I know the raid on Mar-a-Lago is old news at this point. However, the story is still ever-evolving and growing ever sicker. That’s what happens when the FBI finds classified documents in a personal residence. You see, in the words of the former President himself, government is like a business. Of course, businesses need ways to not get bogged down by one executive’s errors, or else they go under. It’s a principle that is one of many definitions of the word ‘accountability.’ Accountability is a tricky word, because what defines it changes with every situation. However, without it, a business or a government simply cannot function. This is exactly the reason why the raid on Mar-a-Lago is not only justified, but absolutely necessary for our country as we know it to survive.

But first, let’s talk about what was found in Trump’s lavish Florida estate. For one thing, 11 boxes of classified material, including sets marked as “Top Secret,” were found at Trump’s residence. If any normal American were to do this, I guarantee you that they would end up in Guantanamo, but Trump’s status as a former President ostensibly prevents that from happening. However, one can hope that may change eventually, because one statute that Trump may be in violation of is the Espionage Act. Violating this law can lead to a 10-year prison sentence for the offender, and storing classified documents in a person’s own residence can certainly be in violation of this law.

 The raid was actually first revealed publicly by Trump himself, and the statement he released about it sounds like a soap opera monologue. His statement reads that these are “dark times for our Nation (sic)” and stated that Mar-a-Lago was “under siege, raided, and occupied” by FBI agents. The fact that this wording is stronger than anything he used to condemn the siege, raid, and near-occupation of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 is not lost on me, let’s just say that. The next thing of note said is that he saw the attack as one perpetrated by “Radical Left Democrats (sic)” meant to stop him from running for President again. It is worth mentioning here that he appointed the FBI Director, Christopher Wray, who approved the search. Yes, it had to go through a Biden-appointed Attorney General named Merrick Garland after that, but Wray’s approval was needed first. Therefore, Trump’s argument about the raid being a political hit job is demonstrably false.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped various GOP politicians from trying to paint it as such. Take, for example, Sen. Rand Paul and his newly stated desire to repeal the Espionage Act that may send Trump to trial, if not outright prison. Boo hoo. In all seriousness, though, why is Rand Paul suddenly wanting to repeal this law? He says it’s because of its history of abuse through jailing war dissenters and modern leakers, and I’d respect that if it were actually the case. However, that could be fixed with revisions to the law, something the Senator did not directly advocate for. He advocated for an outright repeal, which looks a lot like he is covering someone’s tracks. Again, boo hoo.

Also, some Republicans are going so far as to call for the abolition of the FBI. Heck, Marjorie Taylor Greene and her wing of the GOP are selling merch that reads “Defund the FBI!” Again, why now? Is it because the person that they built their entire political lives on is finally being held accountable? Suddenly I’m getting reminders of the Antifa groups you guys hate.

The problem with the Republican Party of today has also been exposed bare with their response to this raid. That critical flaw is that they are all about law, order, and accountability so long as they aren’t the ones getting caught. If Trump were running as a Democrat, he would’ve been thrown under a proverbial motorcade of 18-wheelers the day his “locker room talk” saw the light of day. But because the Republican Party has embraced Trump so tightly they may as well have fused, Trump is simply a cancer the party has to treat. If it doesn’t, and stuff like this continues to be normalized, democracy won’t last much longer. After all, in Trump’s own words, any government is like a business. Accountability is therefore essential for its survival.