Trump-supporting Florida state representative Anthony Sabatini wants the state legislature to “cut all ties” with federal agencies and legalize the arrest of federal agents “on sight” by state authorities.
Of course, state law enforcement does not have this authority. Federal agents have jurisdiction over the entire country. They cannot be arrested, especially if they are executing and serving a federal search warrant, as long as they are not breaching state laws. Trump is not above the law. Neither he nor Sabatini can expect the State of Florida to be an impermeable citadel that protects Trump from being held accountable for his actions. That would turn the state into a fiefdom that no longer deserves the protection of the United States Constitution and government. What Sabatini is asking for sounds like secession, which should bar him from public office.
