Once again I marvel at how WWIII didn’t start during the last administration. Donald Trump was, “at the very least, lax,” with how he handled the classified documentation he came across, and that is spectacular understatement. The general backstory, if you’re now just tuning in, is that CNN is reporting that Federal prosecutors have obtained a two-minute audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which Trump makes some interesting and inculpatory admissions. First, he acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, which undercuts his argument that he declassified everything, psychically or otherwise. Secondly, Trump discusses war plans against Iran on the tape, which is such a no no that it cannot be overstated.
It goes without saying that “If this reporting is true, and I’m trying not to use hyperbole, this is game over,” in the words of former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann.
There is no way that he will not be charged. One, it is a tape recording. Even though the reporting is there are also witnesses, so there could be a tape recording with witnesses, it involves not just possession of classified information, but the dissemination of classified information. That puts it into a completely different ballpark when you are at the Department of Justice examining the seriousness of the violation and whether to bring charges.”
He explained that it also adds another crime, whereas before, it was simply the possession of the documents, refusal to give them over, and obstruction of an investigation. Now, a separate crime would be to disseminate.
“And it differentiates Joe Biden an Mike Pence,” he continued. Both men were found to have documents, including some classified information. They responded by immediately handing it over. Trump did not. “So from a political perspective, it is huge because there is no evidence this happened with respect to President Biden or former Vice President Pence. The information is not just classified information. It is one of the most sensitive types of classified information, which is war plans involving a potential attack on Iran. So, from every single aspect of this, if this reporting is accurate and there is this tape recording, there will be an indictment and it is hard to see how given all the evidence that we’ve been talking about that there will not be a conviction here. I mean, this is a tape recording.”
Listen to this synopsis by Nicole Wallace, Andrew Weissman and Mary McCord. This is eight minutes long and will give you everything you need to know.
And the blow back from Trump world is that this is just the witch hunt du jour.
“Leaks from radical partisans behind this political persecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of President Trump and his supporters.”
“It’s just more proof that when it comes to President Trump, there are absolutely no depths to which they will not sink as they pursue their witch hunts,” the spokesperson said. “The DOJ’s continued interference in the presidential election is shameful and this meritless investigation should cease wasting the American taxpayer’s money on dEmocrat political objectives.”
This is not a normal day. The crimes here have gone beyond federal statutes and now we’re talking espionage charges, or a violation of the Espionage Act. Another charge may be made on national defense theories, namely that it is a crime to possess national defense information and it is a crime to disseminate it.
Trumpty Dumpty is up to his ass in alligators. And Ron DeSantis is breaking out the champagne.
I think DeSantis and Christie, and Christie will be the more likely to go after trump for his potentially criminal exploitation of classified material. What I am waiting for is leaked reports that he sold or bartered this information. How much would the Saudis pay for detailed intelligence of Iran’s nuclear weapons capability, or for that matter Israel’s?
Well, when I checked my AOL email, the lead news story was about DeSantis’s claim that Trump had “moved left” on some issues*. And, given DeSantis’s own fascist leanings, I’ve got absolutely zero doubts that he’ll make us all long for Trump’s handling of the documents if DeSantis should make it to the White House. We just won’t have any sort of non-government-controlled media to report any DeSantis wrongdoings. If we thought Trump’s demand for NDAs from government employees was absurd, just wait till a DeSantis dictatorship.
*I didn’t bother to read the story so it may have been more clickbaity than substantial–just offering it to suggest DeSantis probably couldn’t care less about Trump’s running afoul of espionage charges.
Here’s a “technicality” many here won’t know but is huge. Former President’s before Trump retained Security Clearance as they were sometimes consulted, albeit usually quietly on certain matters including and especially diplomatic and national security/defense related ones. That would mean them maintaining what’s known as a “secure line” – encrypted means of electronic communication with the sitting President.
