Yes, Virginia, you can believe it if you read it in the New York Times. And this is better than Santa Claus*. ThereĀ is a mole in Mar-a-Lago who has been reporting to Jack Smith what went on with the classified documents which were the source of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, how they were stored, when they were moved, what the security system was like. Watch the stock market for the price of ketchup to spike, after Donald Trump hears about this and depletes the entire supply in Palm Beach.

The existence of an insider witness, whose identity has not been disclosed, could be a significant step in the investigation, which is being overseen by Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The witness is said to have provided investigators with a picture of the storage room where the material had been held. Little else is known about what prosecutors might have learned from the witness or when the witness first began to provide information to the prosecutors.

But prosecutors appear to be trying to fill in some gaps in their knowledge about the movement of the boxes, created in part by their handling of another potentially key witness, Mr. Trumpā€™s valet, Walt Nauta. Prosecutors believe Mr. Nauta has failed to provide them with a full and accurate account of his role in any movement of boxes containing the classified documents.

In the past few weeks, at least four more Mar-a-Lago employees have been subpoenaed, along with another person who had visibility into Mr. Trumpā€™s thinking when he first returned material to the National Archives, according to people briefed on the matter. Two people said that nearly everyone who works at Mar-a-Lago has been subpoenaed, and that some who serve in fairly obscure jobs have been asked back by investigators.

Prosecutors have also issued several subpoenas to Mr. Trumpā€™s company, the Trump Organization, seeking additional surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private club in Florida, people with knowledge of the matter said. While the footage could shed light on the movement of the boxes, prosecutors have questioned a number of witnesses about gaps in the footage, one of the people said.

This is good for an appetizer, but let’s get to the entree, shall we? Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, may have been misled by Trump and it is his testimony that could take discussions which would ordinarily be protected under attorney-client privilege and make them available to Jack Smith under the crime-fraud exception. Whoops.

DuringĀ his appearance before the grand juryĀ in March, Mr. Corcoran testified that several Trump employees had told him that the Mar-a-Lago storage room was the only place where the documents were kept, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The employees turned out to be wrong ā€” whenĀ F.B.I. agents searched Mar-a-Lago in AugustĀ they found classified documents in Mr. Trumpā€™s office and residence ā€” but at the time, that was a common belief within Mr. Trumpā€™s inner circle.

Although Mr. Corcoran testified that Mr. Trump did not personally convey that false information, his testimony hardly absolved the former president, the people with knowledge of the matter said. Mr. Corcoran also recounted to the grand jury how Mr. Trump did not tell his lawyers of any other locations where the documents were stored, which may have effectively misled the legal team.

Prosecutors working under Mr. Smith have developed what multiple people familiar with the investigation say is a wealth of testimony and evidence about Mr. Trumpā€™s behavior during the lengthy period when the National Archives and the Justice Department sought to retrieve presidential materials from the former president.

“A wealth of testimony and evidence.” Oh, my.

This article goes on to describe how Trump’s Diet Coke valet, Walt Nauta, may have key information. So at the end of the day, a soft drink server and an unnamed mole may be the people who bring Trump down, although don’t hold your breath. Nauta is described as “fiercely loyal” to Trump and is the only White House valet who followed him to Mar-a-Lago. Be that as it may, if the mole and possibly other witnesses provide enough corroborating information to Jack Smith, Nauta’s role in the movement of the classified documents may become evident, whether he chooses to volunteer the information or not. And then he may talk.

And all this is going on along with all Trump’s other legal problems. Aye, aye, aye. The man has lawsuits stacked up like airplanes over a black star airport.

*In case the “yes, Virginia” allusion is too obscure, itĀ refers to a famous editorial written in 1897 when an 8-year-old girl asked the New York Sun if there really was a Santa Claus. An anonymous editor wrote back a classic editorial advocating the importance of myths in our culture.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. “Myths in our culture”
    That’s all Trump can do.
    Try and get people to believe myths about him, because all the truths about him are too nasty.

  2. Gospel of John 8:42-47. It’s where you evangelicals for frump can get your name straight and who you’re really following. Enjoy!!!

  3. I will.never understand why his flunkies are so.loyal. I doubt he is a marvelous employer who treats his people like family. Most likely he is the arrogant bully he always is.

  4. Trump is not highly educated so he speaks to his followers on their level . Finally they’ve found somebody they can relate to .

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