Republicans first criticized the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort harshly, but as fresh information about the more than 100 secret papers the former president carelessly hid at his private club has come to light, Republicans have been noticeably quiet.

Trump’s handling of confidential government material is the subject of a growing and disturbing inquiry. The trove of records the former president removed from the White House and the possible national security issues are becoming more and more well-known with each court filing. While the unprecedented search has prompted many Republicans to defend Trump, others in the party are reluctant to speak out because they are often afraid of offending him.

When questioned about the most recent developments in the Justice Department’s investigation on Wednesday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell chose not to comment.

During a press conference in Kentucky, McConnell said, “I don’t have any views about it.

The silence says a lot about a party whose president won the White House by motivating supporters with “Lock Her Up!” rally screams. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, came under fire from Trump for using a personal email address and server while serving as Secretary of State. She cooperated with the authorities right away and was not prosecuted.

The inquiry is also putting Republican senators who depend on Trump for their political survival to the test of their allegiance, especially in the run-up to the midterm elections.

After the most recent court filing, in which the Justice Department claimed that the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago on August 8 had turned up more than 100 documents with “classified markings” — more than twice as many as Trump’s team had turned over earlier this summer — battle lines among Republicans fighting over Trump quickly emerged.

The Justice Department outlined in frank detail in its late filing on Tuesday how it had gathered evidence “that federal materials were probably disguised and taken” from a storage space at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.

The memo highlighted the protracted process of attempting to recover official records that were lost when Trump departed the White House in early 2021. The search turned up papers in the former president’s office, despite the fact that Trump’s legal team said they were only maintained in the storage room. According to the report, some of the recently discovered papers were so classified that even Justice Department lawyers and FBI counterintelligence agents needed extra credentials in order to evaluate the information.

“Efforts were probably made to hinder the government’s investigation,” the Justice Department said. It provided photographic proof of some of the discovered secret papers. The document said unequivocally that the government thinks “obstructive behaviour” has taken place.

One of the former president’s harshest opponents and recent loser of her own primary for reelection, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, tweeted the image with the caption, “Yet more unacceptable behaviour by Donald Trump uncovered this morning.”

But Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who briefly challenged Trump for the presidency, reserved his criticism of federal law enforcement while standing up for the outgoing leader.

Just before to the Tuesday filing, Cruz tweeted, “The FBI’s raid was a horrendous ‘abuse of power’.” He said that “the FBI has to be completely cleaned out.”

He was one of numerous Republican congressional candidates and senators who raised money this week as a result of their grievances against the Justice Department. In response to a Wednesday request for further remarks, Cruz’s office remained silent.

The senator from Texas is not the only one criticizing the federal officials leading the probe and search instead of Trump. The Republican Party that once stood for law and order has been torn by Trump’s acts, some in the starkest, most terrifying tones.

Republicans immediately rallied behind Trump in the wake of the search and asked the Justice Department for further details. Republicans in the House and Senate, along with some Democrats, requested hearings and briefings.

The Justice Department’s petition on Tuesday and the court’s publication of the government affidavit justifying the search last week may make it more difficult for Trump’s defenders to defend the former president and his team’s activities.

Republican Trump backers concentrated on the image of top-secret documents that was used as proof in the Justice Department filing. Even if the records were protected, the opponents said that if the material was so confidential, it shouldn’t have been made available to the general public. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a supporter of Trump from Georgia, tweeted, “You folks are so horrible at this,” blaming both Democrats and those who shared the picture.

The dangers of the vehement language directed towards the country’s law enforcement have been made very evident. The threat was shown by the police shooting a guy who attempted to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati field office. Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, slammed people who have been critical of the organization and warned agents to exercise caution in public.

The House Republicans are counting on Trump’s presence to increase voter excitement and turnout as they attempt to regain majority control after the midterm elections, so they are happy with his ability to dominate the political scene. Some have urged him to quickly declare his own bid to run for president once again.

But Senate Republicans are becoming more worried that Trump is diverting attention from what they would want to be a vote on President Joe Biden’s performance in the Oval Office.

With a more combative tone and an emphasis on the threats to democracy that have emerged as a driving force for Democrats, Biden is focused on Trump-style candidates inside the Republican ranks as he intensifies his own efforts to help his party keep control of Congress.

The most recent court filing, according to Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, a former federal prosecutor, was “devastating” for Trump.

The facts demonstrating how the previous president and his aides intentionally jeopardized our national security are what Schiff found to be most remarkable, she stated on Twitter.

The congressman who oversaw Trump’s first impeachment asked the Justice Department to “follow the facts” and carry out its investigation.