In the wake of the FBI's raid on Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, supporters of the former president have framed the raid as an unprecedented "weaponization" of law enforcement in a partisan manner. Others have suggested, without evidence, that the FBI "planted" evidence during the search.
But according to Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov, the fact that some Republicans have offered full-throated defenses of Trump before all the facts are in just shows how unqualified they are to serve in government.
"This is an important piece of the puzzle," Tarlov said. "When you look at how many Republicans are dashing without information to defend former President Trump ... you can see that this is a piece of the puzzle of why Republicans cannot be given control again of the government."
In a press conference Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the warrant the FBI received before the search at Trump's resort and said that he had "personally approved" the search.
RELATED: Trump responds to Merrick Garland by raging at Obama's presidential library
Garland did not explain the reason for the search, but stressed there was "probable cause" and said he had asked a court to make the case's documents public.
"I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter," he told reporters. "The department does not take such a decision lightly."
The extraordinary FBI raid this week on Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence has sparked a political firestorm in an already bitterly divided country and comes as he is weighing another White House run.
Leading Republicans have rallied around the former president, who was not present when the raid took place.
Trump's former vice president Mike Pence, a potential 2024 rival, expressed "deep concern" and said the raid smacked of "partisanship" by the Justice Department.
Garland criticized "unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors."
Watch the video below.
With additional reporting by AFP
NOW WATCH: That decision has consequences': Experts respond to Trump pleading the 5th