Chris Christie said about Trump just today, “For some reason, drama and chaos follow him wherever he goes. Well folks, that’s like the arsonist saying, ‘For some reason burning buildings follow me wherever I go.’” There might be a reason for that. The main story of today is the discovery of a missing binder that contained information about potential election interference in 2016 on the part of Russia. That was quite the deal, as you recall. Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress over that very thing.
So where could this story go, if, like all the other matches which are struck in Trump world, it ends up turning into the usual five-alarm conflagration? Mary Trump spoke with lawyer Joe Gallina and this is what the two of them cobbled together by way of a scenario. And it does not look good for Mary’s Uncle Donald.
I asked attorney Joe Gallina to assess why this is bad for Donald:
“Donald has already been charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act for keeping secrets at Mar-a-Lago. However, these missing documents are a whole new ballgame.
We don’t know enough yet, but let’s do a fast thought experiment: We’d like to think the chain of custody of classified intel is tracked by the intelligence community, so it’s likely some internal record-keeping exists as to who had the document last.
With the missing Russia documents, there are really only three possibilities:
- They were destroyed. If the government has proof Donald Trump was the last person to possess the documents, and there was some evidence they were destroyed, he would potentially face new criminal charges under several different laws including 18 U.S.C. § 793 and 18 U.S.C. § 2071 which could lead to even more prison time.
- They were lost (or kept). Whether the documents were purposely kept in a safe or lost, either could lead to stiff penalties including charges under 18 U.S.C. § 793 and the Federal Records Act 44 U.S.C. §§ 2101-2906. Even when classified information is inadvertently lost, it could be considered “retention” if there wasn’t a good faith effort to produce it.
- They were sold or given to Russia. This is the most serious possibility of all. And if, indeed, this is the case, a number of charges, including 18 U.S.C. § 793 as it relates to knowingly delivering national defense information to an unauthorized foreign agent, could be brought. The maximum penalty for violating the Espionage Act is life imprisonment. Such theft and dissemination could also rise to the level of Conspiracy to Commit Espionage and 18 U.S.C. § 798: Unauthorized Disclosure of National Security Information.
Let me put it this way, if the government ever had evidence Donald Trump purposely handed classified info to a hostile power, he would never see the light of day again.”
Why this must be EXPOSED:
As I mentioned yesterday, just because Republican hypocrisy is the rule, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expose it at every opportunity. In 2016, Donald Trump repeatedly called for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned over her alleged mishandling of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.
“I will say this, Hillary Clinton has got to go to jail,” Donald said. “Folks, honestly, she’s guilty as hell.”
Of course, at exactly the same time the FBI was investigating whether Clinton had improperly handled classified documents, it was investigating Donald for his and his campaign’s ties to Russia. Luckily for Donald, The New York Times and James Comey had his back and the only “news” people heard about in the days and weeks leading up to the 2016 election had to do with Clinton’s fucking emails.
If Donald or anybody else in his administration unlawfully retained these highly sensitive documents, they need to be tried and convicted.
What sublime irony that Trump refers to both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden as “Crooked” Hillary and Crooked Joe. But then again, we speak of what we know, right? And if anybody is tuned into crooked better than Donald Trump, I do not want to meet the person. Trump’s the proverbial stranger that, upon shaking his hand, you need to be sure to count the fingers on your own. At the very least, check your jewelry and see that it’s still there.
This could get strange, not that any more drama was needed for 2024. We’re already expecting that when and if Trump loses in Iowa (Ron DeSantis’ dream come true) that he’ll claim that it was rigged.
Uhhhh. This is hilarious, the hypocrisy is blinding. Love how he couldn’t bring himself to use 2020 as an example and instead referred to The Apprentice. Theyre all deplorables
— Kire Retten (@RettenKire) December 15, 2023
One month from today folks, that’s the Iowa Caucus. And 2024 is going to be a wild ride. And if this Russian binder matter takes off, look for it to be wilder, still. What that’s going to look like, I can’t even imagine.
Since this is coming out now, it shows how much Jack Smith is keeping under wraps. Today’s Rudy judgement isn’t directly related. But it makes clear given clear cut evidence, a jury can convict Trump.
We can but hope that his jury is made majority PoC. The white executive types(and there are plenty of McMansions) will be excused for cause. It will be PoC and us Boomers and very young voters without enough seniority to.be considered necessary for their company. I.just hope the Boomers (I am one) realize if he gets in,our Social Security is dezd, along with Medivafe,Medicaid, and Miller pensions.
take what you think trump is likely guilty of then x4. then x4 again.
I feel like the picture of dumpf when all could be exposed is not unseeable. ever.
Time for a cigarette and a blindfold…ready…aim…fire.
