Victoria Coates
ON THE RECORD · 4 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“No, particularly by the Justice Department’s own very low standards in dealing with President Biden’s classified-document violations from his time as vice president, which were far more egregious than anything retained at Mar-a-Lago,”
Victoria Coates · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-08
Coates contrasted the FBI's handling of Trump's classified documents case with the Justice Department's treatment of Biden's classified-document violations.
“unprecedented, dangerous, and should be illegal.”
Victoria Coates · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-08
Coates characterized the FBI's tracking of Wiles' phone contacts as unprecedented and dangerous.
“In our increasingly digital world, it raises the grim specter of future campaigns where an incumbent can weaponize the private communications of not only a candidate and his family, but also his staff,”
Victoria Coates · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-08
Coates warned that tracking Wiles' communications with attorneys and journalists could set a precedent for future campaign surveillance.
“The Biden FBI was following the precedent of the Obama FBI in 2015 when they used their authorities to surveil then candidate Donald Trump and his campaign at Trump Tower as well as other candidates notably my then-boss Senator Ted Cruz. It’s the ultimate political dirty trick,”
Victoria Coates · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-08
Coates compared the Biden-era FBI surveillance of Wiles to the Obama FBI's 2015 surveillance of political campaigns.