Mike Pence tells Republicans 'attacks on the FBI must stop'


Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged Republicans to stop lashing out at the FBI over its search last week at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
During an event in New Hampshire, Pence said Republicans can question the FBI and Department of Justice "without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel." The Republican Party, he continued, "stands with the men and women who stand on the thin blue line at the federal and state and local level, and these attacks on the FBI must stop."
The FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago as part of an investigation into Trump's handling of classified material. This outraged Trump's most vocal supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who said Congress must "defund the FBI," and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who tweeted, "We must destroy the FBI."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pence pushed back at these statements, saying, "Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police." In the wake of the Mar-a-Lago search, a gunman tried to breach the FBI field office in Cincinnati, and the Department of Homeland Security and FBI issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning they have seen an "increase in threats and acts of violence" against federal law enforcement.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?
Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stage
Cartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Codeword: September 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC