Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

"The Trump legal brain trust’s latest filing has been met with proper ridicule. From its characterization of the documents retrieved from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as “purported ‘classified records’ ” (Is there some doubt?) to its contention that the former president had the power to declassify documents (even though the absence of classification would not protect him from prosecution under the Espionage Act), the brief is incoherent, to put it mildly. Former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa tells me, “It literally contradicts itself in several places.
Nevertheless, the filing is quite revealing, even if any rational judge would dismiss it out of hand. It demonstrates that Trump really has no excuse for having highly classified documents unsecured at Mar-a-Lago.

The brief never explicitly claims that Trump declassified any document — only that he had the power to do so. As former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal tweeted, “If Trump really thought he had declassified the documents, he [and] his lawyers would have said so. The fact that they never say in court what they say outside of [court] is itself damning.”

It’s a puzzle what his lawyers think would be a defense. Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weismann tells me, “His only possible defense is ‘I did not know I had government documents at Mar-a-Lago.’ ” But that won’t work, Weissmann says, because “there is so much contrary evidence that we know of already.” As he points out, the government executed its search warrant after Trump’s team said it returned everything because the government knew that assurance was false.

Rangappa offers: “[Trump] seems to be arguing that he converted these into personal records under the P**********l Records Act so they are his or, alternatively, even if they aren’t his the Justice Department can’t institute a separate enforcement action to recover them.” But, of course, the PRA doesn’t rule out an Espionage Act prosecution.
There is a risk of overanalyzing the brief. Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe explains, “His defense comes down to ‘I’m President Trump.’ ” Trump seems to balk at the suggestion that he has to explain to the FBI which documents he considers privileged. “To me, that’s equivalent to: ‘Shut up, I explained.’ ” Tribe says. “Not much of a defense.”

Should the government decide to indict Trump, it will do so in D.C., where the grand jury sits and where documents that belong to the government were first taken from the White House. Once he’s before a competent trial judge and a jury, he will be hard-pressed to make any of his many excuses. For example:

“The documents were planted.” There is no evidence for that.

“I declassified them.” Trump’s own lawyers refuse to make that claim in a legal brief. Even if they did, it would be irrelevant under the Espionage Act.

“I get to keep wh**ever I want.” He might believe that, but that does not make it so in a court of law.

“It’s my attorneys’ fault.” Evidence suggests Trump went through the boxes and that he knew exactly what was included. Moreover, if this devolves into a finger-pointing exercise, his lawyers would have every reason to flip on him if for no other reason than to avoid their own liability.

Trump has spent much of his life saying outrageous, false things. That simply does not work in court when the law is crystal clear and people outside the MAGA cult are rendering judgment. That may explain why Trump’s aim has always been to delay and delay, hoping some future Republican president (himself perhaps!) will, if needed, pardon him."

Jennifer Rubin

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Kmgw9v... We should reference the original article ... you did give Jennifer Rubin credit at the end as you should.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/13/trump-filing-classified-documents-takeaways/

Any one who thinks they could get away with blatant and bragged about criminality is crazy... Trump is by many authorities considered, to be diagnostically technical... A Nut Case...

A bank president taking home boxes of money from the bank vault when he is replaced is an example paralleling Trumps illegal taking home documents. One can picture in our mind the Bank President hugging the money and claiming it is mine... all mind... "I as president gave it to myself." Padded cell time with tranquilizers injections to calm his madness. Crime? No, insanity...

It is time for Trump to die and become a replacement for Ronald Regan and Jesus. A martyr for the party, martyrs are automatically cleansed of wrong doings and people love them; good political move. Assassination by a person labeled as being a democrat and quickly k**led [guilty or not]... fantastic!!!

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Trump’s first hope is that Garland doesn’t have the mettle to indict (I think he does). Failing that, his second hope that his case goes to trial and he gets a sympathetic judge who himself was appointed by Trump (like Cannon); or he gets a Trump-deluded jury who finds him a victim, and dismisses all the evidence against him. He might be pardoned, or he might become so irrational that those in power put him put him to pasture.

Like Jennifer says, there is no rational explanation for secreting documents unsecured at his residence.
“Lock her up” was his battle cry. Irony to the extreme.

slocumeddie Loc: Inside your head, again

slocumeddie Loc: Inside your head, again

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Your severe case of TDS is now beyond a cure.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Of the last 24 thread you posted on the first page, 21 are about Trump. You need special intervention. TDS

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I always identify the writer of the prince, usually at the end of the posting.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Yes good ol' Machiavelli.
"Only armed prophets, like Moses, succeed in bringing lasting change. Machiavelli claims that Moses k**led uncountable numbers of his own people in order to enforce his will."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince

Machiavellianism is "a political theory advocating the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli’s The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality, and craft and deceit are used to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler: In this and other countries, Machiavellianism currently dominates foreign policy.
behavior characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty:The dark side of social intelligence includes the impulsive, thrill-seeking, callous behavior of psychopaths and the deceitful and exploitative nature of Machiavellianism."
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/machiavellianism

slocumeddie Loc: Inside your head, again

Nice response to a typographical/spell-check error.....!!!

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Explain why you should not be on the d******c t*******ts watch-list after your treasonous incitement to violence against a former president?

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Trump's lawyers shouldn't defend what is not accused. Lawerence Tribe is a Harvard L*****t and has always been a supporter of Democrats and big government.

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

You are a crass, tasteless, demented, sick old POS that should be reported to the orderly monitoring your computer time in the day room. If not the Secret Service.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

Explain why you should not be on the d******c t*******t watch-list after your treasonous incitement to violence to attack the Capital of the United States