I think Smith has evidence Trump gave material to Putin. He’ll keep a tight lid on that till the last possible moment since that would be the thing that blows Trump totally out of the water.
hi Bob, I’m not so sure waiting til the last minute would be the best thing, but I truly hope you’re right about what Smith has. And I do believe as far as timing, that he will use it while he can, because if the unthinkable happens in the next election, they will crucify him. If anyone can get the right thing done, it’s Smith. I gotta love anybody with a brain and a love of the law like he has.
The only way the sheeple will eventually “get it” is drip…drip…drip…
And that includes the “independents” who may finally wake up to the danger around them and vote the rs out for good.
It’s time to build up that back story and it looks like it’s finally starting to gel. Oh, goody!!!
“This could get strange, not that any more drama was needed for 2024. We’re already expecting that when and if Trump loses in Iowa (Ron DeSantis’ dream come true) that he’ll claim that it was rigged.”
I’d be happy if Trump simply doesn’t win by the margin he expects. I mean, he likes to talk about his “50-point” lead (or whatever number he chooses–I’d actually look at the poll and see if his “lead” is simply the percentage of respondents as in “Trump has 51% compared to Haley’s 16% and DeSantis’s 14%, etc” and Trump then claims to have a “51-percent lead” over his opponents; but I digress . . .) but I’d be happy if he just comes out with 35% of the caucus-goers and Haley and DeSantis each wind up with high-20s.
Also, I do want to hear Trump claim the caucus was “rigged” because that might finally prove to his supporters just how f*cking delusional Trump is. At a caucus, there’s NO hiding. You HAVE to show who you’re supporting (unless they’ve changed caucus rules). Traditionally, once the caucus begins (with the doors to the venue being shut and no one else is admitted), all attendees have to go to specific areas assigned to each candidate and stand there until the count is completed. There may be multiple rounds as attendees change their support but I think that’s based on how many supporters show up; as I understand it, each candidate needs to reach a certain threshold of supporters or they’re eliminated from that particular precinct’s event and this continues until all candidates reach that threshold. The caucus is NOT a “secret ballot” where some nefarious people (of course, we’re talking Republicans here so “nefarious” and “Republican” are pretty synonymous) can make up numbers for each candidate (say, an anti-Trump person’s in charge and he opens the box and reads off “Haley, DeSantis, Haley, Haley, DeSantis, . . . and, finally Ramaswamy” with several minutes while the numbers are tallied and “Final results are in, Haley, 210; DeSantis, 193 . . . Ramaswamy, 1 and Trump, 0” when, in reality, Trump got 247 to Haley’s 78 to DeSantis’s 76, etc). If the Trump-supporting caucus-goers hear Trump saying the caucus was rigged when they actually saw him get a paltry number of the attendees, the scales might finally fall from their eyes. Kind of doubt it, but hope springs eternal.
DOJ needs to put every person possible on this to locate, if possible, those docs. Unless drumpf flushed them all, a possibility certainly, they’re out there and need to be found. I find it difficult to believe there are not copies out there and in fact there ought to be copies in the hands of DOJ-what, only these docs weren’t copied? Sorry, I find that hard to fathom.
This story has all the indicators of taking off. Meadow’s lawyer issued a statement this week with a veiled threat of a defamation lawsuit if anyone claimed his client took the binder. Cassidy Hutchinson has already said as much under oath, so we can look forward to some fireworks in the near future. If Smith has sufficient evidence, he could indict Meadows and give him what he’s been asking for, a trial in a DC district court. However, it won’t be the trial he was thinking of. I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up some morning soon to learn the FBI has executed a search warrant of his home and seized all his devices. The only reason they haven’t up to now may be that he is cooperating. One thing is absolutely certain. Meadows won’t go to jail to save his former boss.
With all the rhetoric and verbal support for El-Trumpo coming from the usual crime team in the House Republican no-accounts … it is hard to believe the Smith team has yet to haul those a**h***s, to court for a total take-down … I find it unsettling that Gym Jordon, as a PRIME example, is still not behind some bars for ALL the stunts done in Congress, but how he does seem to avoid public take down with his performance in the wrestling mess he left behind in Ohio …
The compound effect of these dorks in the House as well as those in the Senate is a huge waste of our money and time that trump wants to delay his final court appearances as, at this time, it looks like Trump’s fresh air is limited to those final cry fests before he is fitted into a bright orange jumpsuit … 🙂
Is this being covered by Faux News or any of the far right media? Probably not.
I think they might want to dig up Ivana’s casket and take a peek. Let’s see if orange dough boy has it moved any time soon.
Trump—> so crooked they’ll have to screw him in the ground when he dies because they’ll never get him straight enough to fit in a coffin.