John Bolton says Trump's claim he declassified documents before taking them to Mar-a-Lago is 'almost certainly a lie'
by Katie Anthony
Business Insider
August 15, 2022
[x]
Donald Trump and John Bolton. Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Trump claimed he had declassified classified documents that the FBI found at Mar-a-Lago.
Former President Donald Trump's claim that he declassified documents before taking them to Mar-a-Lago is "almost certainly a lie," his former national security adviser told The New York Times.
"I was never briefed on any such order, procedure, policy when I came in," John Bolton told the Times. "If he were to say something like that, you would have to memorialize that, so that people would know it existed."
Bolton said he had never heard of such an order the entire time he was working for Trump or after he was fired from the administration.
"When somebody begins to concoct lies like this, it shows a real level of desperation," Bolton told the Times.
The FBI found 11 sets of classified documents, including some that were marked top-secret, in the August 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago.
In the days after the raid, Trump tried to defend the documents by claiming he had a "standing order" to declassify documents "the moment" they left the Oval Office. But experts have said there's a formal procedure for declassifying documents, and it's unclear if Trump ever followed it.
"He can't just wave a wand and say it's declassified," Richard Immerman, a historian and an assistant deputy director of national intelligence in the Obama administration, told NBC News. "There has to be a formal process. That's the only way the system can work."
The possible crimes the Department of Justice is investigating don't have to do with the classification of the documents. Investigators are looking at whether Trump broke three laws — one relates to removing information about the US's national defense, and the other two relate to the concealment or destruction of government records.
Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certification
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:46 am
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Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:47 am
'Pretty much BS': Ex-CIA director [Leon Panetta] rebuts Trump's claim about documents
by Jake Tapper
CNN
Aug 16, 2022
Leon Panetta, who served as Secretary of Defense and CIA director in the Obama administration, rebuts a claim by former President Donald Trump's allies that a president can declassify whatever documents they choose. #CNN #News
LEON PANETTA JOINS US.
HE SERVED AS SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE AND CIA DIRECTOR FOR
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND WHITE HOUSE
CHIEF OF STAFF UNDER PRESIDENT
CLINTON. MR. SECRETARY, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR ANDREW
McCABE SAID ON CNN EARLIER TODAY
THAT HE'S NEVER SEEN THIS LEVEL OF
THREATS AGAINST THE BUREAU IN
MORE THAN TWO DECADES HE SERVED
THERE.
WE LITERALLY SAW A TRUMP
SUPPORTER POSTING ON TRUMP'S OWN
SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY THAT HE WAS
HEADED TO THE FBI OFFICE IN
CINCINNATI, ARMED, AND AFTER A
STANDOFF, HE ENDED UP DEAD.
YOU HEARD THE NEW REPORT FROM
KRISTEN JUST NOW.
AMD YET, WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM TRUMP
OR PEOPLE AROUND HIM ANY ATTEMPT
TO CALM MATTERS.
ALL WE HEAR IS MORE POTENTIAL
INCITEMENT AND ALLEGATIONS FROM
HIS LAWYERS THAT MAYBE THE FBI
PLANTED INFORMATION.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO ALL
THIS?
>> WELL, JAKE, IT'S A VERY
SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS MOMENT.
BECAUSE WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THAT
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THOSE WHO
BASICALLY WANT TO INCITE OTHERS
NOW HAVE A FREE REIGN TO
BASICALLY GO AFTER THE FBI AND
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
INVOLVED WITH THE SITUATION.
AND THAT IS A THREAT ON THEIR
LIVES.
AND THAT'S DANGEROUS.
THAT'S DANGEROUS TO OUR LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
IT'S DANGEROUS TO OUR RULE OF
LAW.
AND IT REALLY IS INCUMBENT ON
THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND THOSE
AROUND HIM TO BASICALLY SAY,
PLEASE STAND BACK AND ALLOW THIS
INVESTIGATION TO PROCEED AS IT
SHOULD.
HE TOOK A LONG TIME IN
EVENTUALLY SAYING SOMETHING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY
6th.
HE SHOULD NOT DELAY WITH REGARDS
TO SAYING SOMETHING THAT WILL
CALM PEOPLE TODAY.
>> I KNOW YOU WORKED FOR THEN
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON WHO DID
NOT LIKE ANY OF THE
INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON TO HIM,
WHETHER LED BY KENNETH STARR OR
CONGRESS, AND YET I DON'T RECALL
HIM EVER INCITING HIS SUPPORTERS
THE WAY THAT WE'RE SEEING DONALD
TRUMP DO, SO ALTHOUGH I'M SURE HE
MAY HAVE BEEN TEMPTED SOME DAYS.
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE
SEEN FORMER PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE
BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION WHO
HAVE BASICALLY SAT BACK AND
ALLOWED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OR THOSE INVESTIGATIONS TO
PROCEED WITHOUT INCITING PEOPLE.
I THINK FORMER PRESIDENTS HAD A
DEEP RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF
LAW.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S NOT THE
CASE WITH DONALD TRUMP.
>> THE VIOLENT THREATS ONLINE
INCLUDE, QUOTE, A THREAT TO
PLACE A SO-CALLED DIRTY BOMB IN
FRONT OF FBI HEADQUARTERS.
QUOTE, A POSTER WRITING ATTORNEY
GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND NEEDS TO
BE ASSASSINATED, AND QUOTE, KILL
ALL FEDS.
HOW DOES ONE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
OR YOU WERE HEAD OF THE CIA, HOW
DO YOU GO ABOUT DECIDING WHICH
THREATS COULD BE ACTED UPON AND
WHICH ONES MIGHT JUST BE
KEYBOARD WARRIORS LETTING OFF
STEAM?
>> WELL, IT'S A TOUGH CHALLENGE,
OBVIOUSLY.
LOOK, THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS
THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER.
I KNOW THAT POLITICS HAS BEEN
INVOLVED IN TRYING TO SOMEHOW
LABEL THIS ON ONE SIDE OR THE
OTHER.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
AS SOMEBODY INVOLVED WITH
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS, THIS IS A
SERIOUS ISSUE THAT INVOLVES
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
THE REASON WE CLASSIFY
INFORMATION IS TO PROTECT OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY.
AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT
INFORMATION DOESN'T FALL INTO
THE WRONG HANDS.
AND SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT THIS INVESTIGATION PROCEED
TO DETERMINE JUST EXACTLY WHAT
LEVEL OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
WAS INVOLVED HERE AND WHETHER
ANYBODY ELSE HAD ACCESS TO IT.
WITH REGARDS TO THE THREATS THAT
ARE OUT THERE, I THINK IT IS
VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE LAW
ENFORCEMENT DETERMINE WHICH ONES
ARE CREDIBLE AND WHICH ONES ARE
JUST INCITING FOR THE SAKE OF
INCITING.
THAT'S NOT EASY, BUT IT'S WHAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW IN A
SITUATION WHERE THESE THREATS
ARE COMING AT YOU A MILE A
MINUTE.
>> SO YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY VERY WELL
VERSED IN DEALING WITH
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.
FORMER TRUMP AIDES ARE NOW TRYING TO
CLAIM THAT THERE WAS A STANDING ORDER
BY THE PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP,
TO DECLASSIFY ANY DOCUMENT THAT
LEFT THE WEST WING FOR TRUMP'S
RESIDENCE.
IS THAT HOW DECLASSIFICATION
WORKS?
EVEN WITH SOME OF THE NATION'S
MOST GUARDED SECRETS?
>> [LAUGHS] YOU KNOW, THAT'S NONSENSE,
AND HE KNOWS IT.
THE REALITY IS THAT THERE IS A
PROCESS FOR DECLASSIFYING
INFORMATION.
AND IF PRESIDENTS WANT TO
DECLASSIFY, THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW
THAT PROCESS, WHICH BASICALLY
REQUIRES THAT IT BE REFERRED TO
THE AGENCIES THAT ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR CLASSIFYING THAT
MATERIAL.
THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THAT MATERIAL
SHOULD BE DECLASSIFIED.
SO THERE IS NOTHING THAT I'M
AWARE OF THAT INDICATES THAT A
FORMAL STEP WAS TAKEN BY THIS
PRESIDENT TO IN FACT DECLASSIFY
ANYTHING.
RIGHT NOW, THIS IS PRETTY MUCH
BS.
>> LEON PANETTA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME TODAY.
APPRECIATE IT.
by Jake Tapper
CNN
Aug 16, 2022
Leon Panetta, who served as Secretary of Defense and CIA director in the Obama administration, rebuts a claim by former President Donald Trump's allies that a president can declassify whatever documents they choose. #CNN #News
LEON PANETTA JOINS US.
HE SERVED AS SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE AND CIA DIRECTOR FOR
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND WHITE HOUSE
CHIEF OF STAFF UNDER PRESIDENT
CLINTON. MR. SECRETARY, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR ANDREW
McCABE SAID ON CNN EARLIER TODAY
THAT HE'S NEVER SEEN THIS LEVEL OF
THREATS AGAINST THE BUREAU IN
MORE THAN TWO DECADES HE SERVED
THERE.
WE LITERALLY SAW A TRUMP
SUPPORTER POSTING ON TRUMP'S OWN
SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY THAT HE WAS
HEADED TO THE FBI OFFICE IN
CINCINNATI, ARMED, AND AFTER A
STANDOFF, HE ENDED UP DEAD.
YOU HEARD THE NEW REPORT FROM
KRISTEN JUST NOW.
AMD YET, WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM TRUMP
OR PEOPLE AROUND HIM ANY ATTEMPT
TO CALM MATTERS.
ALL WE HEAR IS MORE POTENTIAL
INCITEMENT AND ALLEGATIONS FROM
HIS LAWYERS THAT MAYBE THE FBI
PLANTED INFORMATION.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO ALL
THIS?
>> WELL, JAKE, IT'S A VERY
SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS MOMENT.
BECAUSE WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THAT
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THOSE WHO
BASICALLY WANT TO INCITE OTHERS
NOW HAVE A FREE REIGN TO
BASICALLY GO AFTER THE FBI AND
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
INVOLVED WITH THE SITUATION.
AND THAT IS A THREAT ON THEIR
LIVES.
AND THAT'S DANGEROUS.
THAT'S DANGEROUS TO OUR LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
IT'S DANGEROUS TO OUR RULE OF
LAW.
AND IT REALLY IS INCUMBENT ON
THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND THOSE
AROUND HIM TO BASICALLY SAY,
PLEASE STAND BACK AND ALLOW THIS
INVESTIGATION TO PROCEED AS IT
SHOULD.
HE TOOK A LONG TIME IN
EVENTUALLY SAYING SOMETHING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY
6th.
HE SHOULD NOT DELAY WITH REGARDS
TO SAYING SOMETHING THAT WILL
CALM PEOPLE TODAY.
>> I KNOW YOU WORKED FOR THEN
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON WHO DID
NOT LIKE ANY OF THE
INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON TO HIM,
WHETHER LED BY KENNETH STARR OR
CONGRESS, AND YET I DON'T RECALL
HIM EVER INCITING HIS SUPPORTERS
THE WAY THAT WE'RE SEEING DONALD
TRUMP DO, SO ALTHOUGH I'M SURE HE
MAY HAVE BEEN TEMPTED SOME DAYS.
