Bill Maher admits FBI raid is 'saving Trump politically' just as his fortune was 'finally falling'

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Did Trump violate the Espionage Act?

Legal panel discussion on 'Your World' the unsealed Trump raid search warrant includes Shannon Bream, Jonathan Turley, and Katie Cherkasky.

"Real Time" host Bill Maher took no pleasure to acknowledge that this week's FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago could ultimately benefit former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly hinted at another bid for the White House.

After poking fun at the "items" that were found in Trump's safe, Maher questioned during a panel discussion whether the FBI raid will equate to "Al Capone's vault" given how broad the classification of "classified" and "top-secret" information is. 

"Is it going to justify this raid or is this going to be a political nightmare?" Maher asked. 

Fox Nation host Piers Morgan cautioned about the "tendency" from Trump's biggest critics of playing into his hands with their overreaction to things, telling Maher, "Take a swing this big… you gotta land, land a big punch in terms of evidence."

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Former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.  (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Maher mocked Trump defenders who suggest the FBI "planted" evidence at Mar-a-Lago, telling the panel, "I don't even think he knew what was in those boxes or cared."

"I just think he was like, ‘They’re mine! I live here! I put it in those boxes! I get to take my boxes!'" Maher impersonated the former president. 

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"In the end, it comes down to what is in these boxes… if it turns out to be the real deal, if it turns out that Donald Trump has violated the Espionage Act, that is a serious crime and he should be held to account," Morgan said. "If it doesn't turn out to be there, that there are legitimate questions, I think, from the Trump supporters about the different standards applied to Donald Trump that hasn't been applied to Hillary Clinton, to James Comey, to Hunter Biden and the others."

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on May 28, 2022 in Casper, Wyoming. The rally is being held to support Harriet Hageman, Rep. Liz Cheney’s primary challenger in Wyoming. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) (Chet Strange/Getty Images)

The "Real Time" host went to bat for FBI Director Christopher Wray, who he called a "solid guy" as well as Attorney General Merrick Garland, who he similarly called a "serious guy."

"I just don't think those two people would have signed off on this if there wasn't a reason to do it. I don't think they wanted to do it," Maher said.

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He insisted that Trump "did sell his soul to the devil" since he is "the luckiest man in the world."

"His fortune was finally falling. The Big Lie was finally losing momentum. DeSantis was beating him in the polls — you know who hates this more than anybody? DeSantis," Maher exclaimed.

"'I had this in the bag, and now I gotta run against President Martyr,'" Maher continued, impersonating DeSantis. "And this is saving Trump politically because now, of course, all the Republicans — what do they do?"

"Real Time" host Bill Maher in in hot water with an LGBTQ+ advocate.  (HBO)

Morgan argued that the FBI raid will also benefit President Biden, who he suspected would rather face off against Trump in a rematch than any other GOP candidate in 2024. 

"So he's behind it. Is that what you're saying?" Maher jokingly asked. "Because they will run with that one."

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"If you're Joe Biden, who would you rather face — Donald Trump who has all the baggage, who has the Jan. 6 investigation ranging a number of legal actions, all this stuff now… or would you rather face a much younger, more dynamic DeSantis who hasn't had the baggage?" Morgan doubled down. "So in a way, you could see that although it looks in the short term like this might play out advantageously for Trump politically, if he doesn't get nailed by what's going on here, actually it could work in Joe Biden's favor in 2024."