'Facts No Longer Matter' in Trump Probe Under Politicized Justice System, Ex-FBI Lawyer Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Whether or not former President Donald Trump is indicted over what federal agents found during a search of his home will come down to perception management rather than facts because the US justice system has been politicized, former FBI Principal Legal Counsel Coleen Rowley told Sputnik.

"The task of predicting a Department of Justice indictment is above my paygrade, especially given the continuing politicization and disintegration of this judicial institution," Rowley, a Time magazine whistleblower of the year and former legal counsel to the FBI Director, said. "'Making one's own reality' perception management has triumphed, with facts no longer mattering."

This has been proven, she added, by the Russiagate hoax, alleged WMDs in Iraq, and many other powerful "propaganda sales jobs" of recent history.

"Which of the power-mongering theories of the two competing sides' narratives will ultimately succeed requires a crystal ball that I just don't have. But neither does... anyone else," she said. "All that one can wisely say is plenty of time does exist before the next presidential election for further political shenanigans, the likes of which can and will almost certainly rock the United States."

The FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on August 8 and seized nearly a dozen sets of documents, some marked "Top Secret," according to the disclosed search warrant receipt.

Trump condemned the raid, claimed to have declassified all materials present at his residence, and called for the release of the unredacted version of the probable cause affidavit that justified the search.

During a hearing on Thursday, Justice Department national security lawyer Jay Bratt argued that recent threats against the FBI and its agents following the raid - including a recent standoff at a Cincinnati field office - would make it necessary to redact information from the affidavit. US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart then ordered the Justice Department to file under seal the proposed affidavit redactions and rationale by August 25.

Last week, The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the material the FBI sought in the search of Trump’s home. The former president denied the claim.

On Thursday, Rasmussen Reports published poll results showing that the raid has damaged the FBI’s standing with Republican and independent voters. Only 30% of Republicans now hold a favorable view of the FBI, down from 38% in December. Nearly half of Republican voters now view the bureau "very unfavorably," according to the survey.