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE
SEEN FORMER PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE
BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION WHO
HAVE BASICALLY SAT BACK AND
ALLOWED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OR THOSE INVESTIGATIONS TO
PROCEED WITHOUT INCITING PEOPLE.
I THINK FORMER PRESIDENTS HAD A
DEEP RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF
LAW.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S NOT THE
CASE WITH DONALD TRUMP.
>> THE VIOLENT THREATS ONLINE
INCLUDE, QUOTE, A THREAT TO
PLACE A SO-CALLED DIRTY BOMB IN
FRONT OF FBI HEADQUARTERS.
QUOTE, A POSTER WRITING ATTORNEY
GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND NEEDS TO
BE ASSASSINATED, AND QUOTE, KILL
ALL FEDS.
HOW DOES ONE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
OR YOU WERE HEAD OF THE CIA, HOW
DO YOU GO ABOUT DECIDING WHICH
THREATS COULD BE ACTED UPON AND
WHICH ONES MIGHT JUST BE
KEYBOARD WARRIORS LETTING OFF
STEAM?
>> WELL, IT'S A TOUGH CHALLENGE,
OBVIOUSLY.
LOOK, THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS
THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER.
I KNOW THAT POLITICS HAS BEEN
INVOLVED IN TRYING TO SOMEHOW
LABEL THIS ON ONE SIDE OR THE
OTHER.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
AS SOMEBODY INVOLVED WITH
INTELLIGENCE MATTERS, THIS IS A
SERIOUS ISSUE THAT INVOLVES
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
THE REASON WE CLASSIFY
INFORMATION IS TO PROTECT OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY.
AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT
INFORMATION DOESN'T FALL INTO
THE WRONG HANDS.
AND SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT THIS INVESTIGATION PROCEED
TO DETERMINE JUST EXACTLY WHAT
LEVEL OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
WAS INVOLVED HERE AND WHETHER
ANYBODY ELSE HAD ACCESS TO IT.
WITH REGARDS TO THE THREATS THAT
ARE OUT THERE, I THINK IT IS
VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE LAW
ENFORCEMENT DETERMINE WHICH ONES
ARE CREDIBLE AND WHICH ONES ARE
JUST INCITING FOR THE SAKE OF
INCITING.
THAT'S NOT EASY, BUT IT'S WHAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW IN A
SITUATION WHERE THESE THREATS
ARE COMING AT YOU A MILE A
MINUTE.
>> SO YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY VERY WELL
VERSED IN DEALING WITH
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.
FORMER TRUMP AIDES ARE NOW TRYING TO
CLAIM THAT THERE WAS A STANDING ORDER
BY THE PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP,
TO DECLASSIFY ANY DOCUMENT THAT
LEFT THE WEST WING FOR TRUMP'S
RESIDENCE.
IS THAT HOW DECLASSIFICATION
WORKS?
EVEN WITH SOME OF THE NATION'S
MOST GUARDED SECRETS?
>> [LAUGHS] YOU KNOW, THAT'S NONSENSE,
AND HE KNOWS IT.
THE REALITY IS THAT THERE IS A
PROCESS FOR DECLASSIFYING
INFORMATION.
AND IF PRESIDENTS WANT TO
DECLASSIFY, THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW
THAT PROCESS, WHICH BASICALLY
REQUIRES THAT IT BE REFERRED TO
THE AGENCIES THAT ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR CLASSIFYING THAT
MATERIAL.
THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THAT MATERIAL
SHOULD BE DECLASSIFIED.
SO THERE IS NOTHING THAT I'M
AWARE OF THAT INDICATES THAT A
FORMAL STEP WAS TAKEN BY THIS
PRESIDENT TO IN FACT DECLASSIFY
ANYTHING.
RIGHT NOW, THIS IS PRETTY MUCH
BS.
>> LEON PANETTA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME TODAY.
APPRECIATE IT.
- admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 36750
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:21 am
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:47 am
Trump considering releasing Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage
by Anderson Cooper
CNN
Aug 17, 2022
Some allies of former President Donald Trump are urging him to publicly release surveillance footage of FBI agents executing a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago residence. The proposal has drawn mixed reaction inside his orbit, CNN has learned.
The CCTV footage has been so closely held that aides to the former President aren’t sure if he has seen it in full himself, said a person close to Trump.
#AC360 #andersoncooper #CNN
by Anderson Cooper
CNN
Aug 17, 2022
Some allies of former President Donald Trump are urging him to publicly release surveillance footage of FBI agents executing a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago residence. The proposal has drawn mixed reaction inside his orbit, CNN has learned.
The CCTV footage has been so closely held that aides to the former President aren’t sure if he has seen it in full himself, said a person close to Trump.
#AC360 #andersoncooper #CNN
- admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 36750
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:21 am
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:48 am
'Ludicrous.' 'Ridiculous.' 'A complete fiction.': Former Trump officials say his claim of 'standing order' to declassify is nonsense
by Jamie Gangel, Elizabeth Stuart and Jeremy Herb
CNN
Updated 10:27 PM ET, Thu August 18, 2022
Washington (CNN) In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, the former President and his allies have claimed that Trump had a "standing order" to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.
But 18 former top Trump administration officials tell CNN they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Trump, and that they believe the claim to be patently false.
Several officials laughed at the notion. One senior administration official called it "bullsh*t." Two of Trump's former chiefs of staff went on the record to knock down the claim.
"Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given," said John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019. "And I can't imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without dying in the ditch trying to stop it."
Mick Mulvaney, who succeeded Kelly as acting White House chief of staff, also dismissed the idea and told CNN he was "not aware of a general standing order" during his tenure.
In addition, CNN spoke with former national security and intelligence officials as well as White House lawyers and Justice Department officials. Taken together, their tenure covers all four years of the Trump administration, and many served in positions where they would either be included in the declassification process, or at the very least, be aware of such orders.
Official after official scoffed at the claim Trump had a standing order to declassify documents that left the Oval Office and were taken to the residence.
"Total nonsense," one senior White House official said. "If that's true, where is the order with his signature on it? If that were the case, there would have been tremendous pushback from the Intel Community and DoD, which would almost certainly have become known to Intel and Armed Services Committees on the Hill."
Many of the officials spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity in order to candidly discuss internal Trump administration dynamics as well as to avoid any potential blowback from the former President.
Blanket claims of declassification
Trump and his allies have made a wide range of claims about declassification in the days after the FBI's August 8 search of Mar-a-Lago, which resulted in federal agents seizing 11 sets of classified documents -- including some marked with the highest levels of classification.
On his social media platform Truth Social last week, Trump made the sweeping claim that the documents in the boxes seized by the FBI at his home were "all declassified."
John Solomon, editor-in-chief of conservative website "Just the News," was more specific in an interview with Fox's Sean Hannity last week. Solomon, who Trump named as one of his designees to the National Archives, read a statement from Trump's team claiming that the former President "had a standing order that documents removed from the Oval Office and taken to the residence were deemed to be declassified the moment he removed them."
Kash Patel, a Trump ally and former national security official in the Trump administration -- and also one of the former president's designees to the Archives -- also said on Fox last week that Trump "issued sweeping declassification orders on multiple occasions." Patel said he did not know whether the boxes at Mar-a-Lago contained documents that were part of those orders.
Representatives for the former President did not respond to requests for comment. Solomon and Patel also did not respond.
The FBI's unprecedented search warrant of the former President's residence in Florida was the result of a federal investigation into the removal of classified material from the White House as Trump was leaving office. The investigation goes well beyond the question of whether the material was classified: The search warrant made public last week identifies possible violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and criminal handling of government records as reasons for the search.
On Thursday, a judge heard arguments to unseal additional materials in the investigation, including the affidavit federal investigators would have had to file laying out why they believed there was probable cause that a crime had been committed. The Justice Department opposes releasing the affidavit, saying it would harm the ongoing criminal investigation.
'It can't just be an idea in his head'
Even if Trump had sought to broadly declassify documents, there is a specific process that the president is supposed to follow, the officials said. Declassification must be memorialized and includes careful reviews and notifying agencies such as the CIA, NSA, Department of Energy, State Department and Defense Department.
"It can't just be an idea in his head," said David Laufman, the former chief of the Justice Department's counterintelligence division who investigated Hillary Clinton's handling of classified documents. "Programs and officials would have been notified. There is no evidence they were."
Laufman's successor, Jay Bratt, was one of the four federal investigators who met with Trump's attorneys about the documents at Mar-a-Lago in June, CNN has previously reported.
One source familiar with declassification inside the Trump White House said although it is true that the President has broad declassification powers, Trump would have needed to create a record of it -- and the source said he did not do that.
"As a practical matter, you have to prove it," the source said. "If he says, 'I declassified something,' the obvious question is, 'Did you tell anybody about it?' The obvious concern is that this is all after the fact."
Another source with knowledge of how the former president operated said it was Trump's view that he could declassify information anytime and any way he wanted.
"He was counseled that's not the way it works," the source said.
'A complete fiction'
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton called the notion of a standing declassification order "a complete fiction."
"I was not briefed on anything like that when I started as national security adviser," Bolton said on CNN's "New Day" earlier this week. "I never heard of it, never saw it in operation, never knew anything about it."
In addition, Olivia Troye, a former homeland security adviser to then Vice President Mike Pence, called the notion of a blanket declassification "ludicrous." Another former senior intelligence official laughed and said it was "ridiculous."
And a source familiar with White House records and declassification said Trump's claim was "laughable" and that if any such order existed, it was "Trump's best kept secret."
Multiple sources said they believed that Trump's claim the documents were declassified was nothing more than a transparent attempt to try to defend himself for taking the documents to Mar-a-Lago.
"There is a process to declassify, the president can't just wave a magic wand," a former senior Trump White House official said.
All 18 former Trump administration officials who spoke to CNN agreed. "It doesn't even work that way, there is an actual process," said one former White House national security official.
"If this existed, there had to be some way to memorialize it," Bolton said on "New Day." "The White House counsel had to write it down. Otherwise, how would people throughout the government know what to declassify?"
'They would have resigned'
A former senior intelligence official said intelligence community leaders, such as then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, would have been informed of any declassification orders.
"And they would not have allowed it," the official said. "They would have resigned."
Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy and an expert on classification, noted that presidents have nearly unlimited discretion to classify and declassify information. But Aftergood said the notion that a document was declassified based on its location -- such as taking it out of the White House -- simply "strains credulity."
"A document that is classified in Washington, DC, is unclassified in Florida -- one could say such a thing, but it is nonsensical," he said. "And it calls into question the good faith of anyone who would make such a claim."
Troye, the former homeland security adviser to Pence, said, "there would be a paper trail of this blanket authority being the case, and in two and a half years of working in national security in the White House, not once did I ever hear this discussed."
Troye resigned from the Trump administration in August 2020 and now leads an anti-Trump Republican group.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a CNN political commentator who resigned as White House communications director shortly after the 2020 presidential election, called a blanket declassification "deeply reckless."
"The idea that a president or former could essentially do whatever they want with our nation's secrets poses an incalculable risk to US national security," Griffin said.
"We would know," another former intelligence official said, adding that trying to say the documents were automatically declassified is like "trying to close the barn door after the horse."
CNN's Gloria Borger, Evan Perez, Sara Murray and Gabby Orr contributed to this report.
by Jamie Gangel, Elizabeth Stuart and Jeremy Herb
CNN
Updated 10:27 PM ET, Thu August 18, 2022
Washington (CNN) In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, the former President and his allies have claimed that Trump had a "standing order" to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.
