Good Morning,
Former President Donald Trump is under indictment now, because he didn’t follow criminal statues and procedures, governing highly classified documents.
Under the espionage act he is charged with not only removing the documents, but storing them carelessly, and even showing them to people.
But ultimately, he is under indictment because he refused repeated demands to return those documents.
Trump thinks he’s above the law. The most sensitive documents on threats from America’s adversaries, were not Trumps personal property and he could not declassify them.
His post court appearance news conference was not carried by most main stream news networks, not carried live I mean.
That’s because he is trying to whip up the nation to believe he’s a victim who is being persecuted and his inflammatory rhetoric is simply dangerous. As dangerous as it was in calling people to riot at the Capitol after Trumps election loss, which he still claims was a theft.
This week former Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump’s former AG, said Trump is toast is half of the allegations are true.
John Bolton, his former National Security advisor said these documents should never have been taken, had to be returned and that Trump was beyond wreckless.
His former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said “I think some of the investigations have been politically tinged against him. This one, I don’t think so”.
And former Sec of State Mike Pompeo said “Trump had classified docs when he shouldn’t have had them, and when given the opportunity to return them, he chose not to do that”.
“That’s inconsistent with protecting America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines ... if these allegations are true, some of these were pretty serious, important documents.”
Trump is on tape saying to a reporter that one of the documents he had could have been declassified but he didn’t do so and can’t now. One of the documents he didn’t return.
His own lawyers have produced notes for the prosecution where Trump asks them to hide the materials or deny they have them.
Will the lawyers notes be tossed out? Maybe because it’s a hard test of client attorney priveledge.
Could the recording be somehow challenged under Florida laws? Possibly.
I wouldn’t forecast that Trump will go to jail. But who knows.
The thing is, you can argue he is largely unelectable now. Because even is his hardcore of supporters who never actually chime with reality, will stick by him, many won’t.
He will poll higher for the moment with Republicans who buy his narrative of a witch hunt, and even as he pleads with them for more money.
But America knows better as polls show half of those polled think Trump should have been charged.
A political hit job? That’s Trump’s take because he is always the victim, but most people know better. He’s in very, very deep trouble and sinking fast.
Dana