Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

"The story so far, on Mar-a-Lago and the Multiverse of Madness:
First, the FBI seizure of government records stored in Donald Trump’s South Florida estate was the culmination of a bureaucratic conflict, not the initiation of a political war. The good people who keep track of p**********l records had asked repeatedly for the documents at issue but had been met with grudging and partial compliance. Turning to the Justice Department was the archivists’ last resort — an escalation to end a negotiation in which Team Trump was oozing bad faith. The FBI search of a former president’s home was the external evidence of a long-term, mainly under-the-radar struggle over the custody of government-owned documents.

Second, Attorney General Merrick Garland has demonstrated a supreme indifference to politics. He did not originate the FBI search, but he approved it. He was, in essence, backing his own people in a case where the law was being obviously violated. This was not evidence of an anti-Trump political vendetta. It was Garland enforcing the law, even when it could be easily misconstrued as the result of an anti-Trump political vendetta. Thus Garland demonstrated one of the rarer political virtues: The attorney general was willing to look as though he was engaged in wrong in order to do what he believed was right.

Third, Trump has, once again, shown a deep misunderstanding of the high office he held. We recently learned that Trump, in a conversation with his chief of staff John F. Kelly, wondered why American generals could not be as loyal as “German generals in World War II.” (In Trump’s mind, evidently, there is no loyalty like N**i loyalty.) As president, Trump falsely believed that every executive branch employee was his servant, required to obey his every selfish, capricious, vindictive whim. Now, as an ex-president, Trump seems to believe that every document produced by his administration is his personal property. It isn’t. As an ex-president, he presumes that he can declassify documents that he could declassify only before leaving office. He can’t.

The FBI search yielded, among other things, 11 sets of documents — one at the highest level of classification, “sensitive compartmented information”; four at the level of “top secret”; and three at the “confidential” level. Mishandling such documents is a crime — with legal consequences karmically strengthened by Trump as president.
This is enough to satisfy those who insist that “no one is above the law.” But most people will judge an FBI search of a former president’s home by the severity of the security breach that might have resulted. And this we still don’t know. Reporting on the contents of the documents has ranged from the absurd (information on Roger Stone’s corrupt pardon) to the apocalyptic (information on “nuclear weapons”).

Although I once had a pretty high security clearance, I am not sure what “nuclear” means in this context. There is no document of any kind that could enable, say, a 17-year-old Russian hacker to re-target U.S. nuclear missiles to hit U.S. soil, then click on a red button and enjoy the boom. Procedures for using nuclear weapons don’t even remotely work that way (thank God). Could such a document include information on the nuclear capabilities of enemies (Russia or Iran) or friends (Israel or India)? Or perhaps information about Trump pushing for the Russia-endorsed policy of the United States removing all its nuclear weapons from Europe?

For those hoping that these confiscated, classified documents will somehow destroy Trump’s chances at ree******n, a warning. Many in the federal government have a strong tendency to overclassify information, which means that at least some of this trove could seem underwhelming when revealed. If it looks as though Trump was just retaining some documents for use in writing his memoir, few minds will change.

As it stands, the FBI action has confirmed public impressions, not t***sformed them. Remember that Trump secured the GOP p**********l nomination in 2016 by dominating the news cycle. It barely mattered if it was good news about him or bad. He had a remarkable ability to shove everyone else off center stage while crooning “My Way.”

In this case, anyone who imagines and fears a “deep state” attack on Trump will take the FBI’s search at Mar-a-Lago as confirmation. Most GOP officeholders are finding it expedient to rally to Trump’s cause. The realm of charge and countercharge — of bold lies, absurd accusations and conspiracy theories — is Trump’s natural habitat. Other presidents have handled documents in this way, he inaccurately insists. The FBI has planted evidence, Trump claims, displaying a mind-boggling hatred of law enforcement and exposing FBI agents to physical risk.
Now imagine Trump is reelected. Remember his tacky, gold-leafed rule: Do unto others a hundred times what they do unto you. Consider an FBI stocked with Trump sycophants and directed at his enemies. It is a shard of the multiverse few would want to inhabit."

Michael Gerson

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Then why the terror and fear of releasing a warrant?
Why wait until Trump was out of town to execute it?
They know that he could demand to see the warrant prior to allowing the search to see specifically what was being named as the object of the search
This is all more KGB tactics and deep state secrecy.
Are libs all of a sudden not interested in complete t***sparency any more?
THIS ALL smacks of the Soviet era from the 2020 e******n to present.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Why did Trump secrete the documents at his residence?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Did he?
Or were they either planted or they just had them ready for show.
Do you really believe anything the FBI or Garland say?

Triple G

You are so far gone into trumpism and MAGA. It’s sad, really, to see someone so far removed from reality. Do your kids and doctor know? If not, please share your thoughts with them.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Sad...

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

How did he do that? The GSA packed those boxes and delivered them to Trump's residence.

Secretive? Trump was the most t***sparent president in history. That's a fact.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Why did the FBI wait 3 days after getting the search warrant to raid Trump's property? Why did the FBI request that Trump install a padlock on his safe months and months ago? We really don't know much yet, how about we wait until the investigation is over and the affidavit is released?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

So right.
Not anything like obummer and FJB that severely limited and limit access by the media every day.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

%

Penny MG Loc: Fresno, Texas

You just described yourself. Apparently there are many stories coming from the left side of the government, i.e. the bought out DOJ that you guys are either unaware of or just believing every word of. Do yourself a favor...keep your comments regarding anything to do with one's family out of the discussions. Show some dignity for once.

Penny MG Loc: Fresno, Texas

I don't really believe that affidavit will ever be released.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Or if it is it will be so heavily redacted as to be meaningless.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

When they have been utterly defeated this is the last resort.

mwalsh Loc: Houston

LoL