But 18 former top Trump administration officials tell CNN they never heard any such order issued during their time working for Trump, and that they believe the claim to be patently false.
Several officials laughed at the notion. One senior administration official called it "bullsh*t." Two of Trump's former chiefs of staff went on the record to knock down the claim.
"Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given," said John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019. "And I can't imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without dying in the ditch trying to stop it."
Mick Mulvaney, who succeeded Kelly as acting White House chief of staff, also dismissed the idea and told CNN he was "not aware of a general standing order" during his tenure.
In addition, CNN spoke with former national security and intelligence officials as well as White House lawyers and Justice Department officials. Taken together, their tenure covers all four years of the Trump administration, and many served in positions where they would either be included in the declassification process, or at the very least, be aware of such orders.
Official after official scoffed at the claim Trump had a standing order to declassify documents that left the Oval Office and were taken to the residence.
"Total nonsense," one senior White House official said. "If that's true, where is the order with his signature on it? If that were the case, there would have been tremendous pushback from the Intel Community and DoD, which would almost certainly have become known to Intel and Armed Services Committees on the Hill."
Many of the officials spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity in order to candidly discuss internal Trump administration dynamics as well as to avoid any potential blowback from the former President.
Blanket claims of declassification
Trump and his allies have made a wide range of claims about declassification in the days after the FBI's August 8 search of Mar-a-Lago, which resulted in federal agents seizing 11 sets of classified documents -- including some marked with the highest levels of classification.
On his social media platform Truth Social last week, Trump made the sweeping claim that the documents in the boxes seized by the FBI at his home were "all declassified."
John Solomon, editor-in-chief of conservative website "Just the News," was more specific in an interview with Fox's Sean Hannity last week. Solomon, who Trump named as one of his designees to the National Archives, read a statement from Trump's team claiming that the former President "had a standing order that documents removed from the Oval Office and taken to the residence were deemed to be declassified the moment he removed them."
Kash Patel, a Trump ally and former national security official in the Trump administration -- and also one of the former president's designees to the Archives -- also said on Fox last week that Trump "issued sweeping declassification orders on multiple occasions." Patel said he did not know whether the boxes at Mar-a-Lago contained documents that were part of those orders.
Representatives for the former President did not respond to requests for comment. Solomon and Patel also did not respond.
The FBI's unprecedented search warrant of the former President's residence in Florida was the result of a federal investigation into the removal of classified material from the White House as Trump was leaving office. The investigation goes well beyond the question of whether the material was classified: The search warrant made public last week identifies possible violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and criminal handling of government records as reasons for the search.
On Thursday, a judge heard arguments to unseal additional materials in the investigation, including the affidavit federal investigators would have had to file laying out why they believed there was probable cause that a crime had been committed. The Justice Department opposes releasing the affidavit, saying it would harm the ongoing criminal investigation.
'It can't just be an idea in his head'
Even if Trump had sought to broadly declassify documents, there is a specific process that the president is supposed to follow, the officials said. Declassification must be memorialized and includes careful reviews and notifying agencies such as the CIA, NSA, Department of Energy, State Department and Defense Department.
"It can't just be an idea in his head," said David Laufman, the former chief of the Justice Department's counterintelligence division who investigated Hillary Clinton's handling of classified documents. "Programs and officials would have been notified. There is no evidence they were."
Laufman's successor, Jay Bratt, was one of the four federal investigators who met with Trump's attorneys about the documents at Mar-a-Lago in June, CNN has previously reported.
One source familiar with declassification inside the Trump White House said although it is true that the President has broad declassification powers, Trump would have needed to create a record of it -- and the source said he did not do that.
"As a practical matter, you have to prove it," the source said. "If he says, 'I declassified something,' the obvious question is, 'Did you tell anybody about it?' The obvious concern is that this is all after the fact."
Another source with knowledge of how the former president operated said it was Trump's view that he could declassify information anytime and any way he wanted.
"He was counseled that's not the way it works," the source said.
'A complete fiction'
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton called the notion of a standing declassification order "a complete fiction."
"I was not briefed on anything like that when I started as national security adviser," Bolton said on CNN's "New Day" earlier this week. "I never heard of it, never saw it in operation, never knew anything about it."
In addition, Olivia Troye, a former homeland security adviser to then Vice President Mike Pence, called the notion of a blanket declassification "ludicrous." Another former senior intelligence official laughed and said it was "ridiculous."
And a source familiar with White House records and declassification said Trump's claim was "laughable" and that if any such order existed, it was "Trump's best kept secret."
Multiple sources said they believed that Trump's claim the documents were declassified was nothing more than a transparent attempt to try to defend himself for taking the documents to Mar-a-Lago.
"There is a process to declassify, the president can't just wave a magic wand," a former senior Trump White House official said.
All 18 former Trump administration officials who spoke to CNN agreed. "It doesn't even work that way, there is an actual process," said one former White House national security official.
"If this existed, there had to be some way to memorialize it," Bolton said on "New Day." "The White House counsel had to write it down. Otherwise, how would people throughout the government know what to declassify?"
'They would have resigned'
A former senior intelligence official said intelligence community leaders, such as then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, would have been informed of any declassification orders.
"And they would not have allowed it," the official said. "They would have resigned."
Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy and an expert on classification, noted that presidents have nearly unlimited discretion to classify and declassify information. But Aftergood said the notion that a document was declassified based on its location -- such as taking it out of the White House -- simply "strains credulity."
"A document that is classified in Washington, DC, is unclassified in Florida -- one could say such a thing, but it is nonsensical," he said. "And it calls into question the good faith of anyone who would make such a claim."
Troye, the former homeland security adviser to Pence, said, "there would be a paper trail of this blanket authority being the case, and in two and a half years of working in national security in the White House, not once did I ever hear this discussed."
Troye resigned from the Trump administration in August 2020 and now leads an anti-Trump Republican group.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a CNN political commentator who resigned as White House communications director shortly after the 2020 presidential election, called a blanket declassification "deeply reckless."
"The idea that a president or former could essentially do whatever they want with our nation's secrets poses an incalculable risk to US national security," Griffin said.
"We would know," another former intelligence official said, adding that trying to say the documents were automatically declassified is like "trying to close the barn door after the horse."
CNN's Gloria Borger, Evan Perez, Sara Murray and Gabby Orr contributed to this report.
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Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:48 am
FBI Raid Mar-a-Lago, Trump Official Response
by John Di Domenico
8/19/22
Transcript
who keeps moving this?
why is it in the --
hello.
[Music]
i'm not talking to you, but thank you for
coming,
i will not be answering questions today,
the same thing i did to la tifa james --
nasty woman -- 440 counts of taking the
fifth. no one takes the fifth like me.
great fifth taker. so i won't be dealing
with any of the fake news: your fake news,
your fake news, your fake news,
fox news -- some days some days okay -- but
what i will be dealing with is the real
raid
the real raid at my beautiful home
mar-a-lago,
mar-a-lago, the greatest private club in
the world. you've seen the aerial views,
courtesy of the fake news. thank you for
that. gorgeous waterfront property. the
food, oh, the food is fantastic. come for
brunch. and i always rave about the
chocolate cake. tremendous chocolate cake.
big pieces, too, right? i'm not just saying
that. now currently, with a new and
improved initiation fee of only 250 thousand dollars,
mention "fake fbi raid" and get a free bag
of golf tees when you sign up.
now,
here is the phony baloney warrant from
judge reinhold. signed by judge reinhold,
who's not even a real judge. he's the guy
whacking off to phoebe cates in fast
times at richmond high. so this warrant,
this warrant, is fake. it's fake like
obama's birth certificate. and that is
why, that is why, the fbi planted, planted
evidence of
declassified material that was never
there at my home in the first place.
fbi agents scared the hell out of don
junior and eric, with guns drawn and full
armor, and gear, and they threw tear gas
grenades, and shouted obscenities, like
grabbing something. and don happened to
be in the bathroom -- again! why was he in
the bathroom again ?what is wrong with
him? does he have a urinary tract
infection? geez.
uh, eric hid behind a plant. and melania,
who i haven't seen in months, actually
gave them the combination to my safe. and
the fbi stole -- stole -- my prized collection
of mcdonald land figurines: mayor
mccheese -- great guy. tremendous mayor. the
hamburglar -- he's not a criminal, okay. he's
just misunderstood. the grimace, who i did
a commercial with back in 2002 --
he's fat and ugly, but we love the
grimace, right folks? we love the grimace.
now the fbi planted evidence, okay?
there's no other explanation for the 50
bottles of adderall. i don't even know
what adderall is.
i've never heard of adderall.
i can't even smell adderall, and i'm a
tremendous speller, okay? i don't know
what this adderall is. all right? they
also took my award-winning intelligence
test, okay, where i wrote: "person, woman, man
camera, tv." stable genius! it was
beautifully framed, and they stole it!
they stole it! that shows how smart i am.
now, the bottom line is, they're not
coming for me, folks. they're not coming
for me, they're coming for you -- for you!
this illegal fbi raid could happen to
any american, any patriotic american who
happened to accidentally
remove 12 to 27 boxes of nuclear secrets
from the white house, and put them in
their unlocked, unsealed, unprotected,
basement storage unit. who here hasn't
taken classified documents from their
workplace, along with strategic
information about foreign leaders, after
they were forced out of their job, at the
white house, a year and a half ago?
everybody does it. everybody does it! why
should i be singled out?
and why wouldn't the fbi
allow inspections of the areas, with my
attorney, and other people. the fbi did
not let anyone watch them go through
mar-a-lago. and i know that for a fact,
because i watched the entire raid on
incredibly crisp and clear 4k security
cameras at mar-a-lago with my team. i saw
everything. and no one was allowed to see
it. but i saw it. so,
they know i saw it. you know it said that
drug dealers with nuclear secrets get
better treatment than the united states
president who made america
great again. but now it's crappy again,
because i'm not there. okay? sleepy joe's
there. [SNORE]
oh man, is that guy a mess now.
now -- they took all of my letters from kim
jong-un. even the ones that smelled like
perfume, had little photos, and uh, had
hearts on the
envelope. none of these documents were
classified,
or top secret, or top top secret, or
sensitive! the word sensitive. or
ncis, which is honestly, that's a good
show. that's a really good show. they were
all
de-classified -- and planted! now, because i
have the ability, as a stable genius, to
make classified documents instantly
declassified the moment i think about
them -- just now just now i declassified a
bunch of documents back in washington
d.c just thinking about it.
and the fbi will never know which ones.
and i can do that. because i still am the
president of the united states. and the
election was stolen from me. i still have
the de-classification
ability. it's one of my many,
many many, super
powers.
when i was forced out of the white house
by the stolen election,
i wasn't given any time to pack up. so, i
threw everything in boxes -- you know what
i mean? -- mentally declassified them as i
did, and then shipped them fedex ground -- much
cheaper --
down to mar-a-lago.
then,
out of nowhere, with no warning, the fbi
raids my house with a
fake warrant from a chronic masturbator?
and by the way, by the way, i didn't pack
these boxes. okay? i'm a tremendous packer --
believe me, no one packs it like i do,
okay? -- but i was the president at the time,
and i was not packing the boxes. so i
didn't pack the boxes. i don't even, i
don't even know what was in the boxes. do
you know what i'm saying? i didn't pack
them, so i don't know what was in them. so
you can't blame me for that, okay? but,
even if there was stuff in there that
shouldn't have been in there, i totally
declassified them, because i thought of
declassification. i just held my hands
over all those boxes,
with my stable geniusness, before they
left the white house. this raid was
horrible.
it was nasty. carried out by bad hombres,
okay? and i would hate to see anything
happen to this wonderful country.
but,
i'm certain
at this point it's out of my hands. and
maybe merrick garland, who looks like a
keebler elf, should back off,
all right?
you understand what i'm saying? i think
i'm being crystal clear.
trump bless you, and trump bless america.
and hopefully nothing will happen.
hopefully.
thank you everybody. thanks for coming.
listen, the buffet's open. i mean, you have
to pay for -- i'm not giving you free
food, because you're the fake news. but
i'd be more than happy to talk to some
of you, especially you. you're very
attractive. very attractive.
by John Di Domenico
8/19/22
Transcript
who keeps moving this?
why is it in the --
hello.
