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PENDLETON – The execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate was just politics, according to Rep. Victoria Spartz.<\/p>\n
Spartz, R-5th District, held a town hall meeting Saturday at the Pendleton Public Library that drew a large crowd.<\/p>\n
Spartz and other Indiana Republicans met with Trump just days after the search warrant was served.<\/p>\n
“The meeting was scheduled earlier,” he said. “It’s just political and getting the FBI involved is very dangerous. It shouldn’t happen.”<\/p>\n
Spartz said the issues could have been resolved without the notification of the search warrant.<\/p>\n
“No one should be treated like this,” he said. \u201cDemocrats should prove they can govern, which they are not doing a good job of.<\/p>\n
“How much energy they spent attacking him,” Spartz said. “I think he’s getting used to it.”<\/p>\n
An accounting must be provided as to why the search warrant was requested and issued, he said.<\/p>\n
“We cannot have a police state,” he said.<\/p>\n
Spartz said people are afraid of the government and persecuting individuals instead of protecting rights.<\/p>\n
Responding to a question about requiring gun manufacturers to provide safety features, Spartz said the country can manage with the features already in place.<\/p>\n
“The Second Amendment is an important right,” he said of the Constitutional Amendment that allows citizens to own guns.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of crime and you may not be able to get a police officer in time,” Spartz said. “People have to be able to defend themselves.”<\/p>\n
As for the mood in the US Congress, Spartz said the country is divided and no one wants to face the challenges.<\/p>\n
“There’s the price of gas, inflation, open borders and war in Europe,” he said. \u201cI blame Congress for not providing checks and balances.<\/p>\n
“It’s not healthy to be divided,” Spartz said. “We must be willing to debate the issues and try to find common ground.”<\/p>\n
He is working bipartisanly on health care reform measures and on the Judiciary Committee when it comes to government surveillance.<\/p>\n