Followers of former US President Donald J Trump received a startling email from ‘President Trump’ with a subject line stating, ‘They were authorised to shoot me!’ In the email, Trump alleged that the Biden administration was ‘locked & loaded’ to kill him when searching his home in 2022, reported the New York Times.
According to reports, Trump’s email read, “You know they’re just itching to do the unthinkable … Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger…”
The readers thought it was a distress signal, but soon it was established as one of Trump’s fundraising appeals and attention-grabbing tactics.
What is the truth?
As per the New York Times’ report, the claims were false and misleading. The accusations relied solely on a misrepresentation of a standard Justice Department policy on the use of deadly force in its operations.
Trump was talking about a newly revealed FBI document detailing the procedures for searching Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022. This document contained a standard statement about the “use of force” in such operations.
According to the New York Times, the statement explained that officers can use deadly force only if they believe it’s necessary because the person poses an immediate threat of death or serious injury to the officer or someone else.
In 2022, the FBI carried out the search when Trump was out of town and Mar-a-Lago was closed. As per reports, the FBI had coordinated with the Secret Service beforehand to ensure they could enter Mar-a-Lago smoothly. Everyone agreed to keep the operation subtle and avoid making it look forceful.