[Music]
i'm not talking to you, but thank you for
coming,
i will not be answering questions today,
the same thing i did to la tifa james --
nasty woman -- 440 counts of taking the
fifth. no one takes the fifth like me.
great fifth taker. so i won't be dealing
with any of the fake news: your fake news,
your fake news, your fake news,
fox news -- some days some days okay -- but
what i will be dealing with is the real
raid
the real raid at my beautiful home
mar-a-lago,
mar-a-lago, the greatest private club in
the world. you've seen the aerial views,
courtesy of the fake news. thank you for
that. gorgeous waterfront property. the
food, oh, the food is fantastic. come for
brunch. and i always rave about the
chocolate cake. tremendous chocolate cake.
big pieces, too, right? i'm not just saying
that. now currently, with a new and
improved initiation fee of only 250 thousand dollars,
mention "fake fbi raid" and get a free bag
of golf tees when you sign up.
now,
here is the phony baloney warrant from
judge reinhold. signed by judge reinhold,
who's not even a real judge. he's the guy
whacking off to phoebe cates in fast
times at richmond high. so this warrant,
this warrant, is fake. it's fake like
obama's birth certificate. and that is
why, that is why, the fbi planted, planted
evidence of
declassified material that was never
there at my home in the first place.
fbi agents scared the hell out of don
junior and eric, with guns drawn and full
armor, and gear, and they threw tear gas
grenades, and shouted obscenities, like
grabbing something. and don happened to
be in the bathroom -- again! why was he in
the bathroom again ?what is wrong with
him? does he have a urinary tract
infection? geez.
uh, eric hid behind a plant. and melania,
who i haven't seen in months, actually
gave them the combination to my safe. and
the fbi stole -- stole -- my prized collection
of mcdonald land figurines: mayor
mccheese -- great guy. tremendous mayor. the
hamburglar -- he's not a criminal, okay. he's
just misunderstood. the grimace, who i did
a commercial with back in 2002 --
he's fat and ugly, but we love the
grimace, right folks? we love the grimace.
now the fbi planted evidence, okay?
there's no other explanation for the 50
bottles of adderall. i don't even know
what adderall is.
i've never heard of adderall.
i can't even smell adderall, and i'm a
tremendous speller, okay? i don't know
what this adderall is. all right? they
also took my award-winning intelligence
test, okay, where i wrote: "person, woman, man
camera, tv." stable genius! it was
beautifully framed, and they stole it!
they stole it! that shows how smart i am.
now, the bottom line is, they're not
coming for me, folks. they're not coming
for me, they're coming for you -- for you!
this illegal fbi raid could happen to
any american, any patriotic american who
happened to accidentally
remove 12 to 27 boxes of nuclear secrets
from the white house, and put them in
their unlocked, unsealed, unprotected,
basement storage unit. who here hasn't
taken classified documents from their
workplace, along with strategic
information about foreign leaders, after
they were forced out of their job, at the
white house, a year and a half ago?
everybody does it. everybody does it! why
should i be singled out?
and why wouldn't the fbi
allow inspections of the areas, with my
attorney, and other people. the fbi did
not let anyone watch them go through
mar-a-lago. and i know that for a fact,
because i watched the entire raid on
incredibly crisp and clear 4k security
cameras at mar-a-lago with my team. i saw
everything. and no one was allowed to see
it. but i saw it. so,
they know i saw it. you know it said that
drug dealers with nuclear secrets get
better treatment than the united states
president who made america
great again. but now it's crappy again,
because i'm not there. okay? sleepy joe's
there. [SNORE]
oh man, is that guy a mess now.
now -- they took all of my letters from kim
jong-un. even the ones that smelled like
perfume, had little photos, and uh, had
hearts on the
envelope. none of these documents were
classified,
or top secret, or top top secret, or
sensitive! the word sensitive. or
ncis, which is honestly, that's a good
show. that's a really good show. they were
all
de-classified -- and planted! now, because i
have the ability, as a stable genius, to
make classified documents instantly
declassified the moment i think about
them -- just now just now i declassified a
bunch of documents back in washington
d.c just thinking about it.
and the fbi will never know which ones.
and i can do that. because i still am the
president of the united states. and the
election was stolen from me. i still have
the de-classification
ability. it's one of my many,
many many, super
powers.
when i was forced out of the white house
by the stolen election,
i wasn't given any time to pack up. so, i
threw everything in boxes -- you know what
i mean? -- mentally declassified them as i
did, and then shipped them fedex ground -- much
cheaper --
down to mar-a-lago.
then,
out of nowhere, with no warning, the fbi
raids my house with a
fake warrant from a chronic masturbator?
and by the way, by the way, i didn't pack
these boxes. okay? i'm a tremendous packer --
believe me, no one packs it like i do,
okay? -- but i was the president at the time,
and i was not packing the boxes. so i
didn't pack the boxes. i don't even, i
don't even know what was in the boxes. do
you know what i'm saying? i didn't pack
them, so i don't know what was in them. so
you can't blame me for that, okay? but,
even if there was stuff in there that
shouldn't have been in there, i totally
declassified them, because i thought of
declassification. i just held my hands
over all those boxes,
with my stable geniusness, before they
left the white house. this raid was
horrible.
it was nasty. carried out by bad hombres,
okay? and i would hate to see anything
happen to this wonderful country.
but,
i'm certain
at this point it's out of my hands. and
maybe merrick garland, who looks like a
keebler elf, should back off,
all right?
you understand what i'm saying? i think
i'm being crystal clear.
trump bless you, and trump bless america.
and hopefully nothing will happen.
hopefully.
thank you everybody. thanks for coming.
listen, the buffet's open. i mean, you have
to pay for -- i'm not giving you free
food, because you're the fake news. but
i'd be more than happy to talk to some
of you, especially you. you're very
attractive. very attractive.
- admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 36750
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:21 am
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:49 am
A former FBI agent discusses threats against the agency since the search of Trump’s home: Brooks and Marcus on threats against the FBI, Liz Cheney's future, Trump's grip on the GOP
by PBS News Hour
Aug 19, 2022 6:45 PM EDT
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats after the agency conducted a court-approved search of former President Trump's estate. Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump and his allies. One man has already been killed by law enforcement for trying to storm an Ohio field office. Retired Special Agent Frank Montoya joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
Read the Full Transcript
Judy Woodruff:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats in the days since the agency carried out a court-approved search of former President Donald Trump's estate.
Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump himself and his allies. And, already, one man was killed by law enforcement after attempting to storm a field office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Here with me now to discuss all of this is retired Special Agent Frank Montoya, who served 26 years in the FBI.
Frank Montoya, welcome back to the "NewsHour."
We have been planning to talk to you for a couple of days based on threats that we saw out there. But I just have to share that, just in the last hour or so, on this Friday afternoon, former President Trump has posted on social media strong comments
And I'm just going to quote from some of them. He refers to what he calls atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and the DOJ. He says: "The law enforcement of our country has become that of a Third World nation and I do not believe that people will stand for it. Never in our country's history has there been a time where law enforcement has been so viciously and violently involved in the life and times of politics in our nation. They have no shame. They are destroying our country."
Has there been anything like this before in the history of the FBI?
Frank Motoya Jr., Former FBI Official:
Never.
I cannot think of any instance in my lifetime or even before then in the history of the FBI where something like was so egregiously foisted upon them.
Judy Woodruff:
How do you account for what's happened here? Because there was the search of former President Trump's estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. There was a court-approved warrant for that search.
And yet the president and his allies, his supporters have ever since then come down with a steady stream of attacks and threats on the FBI.
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, I think what it reveals is that there's a lot of concern amongst his inner circle and amongst — with him, in particular, about how close this investigation is getting to the truth.
The things that he's been saying all along, whether there was planted evidence, or that he had this unequivocal, unadulterated ability to declassify, or to just outright attack the men and women of the FBI, who are doing their jobs, who are responding to allegations from outside, reacting to it with a search warrant, and then, again, doing their jobs, collecting the evidence and removing that documentation.
And it really suggests that he's worried about what they're what they're finding, not what they will find, what they are finding, and what will happen next as far as potential prosecution.
So, yes, he's running scared. That's what it sounds like.
Judy Woodruff:
Well, the language has become, I mean, just — I mean, to say over the top is an understatement.
There are — we have seen quotes where they have written about killing the enemy. Steve Bannon, who's a longtime adviser to the former president, has talked about the FBI is like the Gestapo and talking about, we're at war.
How do — I mean, you have been in contact, I know, with — you have many friends in the bureau. How are they seeing all this? How are they — how do they — how are they taking it in?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, it ticks them off.
I mean, they're trying to deal with it, take it in stride. Addressing threats, dealing with threats on a daily basis is what they do. But what really concerns them is the input, the possible or potential impact that this can have on family members, especially with their kids getting ready to go back to school, and with their colleagues, the intelligence analysts and the support personnel, who don't carry weapons for a living.
It really is making for a difficult work environment. Now, they're going to continue to do what they do. They're going to press forward. They're going to uphold their oath to support and defend the Constitution, to uphold the rule of law.
But, at the same time, we are in — I don't like to use this word. I don't think many people do. But we are in unprecedented times, because they truly are. We're looking at words coming out, not just out of his mouth, but other so-called responsible leaders in this country, who are constantly bashing individuals, professionals who are doing their jobs on a daily basis to the best of their abilities, following the rule of law.
And in addition to the threats that those words pose to them, it also undermines the very efforts that they're supposed to that — that they're attempting to uphold. It really — it's an attack on the Constitution, as much as it is on these agents that are really working hard to uphold it.
Judy Woodruff:
And that's a question I wanted to get to, because how is it possible for the agency to do its job when you have more and more of the American people who the FBI and DOJ, Department of Justice are serving not having confidence in the — not just not having confidence in them, but thinking they are the enemies of the people?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Yes.
So, that's a really terrible side effect of all of this nonsensical rhetoric, that people are questioning the very reasons that the FBI exists. It's not just about questioning their honesty and integrity, but their reason for existing.
And there was a time when most Americans, many Americans, they looked at the rule of law and they looked at the Constitution as something worth upholding, as something that could be upheld. And, right now, with all of this negative language that's out there, all this negative rhetoric is really causing even normal, regular people, my neighbors, to question whether or not the FBI is doing what it's supposed to do, as opposed to acting like a rogue agency.
