On Aug. 8, FBI officials executed a search warrant on former President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The raid followed the discovery of evidence that Trump delayed turning in classified documents to the National Archives after leaving office.

Under severe criminal allegations, such as improper handling of federal records and breaking the Espionage Act, Trump eventually complied with the National Archives and handed over approximately 100 classified documents. Soon after receiving the documents from Trump, however, The National Archives sent them to the FBI to investigate the potential unlawful handling of the files. The content of the undisclosed documents sparked immediate alarm within the FBI regarding other classified information Former President Trump may still possess.

Fearing a potential leak of classified information, the FBI received approval from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in South Florida for a warrant to search the Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 5.

While Trump was not present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the raid, his son, Eric Trump, informed him of the FBI’s actions. In response to the news, Trump released a statement insulting the FBI and the Democratic Party.

In his statement, Trump described the raid as “the weaponization of the Justice Department” and “an attack by radical left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for president in 2024.”

Trump also said that “such an assault could only occur in broken, Third-World countries,” describing the U.S. as “corrupt at a level not seen before.”

Other Republican politicians expressed similar views to President Trump. House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy believes the DOJ “has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.” and vows to investigate the DOJ if the Republicans take the majority of the House of Representatives. McCarthy also threatened Attorney General Merrick Garland stating “preserve your documents and clear your calendar.”

Following the raid, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan released a statement via Twitter insulting the FBI. He states “If they can do it to your former president, imagine what they can do to you.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed similar opposition to the FBI. After the search, Greene was livid, tweeting the words “Defund The FBI,” in all caps. Greene was always against the FBI, but the recent action against President Trump fueled her hatred and disapproval to a different level.

The reactions to the raid were not limited to those politicians. Republicans worldwide have stated their opinions on the raid, ranging from support to threats against all parties involved.

Within the Sidwell Friends community, however, multiple students said they thought the raid was justified and the search was warranted.

Student Republicans co-head Kevyn Orr, a junior, described the raid as “completely justified” and disagreed with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s characterization of the FBI as an “enemy of the people.”

Orr also expressed fears about the possibility of a repeat of the Jan. 6 attack if Trump is prohibited from running for president in the 2024 election as a result of being found guilty of the allegations.

Student Republicans co-head and junior Brennan Park agreed that the raid was backed by evidence, calling Trump’s actions “one of the highest federal offenses” and an “abuse of his power.”

Similarly, freshman Dylan Verma emphasized Trump’s lack of integrity, calling him “a threat to democracy and the freedom of the United States.” Verma also fears how democracy will continue to suffer as a result of President Trump’s actions.

Freshman Vir Arora took a different view on the Mar-a-lago raid. While Arora describes the raid as “the right thing to do” he finds the raid “quite excessive.”

Regardless of the outcome, Park thinks there will be long-lasting consequences to the raid.

“If Trump is convicted, then extremist groups such as QAnon and the Proud Boys will likely cause another insurrection, but if no consequences are enforced, there’s possibly a major flaw in our justice system,” Park said.