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After the FBI  of former President Donald Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 8, 2022, Conservative politicians responded with one of three strategies: , , and .

Many responses echoed Trump鈥檚 own framing of the search. In his  his residence was 鈥渦nder siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.鈥� In the statement, replete with war metaphors, Trump alleged that executing a legal warrant was 鈥渢he weaponization of the Justice System鈥� and an 鈥渁ssault鈥� that 鈥渃ould only take place in broken, Third-World Countries.鈥�

Trump鈥檚 framing of the event was  commenting immediately on Twitter, despite the fact that they, like Democrats and the public, lacked relevant knowledge of the facts of the case that prompted the search and .

The impulse to hastily legitimize Trump鈥檚 perspective illustrates a dangerous rhetorical strategy frequently employed by GOP politicians during the Trump era: .

Conditioned to Accept Violence

Message laundering occurs when inflammatory language or unsubstantiated claims are mixed with mainstream partisan communication and presented to the public with an air of respectability. Just as  enabled mobsters to disguise their ill-gotten gains as the profits of a legitimate business, message laundering presents dishonest and dangerous speech as credible, innocuous, or persuasive.

As a , I study how rhetoric strengthens or erodes democratic institutions. The aftermath of the FBI鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago search illustrates how message laundering can undermine democratic processes and gradually condition its audience to expect and accept violence.

After Trump released his statement, Conservative politicians echoed key aspects of his message. Some sanitized Trump鈥檚 ideas by combining them with more measured critique or references to democratic processes.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California,  an 鈥渋ntolerable state of weaponized politicization鈥� in the Department of Justice, even as he promised to 鈥渇ollow the facts鈥� and 鈥渓eave no stone unturned鈥� if the GOP retook the House.  interpreted his directive to Attorney General Merrick Garland, 鈥減reserve your documents and clear your calendar,鈥� . But the tweet launders Trump鈥檚 notion of a weaponized DOJ by combining it with McCarthy鈥檚 promise to use democratic processes to 鈥渇ollow the facts.鈥�

Similarly, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem recycled Trump鈥檚 war metaphors in , saying, 鈥淭he FBI raid on President Trump鈥檚 home is an unprecedented political weaponization of the Justice Department.鈥� She tempered that imagery, however, by appealing to the rule of law in the same tweet, asserting that 鈥渦sing the criminal justice system in this manner is un-American.鈥�

Not all of the GOP鈥檚 early statements were measured, however. Some laundered more extreme ideas and edged readers toward an acceptance of violence.

In a  sent the night of the search, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis labeled the search a 鈥渞aid鈥� and described it as 鈥渁nother escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime鈥檚 political opponents.鈥� He continued, saying, 鈥淣ow the Regime is getting another 87k IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.鈥�

DeSantis鈥� invocation of 鈥渢he Regime鈥� legitimizes a fringe  by Michael Anton, a right-wing commentator and member of Trump鈥檚 administration. Anton speculates that Democratic elected officials would work in concert with members of the Biden administration, liberal judges, and the media鈥攚ho, together, form 鈥渢he Regime鈥濃�攖o prevent Trump from taking office again using legal or illegal means.

DeSantis combined his threat with a reference to a  that would allocate 鈥�$80 billion to the IRS.鈥�

McCarthy also referred to that aspect of the bill,  a 鈥渘ew army of 87,000 IRS agents鈥� are 鈥渃oming for鈥� American taxpayers.  and  debunked the notion. Yet Republicans .

鈥淕estapo鈥� and 鈥淏rown Shirts鈥�

The imagery of an 鈥渁rmy鈥� of federal agents turned against ordinary Americans via legislative mandate legitimized the alarmist rhetoric that followed. As GOP tweets coalesced, the line item from the Inflation Reduction Act merged with reports of the Mar-a-Lago search in ways designed to make individual voters feel vulnerable.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, , 鈥淚f they weaponize the FBI to go after President Trump, they will surely weaponize the IRS鈥檚 87,000 new agents to go after you.鈥�

The GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee , 鈥淚f they can do it to a former President, imagine what they can do to you.鈥� Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, , 鈥淭his #DepartmentOfInjustice must be held accountable. It was President Trump today, but it鈥檚 you next if we don鈥檛 take a stand.鈥�

After making audiences feel personally threatened, GOP messaging returned to the war posture implied in Trump鈥檚 original statement.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia,  that the FBI 鈥渞aiding President Trump鈥檚 home鈥� was the 鈥渢ype of things that happen in countries during civil war.鈥� Conservative pundits and politicians cast FBI agents as 鈥溾�� and 鈥�,鈥� the latter referring to Hitler鈥檚 storm troopers. In an interview on Fox News, Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, , 鈥淭his should scare the living daylights out of American citizens鈥� and compared the U.S. federal government to the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and Latin American dictatorships.

Rick Scott says the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago is like the Nazis and the Soviet Union and Latin American dictatorships

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)

What鈥檚 Next, #CivilWar?

 have  that once political opponents are cast in those terms, democratic remedies are insufficient. The opponent must be destroyed, and violent repercussions seem reasonable.

A Bloomberg newsletter  that during the week of Aug. 8, the #CivilWar hashtag gained traction on various platforms, reflecting a 鈥渨ar-time mentality [that] has become increasingly common since it鈥檚 started to find footing with politicians.鈥�

The Texas Nationalist Movement issued  citing the 鈥渞aid鈥� on Mar-a-Lago, the 鈥渨eaponization and politicization of the federal instruments of power,鈥� and the 鈥渁nnouncement of the hiring of 87,000 IRS agents鈥� as grounds for Texas to secede.

During the week that followed the Mar-a-Lago search, FBI  numerous instances of individuals threatening FBI field offices, with some confrontations ending in violence. On Aug. 12, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released a  documenting an increase in violent threats to law enforcement and other government officials.

Message laundering does not always result in politically motivated violence, but it can make violence seem like a logical and reasonable response to partisan disagreement. Voters should be aware of this rhetorical tactic.

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