And the fact of the matter is, nothing could be farther from the truth about that rogue nature, about the adjectives, the words and descriptions that the former president is using to describe really good people, who are just like your neighbors, your — the folks that live in your community, whose children go to your schools, where they're just doing their jobs, reacting to the circumstances of our current environment, and doing it in the best way possible, at the same time, taking care of themselves and, more importantly, their friends and families.
Judy Woodruff:
All right, well, we are going to leave it there. We certainly are continuing to watch this as it develops, and, again, with these new comments today from the former president.
Frank Montoya, who served in the FBI for 26 years, thank you very much.
Frank Montoya Jr.:
Thank you.
************************
Trump's 'Openly Inciting' Rhetoric Against DOJ Is Dangerously Familiar
by Chris Hayes
Aug 19, 2022
“They are threatening law enforcement and the DOJ, claiming that the country will erupt into violence if they don't do what Trump wants,” says Chris Hayes on the response to the Mar-a-Lago probe. “The last time Trump's rhetoric was this openly inciting...a mob stormed the Capitol and people ended up dead.”
Transcript
>> [CHRI HAYES] GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK,
I'M CHRIS HAYES.
NEARLY TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE
FBI SEARCH OF THE EX-PRESIDENT'S
FLORIDA HOME,
DONALD TRUMP'S EXCUSES KEEP
GETTING WORSE --
THEY KEEP CHANGING, AND THEY
KEEP GETTING WORSE.
HE IS NOW THREATENING TO TAKE
STEPS THAT COULD FURTHER
INFLAME TENSIONS, AND OUTRIGHT
ENDANGER FBI AGENTS.
NOW AT FIRST, TRUMP TRIED TO
PUSH NONSENSE CONSPIRACY
THEORIES ABOUT THE FBI PLANTING
THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT
MAR-A-LAGO, WHICH WAS FRANKLY
ABSURD. AND WHEN IT DIDN'T WORK,
HE LANDED ON A CONSISTENT EXCUSE:
"YES, THE DOCUMENTS WERE MINE,
YES, I HAD THEM WITH
ME, BUT IT'S FINE, BECAUSE I
DECLASSIFIED THEM."
>> [JOHN SOLOMON, FOX NEWS] THIS IS FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S OFFICE.
IT JUST CAME IN A FEW MINUTES AGO.
"AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE --
AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE ENDS UP HAVING TO
BRING HOME THEIR WORK FROM TIME
TO TIME.
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS ARE NO
DIFFERENT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, IN ORDER TO
PREPARE THE WORK THE NEXT DAY,
OFTEN TOOK DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, TO THE
RESIDENCE.
HE HAD A STANDING ORDER -- THERE'S
THE WORD I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR --
THAT DOCUMENTS REMOVED FROM THE
OVAL OFFICE AND TAKEN TO THE
RESIDENCE WERE DEEMED TO BE
DECLASSIFIED THE MOMENT HE
REMOVED THEM."
>> [CHRIS HAYES] [LAUGHING] NOW, THAT'S AN ALMOST
COMICAL MONOLOGUE THERE FROM
JOHN SOLOMON, WHOSE IS ESSENTIALLY
A MOUTHPIECE FOR
TRUMP.
THAT EXCUSE WAS PRETTY OBVIOUSLY A
LIE.
BUT WE HAVE GOT NEW REPORTING TO
ACTUALLY CONFIRM IT, NAIL IT DOWN.
"18 FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS,
INCLUDING TWO OF TRUMP'S WHITE
HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF, JOHN
KELLY, NICK MULVANEY, SAY
THERE WAS NO STANDING ORDER TO
DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS."
IT WOULD CERTAINLY APPEAR THAT
TRUMP IS JUST LYING TO TRY AND
SAVE HIS HIDE.
SO RUDY GIULIANI, WHO APPEARS TO BE IN
A QUITE A BIT OF LEGAL TROUBLE, IS THE TARGET, AGAIN, OF THAT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN GEORGIA,
WENT ON
THE FAR RIGHT OUTLET, NEWSMAX, TO TRY AND
CLEAR THINGS UP.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] NOW, THEY WANT TO MAKE HIM
RESPONSIBLE FOR HAVING TAKEN
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AND
PRESERVED THEM.
REALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
ESPIONAGE ACT, IT'S NOT REALLY
ABOUT TAKING THE DOCUMENTS,
IT'S ABOUT DESTROYING THEM,
OR HIDING THEM,
OR GIVING THEM TO THE ENEMY.
>> [FOX NEWS HOST] RIGHT.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] IT'S NOT ABOUT TAKING THEM
AND PUTTING THEM IN A PLACE
THAT IS ROUGHLY AS SAFE AS THEY
WERE IN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] NOW THE ESPIONAGE ACT IS A
WEIRD AND IN SOME WAYS BAD
PIECE OF LEGISLATION, BUT
THAT'S NOT TRUE, WHAT GIULIANI
IS SAYING.
ACCORDING TO TRUMP'S OWN FORMER
HEAD OF COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
QUOTE, "THE ESPIONAGE ACT
EXPLICITLY APPLIES TO THE
WILLFUL RETENTION OF CLASSIFIED
AND NONCLASSIFIED DEFENSE
RELATED DOCUMENTS IN AN
UNAUTHORIZED PLACE."
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT.
IN FACT, IT'S ALL BUT BEEN ADMITTED
TO BY THE TRUMP PEOPLE.
SETTING THAT ASIDE, IT SURE
SOUNDS LIKE GIULIANI IS OPENLY
ADMITTING TRUMP TOOK THE
DOCUMENTS THAT HE APPARENTLY
KNEW WERE CLASSIFIED IN ORDER TO
PRESERVE THEM.
OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT TRUMP
WAS STORING AT LEAST SOME OF THE
DOCUMENTS IN THE BASEMENT OF
HIS GOLF RESORT, WHICH, NO
MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT, I
DON'T THINK IS SAFER THAN WITH
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
EVEN THOUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE INVESTIGATORS, AGAIN,
IN THIS LONG BACK AND FORTH, RIGHT,
WHERE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THE
PAPERS BACK AND SECURE, TOLD
TRUMP HE NEEDED TO PUT A LOCK ON THE DOOR
WHERE THE DOCUMENTS WERE KEPT, MEANING HIS ATTEMPTS
AT
AT PRESERVATION CERTAINLY LEFT SOMETHING TO BE
DESIRED.
NOW JUST WATCH TRUMP'S CURRENT LAWYER FLOUNDER
WHEN FOX NEWS LOBBED HER A SOFTBALL QUESTION ABOUT
HOW SECURE THE
DOCUMENT WERE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] THEY ASKED FOR ONE MORE LOCK, ADD ANOTHER LOCK, WHICH
WE DID.
UH, AND THEN, FOR WHATEVER REASON,
THEY DECIDED THAT THEY STILL
NEEDED TO RAID THE PLACE.
>> [LAURA INGRAHAM] AND ONLY ONE OR TWO
PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO THAT ROOM,
TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE?
>>[CHRISTINA BOBB] THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
I MEAN, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK WITH, YOU KNOW,
THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT AREA.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS A VERY
SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT COULD
GET IN THERE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] LAURA IS LIKE, "PLEASE WORK
WITH ME HERE. I'M TRYING TO
HELP YOU OUT."
NOT A VERY REASSURING ANSWER
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TOP
SECRET DOCUMENTS. AND IN CASE YOU HAVE
FORGOTTEN, OF COURSE, TRUMP
DOESN'T REALLY DESERVE THE
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT WHEN IT
COMES TO PRESERVING ANY KIND OF NATIONAL
SECURITY SECRETS. I MEAN, JUST
ONE EXAMPLE, AND THERE ARE TRULY
COUNTLESS, LISTEN TO THE MUSICIAN KID ROCK DESCRIBE
HOW TRUMP WAS APPARENTLY
DISCUSSING SENSITIVE ISSUES OF FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY WITH
A NUCLEAR POWER WITH
HIM WHEN HE VISITED THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>> [KID ROCK] WE'RE LOOKING AT MAPS [DELETE], AND
I'M LIKE, AM I SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE [DELETE]
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
[KID ROCK] I MAKE DIRTY RECORDS SOMETIMES.
BUT --
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
>> [KID ROCK] ... DO IT HERE.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO
ABOUT NORTH KOREA?
[LAUGHING] I SAID "WHAT"?
I DON'T THINK I'M QUALIFIED TO ANSWER
THIS.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THAT'S THE MOST RELATABLE I'VE
EVER FOUND KID ROCK,
AND HE'S RIGHT, HE'S NOT REALLY
QUALIFIED TO ANSWER.
BUT ALL THIS STUFF ASIDE, WHAT
IS LESS FUNNY THAN THE KIND OF
HAPHAZARD AND SOMEWHAT
RIDICULOUS ATTEMPTS BY TRUMP TO
WRIGGLE OUT OF THIS, WHAT HE'S
DOING NOW WITH HIS ATTACKS ON
THE FBI IS, I THINK, LEGITIMATELY
DANGEROUS.
SO IT'S BEEN REPORTED THAT
TRUMP MADE THIS OVERTURE TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE NEW
YORK TIMES REPORTED THIS,
THROUGH AN EMISSARY.
AND HE SENT THIS MESSAGE TO
MERRICK GARLAND.
HE WANTED TO GET IT TO MERRICK
GARLAND.
AND THE QUESTION WAS, "THE
COUNTRY IS ON FIRE.
WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE THE
HEAT?"
AND BY "COUNTRY ON FIRE," WHAT HE
MEANT WAS HE TALKED TO ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE
ENRAGED BY THE SEARCH ON
MAR-A-LAGO.
AND THERE'S A WAY TO READ THAT,
WHICH I THINK IS THE PLAIN READING OF IT, WHICH
IS OMINOUS, RIGHT? A THREAT.
TRUMP TELLING THE DOJ, "BE
CAREFUL, THAT HIS SUPPORTERS
ARE AGITATING FOR
VIOLENCE.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO."
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IT'S VERY
OBVIOUS THAT TRUMP IS NOT
INTERESTED IN COOLING TENSIONS
AT ALL.
NOW WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHO
INITIALLY LEAKED THE ACTUAL
MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH WARRANT TO
PRO TRUMP NEWS OUTLETS, INCLUDING BREITBART, ALTHOUGH I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO GUESS, BUT THE COPY OF THE DOCUMENT
THAT CIRCULATED IN SOME
FAR-RIGHT CIRCLES, DID NOT
REDACT THE NAMES OF THE FBI
OFFICERS INVOLVED, PUTTING
THEIR LIVES IN DANGER.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT BEING
HYPERBOLIC HERE. THIS IS NOT
JUST EMPTY THREATS.
JUST LAST WEEK, RIGHT AFTER THE
SEARCH, A MAN TOOK A GUN TO AN
FBI BUILDING IN OHIO, AND LATER
FIRED DIRECTLY AT OFFICERS IN A
STANDOFF AFTER POSTING ONLINE
ABOUT HE WANTED TO KILL THE FBI
AGENTS.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, A
PENNSYLVANIA MAN WAS ARRESTED
FOR ALLEGEDLY USING THE
FAR-RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
GAB TO SHARE EXLICIT THREATS
AGAINST THE FBI.
STATEMENTS LIKE, QUOTE," EVERY
SINGLE PIECE OF [BLANK] WHO
WORKS FOR THE FBI IN ANY
CAPACITY, FROM THE DIRECTOR
DOWN TO THE JANITOR WHO CLEANS
THEIR F-ING TOILETS, DESERVES TO DIE. YOU'VE
DECLARED WAR ON US AND
NOW IT'S OPEN SEASON ON YOU."
