This is incredible, considering all the furor over the FBI executing a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago months ago and finding all the boxes of documents and then finding thousands more documents, after Trump’s lawyers had sworn that there were no more. But there are. They were discovered in a West Palm Beach, Florida storage facility. An aide said, “To my knowledge, he has never even been to that storage unit. I don’t think anyone in Trump world could tell you what’s in that storage unit.” Washington Post:
The ultimate significance of the classified material in the storage unit is not immediately clear, but its presence there indicates Mar-a-Lago was not the only place where Trump kept classified material. It also provides further evidence that Trump and his team did not fully comply with a May grand jury subpoena that sought all documents marked classified still in possession of the post-presidential office.
In addition to the storage unit, the team hired an outside firm to carry out the search of his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., and, more recently, Trump Tower in New York, according to people familiar with the matter. The outside team also searched at least one other property.
The team also offered the FBI the opportunity to observe the search, but the offer was declined, the people said. It would be unusual for federal agents to monitor a search of someone’s property conducted by anyone other than another law enforcement agency.
Trump wants more than anything to avoid another federal high-profile search of his properties, but who knows what will happen now? Evidently Trump just grabbed anything he wanted and threw everything in a pile. The classified documents that were found in the storage unit were strewn amidst gifts, clothes, books, what have you. Nothing was inventoried or catalogued.
And evidently one of his lawyers thought something like this would happen.
According to the people, at least one of Trump’s lawyers has previously advocated for a less aggressive approach to the Justice Department investigation of Trump and his advisers for three potential crimes: mishandling of national security secrets, obstruction and destruction of government records.
That attorney, former Florida solicitor general Christopher Kise, had proposed such a search months earlier. Many of the other lawyers on Trump’s team have rebuffed Kise’s advice, and he has taken a reduced role in the classified documents case while taking a larger role in the New York investigations into the former president, the people said.
Kise is one of the high powered, white shoe firm lawyers in Trump’s employ. Evidently Trump hasn’t told the truth to his lawyers and you know what a no no that is.
At times in the past, Trump has misled his own lawyers as to what was in the boxes that were taken from Mar-a-Lago, The Post has reported.
For example, he told some on his team that he only possessed newspaper clippings and personal items in 2021. One of his former lawyers, Alex Cannon, declined Trump’s entreaty to tell the National Archives he had returned all items because Cannon was not sure if it was true, and his team in February did not release a statement dictated by Trump that claimed he had returned all materials, The Post has reported.
Trump lawyers Christina Bobb and Evan Corcoran met with investigators in June, handing over a taped-up folder of 38 documents collected from the former president’s residence in response to a May subpoena, according to court documents and people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors called the response “incomplete” in court documents and said that they collected evidence of “obstructive conduct” regarding the failure to fully comply with the subpoena.
This isn’t over. This is just one more bonfire in Trump world that could turn into a major conflagration — again.
WHAT “outside source” conducted the searches, and WHY was it NOT law enforcement?
The search was done by an outside team specializing in locating documents hired by TFG’s lawyers in response to Judge Beryl Howell who questioned how thorougly they had responded to DOJs subpoena from May.
I can see why the FBI would decline to monitor those searches. However, those who actually did conduct them might (and probably will) wish they hadn’t. Imagine being one of those people, and getting a visits from a Special Agent(s) of the FBI. Here’s just some of the questions they might be asked, after being reminded that providing false information to federal law enforcement is a felony:
1) Did you examine ever page of every document during your search of…(wherever they sea4ched)?
2) Did you find anything with classification markings?
3) Did you stop reading and put the document in an envelope, seal it and note when and where you found it?
4) Did you immediately notify the appropriate authorities?
5) Did you notify Mr. Trump? If yes was that before or after you notified the appropriate authorities?
6) Did you find any documents that you weren’t sure whether they contained classified information?
7) When you weren’t sure, did you replace the document(s) or seal it and set it aside for further review? Did you notify the authorities that potentially classified information was found and turn it over for review? If not, then why and who if anyone did you give such a document to?
8) Describe your knowledge of classification markings on a document to include whether you have or have ever held a security clearance.
That last one is huge for a couple of reasons. First, if a document has had the red classification marking cut off, or covered over as the document/page was photocopied there are still other indications the information is classified and at what level – paragraph by paragraph if you know what to look for. Second, anyone who has held a security clearance and seen/handles classified documents (yes, long ago that included me) knows the rules. That means the wrong answers to some of the earlier questions as in attempts to shade things will suddenly have anyone with a lock of common sense and self-preservation to have their asshole slam shut. And if they don’t have a lawyer with them suddenly want one, and begging the interviewer(s) for a chance to “clarify” their answers. After talking to their lawyer.
Anyone who took part in those searches better have gotten themselves a good lawyer. Already. Cause more likely than not the time is coming when they will have the FBI posing just the types of questions I listed. And then some!
I see a lot of possible problems on that horizon about 60 miles away … The fickle fart Republicans don’t want any more time spent on the Jan. 06, committee, mainly because of so much guilt among their ranks and the danger of a poisoned, pissed off Trump since his precise plummet to hell within his soon to be lost Trump Industries name power and owed debts, criminal action induced fines, and YES, I think that his usual slimy escape from responsibility has reached the total exhausting end with too many loose ends among all the usual mentioned super stars of GOP importance …
With all the signs of dietary do-wrongs and heart challenging physical condition, the old fart is going to have a real anger burst and will deliver any vile things he knows about the Republicans themselves in a show of desperation as his namesake business collapses like a crater around a large asteroid a mile below Mar-0-golf … the stench we all face if we do shit like he has, is a term in the halls of any one of several federal prisons, state prisons or other well-known hell holes that will finally contain him until Mother Earth swallows his remains …
The classified documents aren’t so much a J6 Committee concern. A criminal investigation was opened by the DOJ and it didn’t take any referral from Congress. It’s pure DOJ and they have steadily pursued the matter. Don’t forget – they have power the J6 Committee doesn’t which is grand jury subpoena authority and they’ve been using it. We can’t be sure but it seems like Garland will in fact sign off on charges for people in that case – including Trump himself.
Voted most likely R candidate to stroke out if questioned too hard.
Another crime by trump…ho hum. Arrested yet? Nope. Different day…same shit. Wonder how many black kids will be arrested today as political prisoners for smoking weed? Count on it.
They didn’t need all the extra files, they already know what wasn’t turned over they have a record of all classified documents. They also know he is still holding more documents, so believe me they have more than enough to indict him. So know for sure folks and it’s coming when he least expects it, get ready for it.
Where did the boxes he flew out of Florida on May 21 go? Bedminster? Golf Tournament July, 2022 @ Bedminster. A few days later, Saudi Arabia flew home from his golf tournament. 45 signed $4 billion deal 11/22 with Oman through a Saudi real estate guy. Did Saudi Arabia get any classified docs? Did Putin get any classified docs? This is fucking espionage folks and Jack Smith damn well better find it and indict. They can easily find out where that plane landed.
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As with all ideals…I’m not convinced the legal system has the stomach to live up to Equal Justice Under Law. Yet.
Trump is never going to be able to get a security clearance after stealing classified document! Does that mean he is not qualified to run for another term? I think every person who wants to be a candidate should be required to get a security clearance and if they can’t they wound not be eligible to run.
Bedminster and the tower searched? I still say they had best get a warrant for a peek into incinerated Ivana’s “uuuge” coffin.
Yup, dig up the coffin .