One discouraging note from former prosecutor Joyce Vance on MSNBC today: Part of the DOJ's big decision to prosecute is that if this goes to trial against Donnie, those national security secrets may have to be exhibited in open court, for a jury to consider. It's gonna be a tricky decision because of course the agencies don't want to expose that stuff.
Under the circumstances, perhaps the jury should only be allowed to see heavily redacted photocopies, which could be sufficient enough for them to understand the severity of the crime committed.
I would hope so, but I just don't see Biden/Garland putting a political rival in jail. They are old school and they know that they will be next. Their enemies are not past fabricating evidence to convict them.
More questions than answers right now on what this means for Trump's future.
First of all, why was he keeping classified documents, including one set marked top secret and only meant to be viewed in a secure government facility? What did he want to do with them?
Trump claims they were all declassified. Clearly the Department of Justice disagrees.
On the politics: the fact Trump is being investigated under the Espionage Act sounds dramatic, but will it cause any of his supporters to think twice about his fitness for office? Seems unlikely.
Millions of Americans are now convinced the federal government is unfairly targeting Trump.
On the law: legal scholars are in uncharted waters and will have to examine the implications of this. The big question being, if found guilty, would it make Trump ineligible for a re-election bid?
Early reaction to this week's drama suggests a clear split between those who are galvanised to support the president and those who are reminded how exhausted they were during the Trump presidency.
There are classified things that a president cannot declassify. TS/SCI and TS/SAP are in that category and that’s what he claimed he declassified. His claims of declassifying the high level stuff is bogus.
Trump’s supporters have no concept or idea of what those kinds of things are, why they are so tightly held, and why adversaries want them. Their compromise is a grave danger to the US and even the world.
Trump needs to answer for these crimes - because they are crimes. Big ones.
It seems crazy that his fans don't comprehend the danger of leaky national security. Aren't a bunch of them military veterans? They should understand this better than most people.
One discouraging note from former prosecutor Joyce Vance on MSNBC today: Part of the DOJ's big decision to prosecute is that if this goes to trial against Donnie, those national security secrets may have to be exhibited in open court, for a jury to consider. It's gonna be a tricky decision because of course the agencies don't want to expose that stuff.
I would hope so, but I just don't see Biden/Garland putting a political rival in jail. They are old school and they know that they will be next. Their enemies are not past fabricating evidence to convict them.
From the Beeb.
More questions than answers right now on what this means for Trump's future.
First of all, why was he keeping classified documents, including one set marked top secret and only meant to be viewed in a secure government facility? What did he want to do with them?
Trump claims they were all declassified. Clearly the Department of Justice disagrees.
On the politics: the fact Trump is being investigated under the Espionage Act sounds dramatic, but will it cause any of his supporters to think twice about his fitness for office? Seems unlikely.
Millions of Americans are now convinced the federal government is unfairly targeting Trump.
On the law: legal scholars are in uncharted waters and will have to examine the implications of this. The big question being, if found guilty, would it make Trump ineligible for a re-election bid?
Early reaction to this week's drama suggests a clear split between those who are galvanised to support the president and those who are reminded how exhausted they were during the Trump presidency.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-62527797