THE FLORIDA JUDGE WHO APPROVED
THE SEARCH WARRANT ON
MAR-A-LAGO IS NOW RECEIVING DEATH
THREATS, WHICH ARE APPARENTLY
SO SERIOUS, HIS SYNAGOGUE
CANCELED TONIGHT'S
SCHEDULED SERVICE. OKAY?
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS WHEN TRUMP
SENDS A MESSAGE TO MERRICK
GARLAND, "THE COUNTRY IS ON
FIRE."
AND NOW THE EX PRESIDENT IS
REPORTEDLY MULLING THE
POSSIBILITY OF RELEASING THE
SURVEILLANCE CAMERA VIDEO OF
THE MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH,
WHICH WOULD, IT SEEMS, FURTHER
ENDANGER THOSE AGENTS BY MAKING
THEIR FACES PUBLIC TO TRUMP'S
ENRAGED SUPPORTERS.
AND IN A NEW STATEMENT THIS
EVENING, THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TOLD NBC NEWS QUOTE, "WE
WOULD HOPE THE VIDEO WOULD
ONLY PROVIDE IT IN A FORMAT THAT
OBSCURES THE FACES AND
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL."
BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A
CONCERN.
JUST LISTEN TO HOW ANOTHER ONE OF
TRUMP'S LAWYERS PUT IT.
>> [ROB SCHMITT, TONIGHT] SO YOU CAN'T SEE THE AFFIDAVIT,
AND OF COURSE YOU CAN'T SEE
WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN THE
RAID.
NOT A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY IN THIS
GOVERNMENT.
>> [TRUMP LAWYER] WE DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE
THEIR IDENTITIES EITHER,
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT YOU TO
KNOW WHO DID THAT.
WELL, IF YOU ARE DOING IT
AS AN AGENT, I AM NOT SURE THAT
YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT RIGHT.
LISTEN, FBI AGENTS, UNDERCOVER
AGENTS, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO A PRESIDENT'S
HOME, AN EX PRESIDENT'S HOME,
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THINK ABOUT THAT.
"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?"
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
TRUMP CAN CARE LESS, RIGHT, ABOUT
PROTECTING LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IN FACT, JUST TODAY, HE USED
HIS WEIRD OFF-BRAND PLATFORM TO
FURTHER INFLAME THE COUNTRY,
TO REALLY INCITE --
HE REFERRED TO THE EXECUTION
OF THE SEARCH WARRANT AS QUOTE
"ATROCITIES BEING PERPETRATED BY
THE FBI AND DOJ, THAT THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT OF OUR COUNTRY HAS
BECOME THAT OF A THIRD WORLD
NATION, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THE
PEOPLE WILL STAND FOR IT.
HOW MUCH ARE WE ALL EXPECTED TO
TAKE?
QUOTE, NEVER IN OUR COUNTRY'S
HISTORY HAS THERE BEEN A TIME
WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN
SO VICIOUSLY AND VIOLENTLY
INVOLVED IN THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF POLITICS IN OUR NATION.
THEY HAVE NO SHAME. THEY ARE
DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!"
AGAIN, SOMEONE SHOT UP AN FBI
HEADQUARTERS.
AFTER THE RAID.
HE KNOWS THAT!
THIS MORNING TRUMP'S LAWYER
AGAIN TOOK TO RIGHT-WING MEDIA
TO ISSUE, WHAT AGAIN, SURE SEEMED
LIKE A THREAT TO THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] I DON'T SEE IT AS,
COMING DOWN, I ALSO THINK THE
NATION'S REACTION TO THIS RAID,
I THINK THE DEPARTMENT WAS
SURPRISED AT HOW ANGRY AMERICA
GOT, AND HOW FRUSTRATED WE ALL
ARE, THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE LOSING
OUR RIGHTS, AND THIS IS SO
OVERLY POLITICAL.
SO, I THINK IT'S CAUSING THEM
TO GO, "OH, MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE WHAT
WE THINK WE HAVE."
SO I HOPE THAT THEY TAKE A SECOND
LOOK AND ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT
DOING SOMETHING AS STUPID AS
TRYING TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP, BECAUSE THEY'VE TRIED THIS BEFORE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] AGAIN, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY
SAID THERE.
THEY BASICALLY ADMITTED TO THE
CRIME. RIGHT?
THEY HAVE THE DOCUMENTS, THEY
WILLFULLY RETAIN THEM.
RIGHT?
NOW THEY ARE NOT MAKING LEGAL
ARGUMENTS, THEY ARE JUST SAYING, "YOU
WILL DESTROY CIVIL PEACE IN THIS
COUNTRY, BECAUSE OUR FOLLOWERS
WILL ...", WHAT?
IF YOU DO THIS?
THEY ARE THREATENING LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THE DOJ AND
CLAIMING THAT THE COUNTRY WILL
ERUPT INTO VIOLENCE IF THEY
DON'T DO WHAT TRUMP WANTS.
I GOTTA SAY, THE LAST TIME
THAT TRUMP'S RHETORIC WAS THIS
OPENLY INCITING -- HIS PLATFORM WAS MUCH HIGHER -- IT'S NOT THE SAME -- BUT THE LAST TIME IT WAS THIS INCITING, A MOB STORMED THE CAPITOL AND PEOPLE ENDED UP DEAD.
by PBS News Hour
Aug 19, 2022 6:45 PM EDT
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats after the agency conducted a court-approved search of former President Trump's estate. Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump and his allies. One man has already been killed by law enforcement for trying to storm an Ohio field office. Retired Special Agent Frank Montoya joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
Read the Full Transcript
Judy Woodruff:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats in the days since the agency carried out a court-approved search of former President Donald Trump's estate.
Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump himself and his allies. And, already, one man was killed by law enforcement after attempting to storm a field office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Here with me now to discuss all of this is retired Special Agent Frank Montoya, who served 26 years in the FBI.
Frank Montoya, welcome back to the "NewsHour."
We have been planning to talk to you for a couple of days based on threats that we saw out there. But I just have to share that, just in the last hour or so, on this Friday afternoon, former President Trump has posted on social media strong comments
And I'm just going to quote from some of them. He refers to what he calls atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and the DOJ. He says: "The law enforcement of our country has become that of a Third World nation and I do not believe that people will stand for it. Never in our country's history has there been a time where law enforcement has been so viciously and violently involved in the life and times of politics in our nation. They have no shame. They are destroying our country."
Has there been anything like this before in the history of the FBI?
Frank Motoya Jr., Former FBI Official:
Never.
I cannot think of any instance in my lifetime or even before then in the history of the FBI where something like was so egregiously foisted upon them.
Judy Woodruff:
How do you account for what's happened here? Because there was the search of former President Trump's estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. There was a court-approved warrant for that search.
And yet the president and his allies, his supporters have ever since then come down with a steady stream of attacks and threats on the FBI.
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, I think what it reveals is that there's a lot of concern amongst his inner circle and amongst — with him, in particular, about how close this investigation is getting to the truth.
The things that he's been saying all along, whether there was planted evidence, or that he had this unequivocal, unadulterated ability to declassify, or to just outright attack the men and women of the FBI, who are doing their jobs, who are responding to allegations from outside, reacting to it with a search warrant, and then, again, doing their jobs, collecting the evidence and removing that documentation.
And it really suggests that he's worried about what they're what they're finding, not what they will find, what they are finding, and what will happen next as far as potential prosecution.
So, yes, he's running scared. That's what it sounds like.
Judy Woodruff:
Well, the language has become, I mean, just — I mean, to say over the top is an understatement.
There are — we have seen quotes where they have written about killing the enemy. Steve Bannon, who's a longtime adviser to the former president, has talked about the FBI is like the Gestapo and talking about, we're at war.
How do — I mean, you have been in contact, I know, with — you have many friends in the bureau. How are they seeing all this? How are they — how do they — how are they taking it in?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, it ticks them off.
I mean, they're trying to deal with it, take it in stride. Addressing threats, dealing with threats on a daily basis is what they do. But what really concerns them is the input, the possible or potential impact that this can have on family members, especially with their kids getting ready to go back to school, and with their colleagues, the intelligence analysts and the support personnel, who don't carry weapons for a living.
It really is making for a difficult work environment. Now, they're going to continue to do what they do. They're going to press forward. They're going to uphold their oath to support and defend the Constitution, to uphold the rule of law.
But, at the same time, we are in — I don't like to use this word. I don't think many people do. But we are in unprecedented times, because they truly are. We're looking at words coming out, not just out of his mouth, but other so-called responsible leaders in this country, who are constantly bashing individuals, professionals who are doing their jobs on a daily basis to the best of their abilities, following the rule of law.
And in addition to the threats that those words pose to them, it also undermines the very efforts that they're supposed to that — that they're attempting to uphold. It really — it's an attack on the Constitution, as much as it is on these agents that are really working hard to uphold it.
Judy Woodruff:
And that's a question I wanted to get to, because how is it possible for the agency to do its job when you have more and more of the American people who the FBI and DOJ, Department of Justice are serving not having confidence in the — not just not having confidence in them, but thinking they are the enemies of the people?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Yes.
So, that's a really terrible side effect of all of this nonsensical rhetoric, that people are questioning the very reasons that the FBI exists. It's not just about questioning their honesty and integrity, but their reason for existing.
And there was a time when most Americans, many Americans, they looked at the rule of law and they looked at the Constitution as something worth upholding, as something that could be upheld. And, right now, with all of this negative language that's out there, all this negative rhetoric is really causing even normal, regular people, my neighbors, to question whether or not the FBI is doing what it's supposed to do, as opposed to acting like a rogue agency.
And the fact of the matter is, nothing could be farther from the truth about that rogue nature, about the adjectives, the words and descriptions that the former president is using to describe really good people, who are just like your neighbors, your — the folks that live in your community, whose children go to your schools, where they're just doing their jobs, reacting to the circumstances of our current environment, and doing it in the best way possible, at the same time, taking care of themselves and, more importantly, their friends and families.
Judy Woodruff:
All right, well, we are going to leave it there. We certainly are continuing to watch this as it develops, and, again, with these new comments today from the former president.
Frank Montoya, who served in the FBI for 26 years, thank you very much.
Frank Montoya Jr.:
Thank you.
************************
Trump's 'Openly Inciting' Rhetoric Against DOJ Is Dangerously Familiar
by Chris Hayes
Aug 19, 2022
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump = 56 m
When will people realize that the atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and DOJ having to do with the Raid and Break In of my home, Mar-a-Lago, or after years of other atrocities and unthinkable violations of freedom and the law, this has been going on for years, from the moment I came down the golden escalators in Trump Tower, right up until the present. At some point you have to look at what took place in the past to determine what is going on in the present...
... and nothing has ever happened like that which is going on in our Country right now. The law enforcement of our Country has become that of a Third World Nation, and I do not believe the people will stand for it -- between Fraudulent Elections, Open Borders, Inflation, giving our Military to the Enemy, and so much more -- how much are we all expected to take?
Never in our Country's history has there been a time where law enforcement has been so viciously and violently involved in the life and times of politics in our Nation. Even in light of the fact that they violated the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, the Mueller Witch Hunt, lied many times before Congress, and on many occasions put out fraudulent information before the FISA Court, they continue. They have no shame. They are destroying our Country!