Trump’s clearance was revoked – yet another bit on inglorious history making on his part. They had problems enough with him using his personal freaking iPhone while in Office and had instead of secure, government provided devices. That raised all manner of security concerns as various enemies set up shop near wherever he was to listen in (there’s equipment for that) on his chats or intercept texts he sent and received. But without a security clearance there’d be no need for him to have secure phones and other gear capable of encrypting all forms of electronic communication at his homes, golf properties, plane etc. Techs would have gone and collected every bit of all that stuff that had been installed and wiped all traces it was ever there.
THAT means Trump not only disseminated HIGHLY classified (war plans!) to unauthorized individuals, he did so over a non-secured form of communications. I’m making a fuss about this because he’d been so f**king OBSTINATE about using whatever phone, including and especially his cell phone whenever he pleased to communicate with whomever the hell he wanted to. He was told over, and over and over again not to do it and why. And if only to cover their own a$$es every time he was told the person(s) doing so documented that they’d tried. So once again, the issue of “Intent” that you see legal talking heads who have spent years saying could let Trump off the hook isn’t going to fly here.
If this reporting is accurate, it will be devasting in court but also in the court of public opinion. When it comes up in the news as it will as the case progresses, average people will say “WHAT?” if the talking heads make the point he had that (and perhaps other) conversation on an unsecured device that any foreign operative could (and did) listen to. Even some MAGA goobers, those who served and god forbid at least at one time had a security clearance will be taken aback by this.
My only worry is that the normal federal prosecutor instinct, which is DRILLED into them from day one is to make sure they’ve got EVERY detail, EVERY possible crime and ALL evidence from ANYONE who might have any to give before filing a case. Of one thing I’m certain: With Trump there is no end to what there is to find. At some point you have to say “We’ve got more than enough and all the evidence needed to prove it in court” and move forward with prosecution. If more stuff comes up a decision can be made to either open a new, separate case or file a superseding indictment.
As I said that cuts against what federal prosecutors are taught to do. But with this revelation, if Smith doesn’t move soon to file charges the public’s faith in the system which is already on shaky ground will be broken for good.
If it was ANYONE else, someone who had done far less they’d have been charged long ago and would be sitting in jail without bond awaiting trial. Yes, I realize we’ve never had someone like Trump as President but he’s already been extended WAY to much consideration. He did after all get rebuked by proxy in the 2018 midterms AND massively lost when it actually was his own name on the ballot in 2020. Screw the 25-30 million MAGAs. There are far more of the rest of us than them!
“If this reporting is accurate, it will be devasting in court but also in the court of public opinion. When it comes up in the news as it will as the case progresses, average people will say “WHAT?” if the talking heads make the point he had that (and perhaps other) conversation on an unsecured device that any foreign operative could (and did) listen to. Even some MAGA goobers, those who served and god forbid at least at one time had a security clearance will be taken aback by this.”
Are you talking about the same “MAGA goobers” who sat back and cheered him on as he disparaged military service as being for suckers and comparing his avoidance of STDs in the New York dating scene as similar to serving in Vietnam? The same “goobers” who had no problem supporting him as he badmouthed John McCain as a “loser” because he’d had the misfortune of being a POW in Vietnam?
If they could spend the past 7 years supporting Trump through ALL of that, they are NOT going to turn on him for “mishandling some government documents”–no matter how serious the documents were.
The perfect question to those who call the legal actions against trump “witch hunts” is this: so if President Obama did these very same things would you call legal actions against him “witch hunts”? I think we all know the answer to that one. Hell, a rock buried 10′ underground knows the answer to that one.
Well at least the bill passed in the house. Geez, who could have predicted, after consulting their portfolio managers, the Republicans did something to save their money. So, as a senior citizen, I’m still trying to get something figured out. Aren’t you the same folks that sided with the insurrectionists, voting them your support AFTER January 6th?
I’m with you on preyingmantis Joseph. Trading fascists is no way to avoid disaster.