Prominent MMA fighters denounce the FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago and echo right-wing talking points to defend Trump
- The FBI executed a search warrant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Florida this week.
- Prominent MMA fighters Jake Shields and Jorge Masvidal denounced the bureau on Twitter.
Prominent MMA fighters denounced the FBI's raid on Donald Trump's property in Florida this week.
It is unclear what the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago was specifically related to, though three sources told CNN it was because of documents the former president may have improperly taken there.
The National Archives asked the DOJ to investigate whether or not Trump broke the law by taking government records from the White House to his Florida residence, the Washington Post reported in February.
Leading combat sports figures swiftly condemned the FBI's actions on Monday and echoed right-wing talking points. Trump has long enjoyed support from many fighters and their fans.
"I remember always hearing about how China would censor and arrest their political dissidents," the former UFC contender and jiu jitsu specialist Jake Shields tweeted. "Sound familiar?"
Shields further called for the FBI to be defunded, just like far-right political figures Candace Owens and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene did on Monday.
Shields also said: "I'm not a huge trump fan but the FBI and big tech's reaction to him and his supporters shows he's a threat to the ruling class."
The director of the FBI, Chris Wray, likely greenlit the bureau's search. Then-President Trump appointed Wray to the job in 2017.
A federal judge would have had to sign off on the search warrant, and be convinced by enough probable cause showing a crime may have occurred that the FBI could conduct a search, legal experts told Insider.
Popular prizefighter Jorge Masvidal also tweeted it was a "Sad day in the USA."
"These are the tactics of Cuba and Venezuela," he added. "No matter what side of the aisle you are on, this ain't right."
Other democracies and close US allies, including France and Israel, have prosecuted and convicted ex-leaders for wrongdoing.
Masvidal's comment is similar to ones made by Eric Trump, and the American conservative lobbyist Roger Stone.
"Here they are again, raiding the guy's house … when do you give up? When do you say enough's enough? When do you give a human being who fought so hard for this country, when do you give them the benefit of the doubt?" the president's son told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night.
Masvidal has backed Trump before
In January 2020, Masvidal told Insider he accepted a formal invite to the White House in Washington, DC, and said Trump has "done a lot of crazy shit that a lot of people wish they could do."
It is unclear if he ever attended.
He called Trump "one bad motherfucker" — meaning the term as an apparent compliment.
Later that year, when he was on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi for one of the biggest UFC matches of his life, Masvidal wore a Miami pink Versace robe and a Trump face mask.
Alongside Donald Trump Jr., Masvidal also spoke at a "Fighters Against Socialism" campaign rally in support of then-President Trump.
In 2021, Masvidal hinted that he may leave Twitter after it de-platformed "the cool kids" like Trump.
More than 18 months later, the 37-year-old combat sports veteran remains prevalent on the social media site.