'Trust the plan': QAnon conspiracy theorists believe Mar-a-Lago search will benefit Trump

From House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to Fox News hosts, a long list of Republicans have been railing against the FBI for executing a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, August 8 and describing former President Donald Trump as a victim of endless persecution. But QAnon conspiracy theorists, Newsweek reports, are having a very different reaction. As they see it, the search will ultimately benefit Trump — who is an icon in the far-right QAnon cult.

Members of QAnon are known for their outrageous conspiracy theories, claiming that the United States’ federal government has been hijacked by an international cabal of pedophiles, child sex traffickers, Satanists and cannibals and that Trump was elected president in 2016 to lead the fight against the cabal. QAnon supporters view Trump as not only the president in exile, but also, as the person who, more than anyone, is leading the battle against the forces of darkness.

“The FBI raid on the Florida resort sent shockwaves through the American right when the agency executed a search warrant amid allegations Trump has unlawfully kept White House records,” Newsweek reporter Anders Anglesey explains. “Trump himself branded the raid as a ‘witch hunt,’ and Republican politicians such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz described it as ‘corrupt and an abuse of power’…. But QAnon influencers, known for their fanatical support of Trump, had a more optimistic outlook on the raid and reassured their followers to trust FBI Director Christopher Wray and ‘the plan.’”

READ MORE: 'Poor, persecuted Trump': Journalist mocks GOP hysteria

Anglesey adds, “Their apparent trust in the FBI director and ‘the plan’ is linked to posts by the Q account that spread the conspiracy online (and) told followers to ‘trust Wray.’ QAnon influencer Stormy Patriot Joe told his Telegram 112,899 followers: ‘Q told us to trust Wray. Who leads the FBI?’ He later added: ‘Q told us 'how do you get evidence entered legally?' FBI gets the info on the record. Q asks 'who has all the information?' DJT does.”

By “DJT,” Stormy Patriot Joe means Donald J. Trump.

Another QAnon supporter on Telegram, Jordan Sather, posted: “Call me a crazy nut bucket but I actually do trust Wray. I think we've been watching the influence operation of all influence operations take place over the last two years. How fast did Trump's statement come out after Mar-a-Lago was raised (sic)? Trump wasn't on site (Mar-a-Lago closed for the summer so he stays in Bedminster I presume) and he claimed it was 'unannounced.' Trump's a very fast writer.”

READ MORE: 'Lock and load': MAGA extremists lash out after Mar-a-Lago search