Aug 19, 2022, 16:31-16:32
“They are threatening law enforcement and the DOJ, claiming that the country will erupt into violence if they don't do what Trump wants,” says Chris Hayes on the response to the Mar-a-Lago probe. “The last time Trump's rhetoric was this openly inciting...a mob stormed the Capitol and people ended up dead.”
Transcript
>> [CHRI HAYES] GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK,
I'M CHRIS HAYES.
NEARLY TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE
FBI SEARCH OF THE EX-PRESIDENT'S
FLORIDA HOME,
DONALD TRUMP'S EXCUSES KEEP
GETTING WORSE --
THEY KEEP CHANGING, AND THEY
KEEP GETTING WORSE.
HE IS NOW THREATENING TO TAKE
STEPS THAT COULD FURTHER
INFLAME TENSIONS, AND OUTRIGHT
ENDANGER FBI AGENTS.
NOW AT FIRST, TRUMP TRIED TO
PUSH NONSENSE CONSPIRACY
THEORIES ABOUT THE FBI PLANTING
THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT
MAR-A-LAGO, WHICH WAS FRANKLY
ABSURD. AND WHEN IT DIDN'T WORK,
HE LANDED ON A CONSISTENT EXCUSE:
"YES, THE DOCUMENTS WERE MINE,
YES, I HAD THEM WITH
ME, BUT IT'S FINE, BECAUSE I
DECLASSIFIED THEM."
>> [JOHN SOLOMON, FOX NEWS] THIS IS FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S OFFICE.
IT JUST CAME IN A FEW MINUTES AGO.
"AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE --
AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE ENDS UP HAVING TO
BRING HOME THEIR WORK FROM TIME
TO TIME.
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS ARE NO
DIFFERENT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, IN ORDER TO
PREPARE THE WORK THE NEXT DAY,
OFTEN TOOK DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, TO THE
RESIDENCE.
HE HAD A STANDING ORDER -- THERE'S
THE WORD I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR --
THAT DOCUMENTS REMOVED FROM THE
OVAL OFFICE AND TAKEN TO THE
RESIDENCE WERE DEEMED TO BE
DECLASSIFIED THE MOMENT HE
REMOVED THEM."
>> [CHRIS HAYES] [LAUGHING] NOW, THAT'S AN ALMOST
COMICAL MONOLOGUE THERE FROM
JOHN SOLOMON, WHOSE IS ESSENTIALLY
A MOUTHPIECE FOR
TRUMP.
THAT EXCUSE WAS PRETTY OBVIOUSLY A
LIE.
BUT WE HAVE GOT NEW REPORTING TO
ACTUALLY CONFIRM IT, NAIL IT DOWN.
"18 FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS,
INCLUDING TWO OF TRUMP'S WHITE
HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF, JOHN
KELLY, NICK MULVANEY, SAY
THERE WAS NO STANDING ORDER TO
DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS."
IT WOULD CERTAINLY APPEAR THAT
TRUMP IS JUST LYING TO TRY AND
SAVE HIS HIDE.
SO RUDY GIULIANI, WHO APPEARS TO BE IN
A QUITE A BIT OF LEGAL TROUBLE, IS THE TARGET, AGAIN, OF THAT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN GEORGIA,
WENT ON
THE FAR RIGHT OUTLET, NEWSMAX, TO TRY AND
CLEAR THINGS UP.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] NOW, THEY WANT TO MAKE HIM
RESPONSIBLE FOR HAVING TAKEN
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AND
PRESERVED THEM.
REALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
ESPIONAGE ACT, IT'S NOT REALLY
ABOUT TAKING THE DOCUMENTS,
IT'S ABOUT DESTROYING THEM,
OR HIDING THEM,
OR GIVING THEM TO THE ENEMY.
>> [FOX NEWS HOST] RIGHT.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] IT'S NOT ABOUT TAKING THEM
AND PUTTING THEM IN A PLACE
THAT IS ROUGHLY AS SAFE AS THEY
WERE IN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] NOW THE ESPIONAGE ACT IS A
WEIRD AND IN SOME WAYS BAD
PIECE OF LEGISLATION, BUT
THAT'S NOT TRUE, WHAT GIULIANI
IS SAYING.
ACCORDING TO TRUMP'S OWN FORMER
HEAD OF COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
QUOTE, "THE ESPIONAGE ACT
EXPLICITLY APPLIES TO THE
WILLFUL RETENTION OF CLASSIFIED
AND NONCLASSIFIED DEFENSE
RELATED DOCUMENTS IN AN
UNAUTHORIZED PLACE."
David Laufman
@DavidLaufmanLaw
Former @TheJusticeDept official completely misrepresents the scope of a law he was once responsible for enforcing. Espionage Act explicitly applies to willful retention of classified (and non-classified defense-related) in an unauthorized place. #ClassifiedDocuments
12:53 PM - Aug 19, 2022
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT.
IN FACT, IT'S ALL BUT BEEN ADMITTED
TO BY THE TRUMP PEOPLE.
SETTING THAT ASIDE, IT SURE
SOUNDS LIKE GIULIANI IS OPENLY
ADMITTING TRUMP TOOK THE
DOCUMENTS THAT HE APPARENTLY
KNEW WERE CLASSIFIED IN ORDER TO
PRESERVE THEM.
OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT TRUMP
WAS STORING AT LEAST SOME OF THE
DOCUMENTS IN THE BASEMENT OF
HIS GOLF RESORT, WHICH, NO
MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT, I
DON'T THINK IS SAFER THAN WITH
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
EVEN THOUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE INVESTIGATORS, AGAIN,
IN THIS LONG BACK AND FORTH, RIGHT,
WHERE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THE
PAPERS BACK AND SECURE, TOLD
TRUMP HE NEEDED TO PUT A LOCK ON THE DOOR
WHERE THE DOCUMENTS WERE KEPT, MEANING HIS ATTEMPTS
AT
AT PRESERVATION CERTAINLY LEFT SOMETHING TO BE
DESIRED.
NOW JUST WATCH TRUMP'S CURRENT LAWYER FLOUNDER
WHEN FOX NEWS LOBBED HER A SOFTBALL QUESTION ABOUT
HOW SECURE THE
DOCUMENT WERE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] THEY ASKED FOR ONE MORE LOCK, ADD ANOTHER LOCK, WHICH
WE DID.
UH, AND THEN, FOR WHATEVER REASON,
THEY DECIDED THAT THEY STILL
NEEDED TO RAID THE PLACE.
>> [LAURA INGRAHAM] AND ONLY ONE OR TWO
PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO THAT ROOM,
TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE?
>>[CHRISTINA BOBB] THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
I MEAN, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK WITH, YOU KNOW,
THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT AREA.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS A VERY
SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT COULD
GET IN THERE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] LAURA IS LIKE, "PLEASE WORK
WITH ME HERE. I'M TRYING TO
HELP YOU OUT."
NOT A VERY REASSURING ANSWER
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TOP
SECRET DOCUMENTS. AND IN CASE YOU HAVE
FORGOTTEN, OF COURSE, TRUMP
DOESN'T REALLY DESERVE THE
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT WHEN IT
COMES TO PRESERVING ANY KIND OF NATIONAL
SECURITY SECRETS. I MEAN, JUST
ONE EXAMPLE, AND THERE ARE TRULY
COUNTLESS, LISTEN TO THE MUSICIAN KID ROCK DESCRIBE
HOW TRUMP WAS APPARENTLY
DISCUSSING SENSITIVE ISSUES OF FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY WITH
A NUCLEAR POWER WITH
HIM WHEN HE VISITED THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>> [KID ROCK] WE'RE LOOKING AT MAPS [DELETE], AND
I'M LIKE, AM I SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE [DELETE]
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
[KID ROCK] I MAKE DIRTY RECORDS SOMETIMES.
BUT --
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
>> [KID ROCK] ... DO IT HERE.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO
ABOUT NORTH KOREA?
[LAUGHING] I SAID "WHAT"?
I DON'T THINK I'M QUALIFIED TO ANSWER
THIS.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THAT'S THE MOST RELATABLE I'VE
EVER FOUND KID ROCK,
AND HE'S RIGHT, HE'S NOT REALLY
QUALIFIED TO ANSWER.
BUT ALL THIS STUFF ASIDE, WHAT
IS LESS FUNNY THAN THE KIND OF
HAPHAZARD AND SOMEWHAT
RIDICULOUS ATTEMPTS BY TRUMP TO
WRIGGLE OUT OF THIS, WHAT HE'S
DOING NOW WITH HIS ATTACKS ON
THE FBI IS, I THINK, LEGITIMATELY
DANGEROUS.
SO IT'S BEEN REPORTED THAT
TRUMP MADE THIS OVERTURE TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE NEW
YORK TIMES REPORTED THIS,
THROUGH AN EMISSARY.
AND HE SENT THIS MESSAGE TO
MERRICK GARLAND.
The New York Times
Trump Lawyer Told Justice Dept. That Classified Material Had Been Returned
by Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush
Aug. 13, 2022
"The country is on fire. What can I do to reduce the heat?"
HE WANTED TO GET IT TO MERRICK
GARLAND.
AND THE QUESTION WAS, "THE
COUNTRY IS ON FIRE.
WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE THE
HEAT?"
AND BY "COUNTRY ON FIRE," WHAT HE
MEANT WAS HE TALKED TO ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE
ENRAGED BY THE SEARCH ON
MAR-A-LAGO.
AND THERE'S A WAY TO READ THAT,
WHICH I THINK IS THE PLAIN READING OF IT, WHICH
IS OMINOUS, RIGHT? A THREAT.
TRUMP TELLING THE DOJ, "BE
CAREFUL, THAT HIS SUPPORTERS
ARE AGITATING FOR
VIOLENCE.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO."
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IT'S VERY
OBVIOUS THAT TRUMP IS NOT
INTERESTED IN COOLING TENSIONS
AT ALL.
NOW WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHO
INITIALLY LEAKED THE ACTUAL
MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH WARRANT TO
PRO TRUMP NEWS OUTLETS, INCLUDING BREITBART, ALTHOUGH I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO GUESS, BUT THE COPY OF THE DOCUMENT
THAT CIRCULATED IN SOME
FAR-RIGHT CIRCLES, DID NOT
REDACT THE NAMES OF THE FBI
OFFICERS INVOLVED, PUTTING
THEIR LIVES IN DANGER.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT BEING
HYPERBOLIC HERE. THIS IS NOT
JUST EMPTY THREATS.
JUST LAST WEEK, RIGHT AFTER THE
SEARCH, A MAN TOOK A GUN TO AN
FBI BUILDING IN OHIO, AND LATER
FIRED DIRECTLY AT OFFICERS IN A
STANDOFF AFTER POSTING ONLINE
ABOUT HE WANTED TO KILL THE FBI
AGENTS.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, A
PENNSYLVANIA MAN WAS ARRESTED
FOR ALLEGEDLY USING THE
FAR-RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
GAB TO SHARE EXLICIT THREATS
AGAINST THE FBI.
STATEMENTS LIKE, QUOTE," EVERY
SINGLE PIECE OF [BLANK] WHO
WORKS FOR THE FBI IN ANY
CAPACITY, FROM THE DIRECTOR
DOWN TO THE JANITOR WHO CLEANS
THEIR F-ING TOILETS, DESERVES TO DIE. YOU'VE
DECLARED WAR ON US AND
NOW IT'S OPEN SEASON ON YOU."
THE FLORIDA JUDGE WHO APPROVED
THE SEARCH WARRANT ON
MAR-A-LAGO IS NOW RECEIVING DEATH
THREATS, WHICH ARE APPARENTLY
SO SERIOUS, HIS SYNAGOGUE
CANCELED TONIGHT'S
SCHEDULED SERVICE. OKAY?
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS WHEN TRUMP
SENDS A MESSAGE TO MERRICK
GARLAND, "THE COUNTRY IS ON
FIRE."
AND NOW THE EX PRESIDENT IS
REPORTEDLY MULLING THE
POSSIBILITY OF RELEASING THE
SURVEILLANCE CAMERA VIDEO OF
THE MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH,
WHICH WOULD, IT SEEMS, FURTHER
ENDANGER THOSE AGENTS BY MAKING
THEIR FACES PUBLIC TO TRUMP'S
ENRAGED SUPPORTERS.
AND IN A NEW STATEMENT THIS
EVENING, THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TOLD NBC NEWS QUOTE, "WE
WOULD HOPE THE VIDEO WOULD
ONLY PROVIDE IT IN A FORMAT THAT
OBSCURES THE FACES AND
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL."
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STATEMENT
ON MAR-A-LAGO SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
"WE WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD ONLY BE PROVIDED IN A FORMAT THAT OBSCURES THE FACES AND IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF LAW ENFOREMENT PERSONNEL."
BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A
CONCERN.
JUST LISTEN TO HOW ANOTHER ONE OF
TRUMP'S LAWYERS PUT IT.
>> [ROB SCHMITT, TONIGHT] SO YOU CAN'T SEE THE AFFIDAVIT,
AND OF COURSE YOU CAN'T SEE
WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN THE
RAID.
NOT A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY IN THIS
GOVERNMENT.
>> [TRUMP LAWYER] WE DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE
THEIR IDENTITIES EITHER,
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT YOU TO
KNOW WHO DID THAT.
WELL, IF YOU ARE DOING IT
AS AN AGENT, I AM NOT SURE THAT
YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT RIGHT.
LISTEN, FBI AGENTS, UNDERCOVER
AGENTS, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO A PRESIDENT'S
HOME, AN EX PRESIDENT'S HOME,
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THINK ABOUT THAT.
"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?"
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
TRUMP CAN CARE LESS, RIGHT, ABOUT
PROTECTING LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IN FACT, JUST TODAY, HE USED
HIS WEIRD OFF-BRAND PLATFORM TO
FURTHER INFLAME THE COUNTRY,
TO REALLY INCITE --
HE REFERRED TO THE EXECUTION
OF THE SEARCH WARRANT AS QUOTE
"ATROCITIES BEING PERPETRATED BY
THE FBI AND DOJ, THAT THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT OF OUR COUNTRY HAS
BECOME THAT OF A THIRD WORLD
NATION, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THE
PEOPLE WILL STAND FOR IT.
HOW MUCH ARE WE ALL EXPECTED TO
TAKE?
QUOTE, NEVER IN OUR COUNTRY'S
HISTORY HAS THERE BEEN A TIME
WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN
SO VICIOUSLY AND VIOLENTLY
INVOLVED IN THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF POLITICS IN OUR NATION.
THEY HAVE NO SHAME. THEY ARE
DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!"
AGAIN, SOMEONE SHOT UP AN FBI
HEADQUARTERS.
AFTER THE RAID.
HE KNOWS THAT!
THIS MORNING TRUMP'S LAWYER
AGAIN TOOK TO RIGHT-WING MEDIA
TO ISSUE, WHAT AGAIN, SURE SEEMED
LIKE A THREAT TO THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] I DON'T SEE IT AS,
COMING DOWN, I ALSO THINK THE
NATION'S REACTION TO THIS RAID,
I THINK THE DEPARTMENT WAS
SURPRISED AT HOW ANGRY AMERICA
GOT, AND HOW FRUSTRATED WE ALL
ARE, THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE LOSING
OUR RIGHTS, AND THIS IS SO
OVERLY POLITICAL.
SO, I THINK IT'S CAUSING THEM
TO GO, "OH, MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE WHAT
WE THINK WE HAVE."
SO I HOPE THAT THEY TAKE A SECOND
LOOK AND ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT
DOING SOMETHING AS STUPID AS
TRYING TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP, BECAUSE THEY'VE TRIED THIS BEFORE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] AGAIN, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY
SAID THERE.
THEY BASICALLY ADMITTED TO THE
CRIME. RIGHT?
THEY HAVE THE DOCUMENTS, THEY
WILLFULLY RETAIN THEM.
RIGHT?
NOW THEY ARE NOT MAKING LEGAL
ARGUMENTS, THEY ARE JUST SAYING, "YOU
WILL DESTROY CIVIL PEACE IN THIS
COUNTRY, BECAUSE OUR FOLLOWERS
WILL ...", WHAT?
IF YOU DO THIS?
THEY ARE THREATENING LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THE DOJ AND
CLAIMING THAT THE COUNTRY WILL
ERUPT INTO VIOLENCE IF THEY
DON'T DO WHAT TRUMP WANTS.
I GOTTA SAY, THE LAST TIME
THAT TRUMP'S RHETORIC WAS THIS
OPENLY INCITING -- HIS PLATFORM WAS MUCH HIGHER -- IT'S NOT THE SAME -- BUT THE LAST TIME IT WAS THIS INCITING, A MOB STORMED THE CAPITOL AND PEOPLE ENDED UP DEAD.
- admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 36750
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:21 am
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Mon Aug 22, 2022 1:39 am
DA Alvin Bragg delivers Donald Trump a gift by going easy on Trump's criminal CFO, Allen Weisselberg
by Glenn Kirschner
Aug 19, 2022
First, the career prosecutors - Pomerantz and Dunne - who concluded there was enough evidence to charge and convict Donald Trump of multiple felon offenses resigned because New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg killed the criminal investigation into Donald Trump. Now, DA Bragg gives Trump's long-time Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg a sweetheart plea deal for the ages. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 felonies but was gifted a sentence that likely will result in only 100 days in jail (assuming he earns good-time credit). Moreover, although Weisselberg said he would testify against the Trump organization, he told Bragg that he would not cooperate with the investigation into Donald Trump's crimes, nor would he testify against Trump. The plea deal Bragg gave Weisselberg is a travesty and a miscarriage of justice.
This video discusses how competent prosecutors deal with career criminals like Weisselberg when they are trying to develop them as a cooperating witnesses.
Transcript
0:00
injustice in a manhattan courtroom.
0:04
let's talk about the obscene sweetheart
0:06
deal new york district attorney alvin
0:09
bragg gave trump's corrupt chief
0:13
financial officer, alan weisselberg.
0:16
this one's offensive.
0:19
because
0:20
justice
0:22
matters.
0:30
[Music]
0:38
hey all, glenn kirschner here.
0:40
so friends, this is not going to be an
0:43
upbeat video,
0:45
because
0:46
yesterday was not a good day for justice
0:49
in a courtroom in manhattan.
0:52
district attorney alvin bragg delivered
0:55
an absolute gift to donald trump.
1:00
here is the reporting from the new york
1:02
times.
1:04
headline: "alan weisselberg, a top trump
1:07
executive, pleads guilty in tax scheme.
1:11
one of donald j trump's most trusted
1:13
executives pleaded guilty on thursday to
1:16
conspiring with mr trump's company to
1:19
carry out a long-running tax scheme,
1:22
an admission that painted a damning
1:25
picture of the former president's family
1:27
business, but
1:29
did not advance
1:31
a broader investigation into the former
1:34
president himself.
1:37
and alan weisselberg pleaded guilty to
1:40
15 felony crimes, so you would expect
1:44
he's going to prison for a very long
1:46
time.
1:48
get this:
1:50
under the terms of the plea deal, if mr
1:52
weisselberg testifies truthfully at the
1:55
upcoming trial -- that's against the trump
1:57
organization not, against donald trump --
2:01
he will receive a five-month sentence,
2:04
and likely serve as little as 100 days,
2:08
with time credited for good behavior.
2:11
mr weisselberg, who was facing up to 15
2:13
years in prison,
2:15
must also pay nearly 2 million dollars
2:17
in taxes, penalties, and interest.
2:21
this plea does not require mr
2:24
weisselberg to cooperate with the
2:26
district attorney's broader criminal
2:28
investigation of mr trump, and his
2:31
admissions will not implicate the former
2:35
president.
2:36
in refusing to cooperate against mr
2:38
trump, mr weisselberg fended off intense
2:42
pressure from the prosecutors."
2:45
boy, you know, it's a good thing alan
2:48
weiselberg didn't snatch a purse,
2:52
sell a 20 rock of crack cocaine, or
2:56
sell some loose cigarettes, because then
2:58
maybe he would have really been in tr ...
3:00
well, no, probably not. because alan
3:03
weiselberg is a rich, influential,
3:06
connected white male.
3:10
so he gets to set his own terms of the
3:12
deal with prosecutors,
3:15
even though he was involved in a 15-year
3:18
long criminal scheme to defraud
3:21
the taxpayers of the city of new york, of
3:23
the state of new york, and federal
3:24
taxpayers, though he hasn't been charged,
3:27
for some reason, with his federal tax
3:30
crimes.
3:34
let me talk for a few minutes, friends,
3:36
about
3:37
how we take defendants,
3:39
like alan weiselberg,
3:41
people who can
3:43
absolutely give us bigger criminal fish,
3:46
and try to convert them into cooperating
3:49
witnesses.
3:51
now,
3:52
in my many years in the homicide
3:54
practice at the u.s attorney's office in
3:56
d.c.,
3:58
I worked with and developed lots and lots
4:00
of cooperating witnesses. one of my
4:03
colleagues, one of my former assistant
4:05
u.s attorneys in the homicide section,
4:07
used to call me "the king of the
4:08
cooperators", and that was not a
4:11
compliment.
4:12
you know, defendants who have chosen a
4:15
life of crime, career criminals, can be
4:17
very, very challenging to work with, when
4:21
you're trying to convert them from
4:22
defendant
4:24
to cooperating witness.
4:26
why? because you have to take somebody
4:28
who has lived a life of crime,
4:30
convince them
4:32
to tell the complete truth about all of
4:35
their crimes,
4:37
and all of their friends crimes, and all
4:39
of their family members crimes, if their
4:42
family members were involved in their
4:44
criminal activities,
4:46
and then you could start to talk to them
4:48
about the crimes of the bigger criminal
4:51
fish, and work your way up that criminal
4:54
food chain.
4:56
and people who have chosen a life of
4:57
crime -- and make no mistake about it,
4:59
alan weisselberg chose a life of
5:01
crime -- white collar crime, though it may
5:03
have been -- it's very challenging to get
5:06
them to
5:08
become effective cooperators, to tell the
5:10
complete truth about their own crimes,
5:13
and then the crimes of others. but it can
5:16
be done,
5:17
and prosecutors do it every day. but
5:19
there's a formula.
5:21
there's a tried and true approach to how
5:23
you deal with a defendant that you're
5:25
trying to flip,
5:27
and convert to become a really quality
5:30
cooperating witness. here's what you do.
5:33
you take a guy like alan weisselberg and
5:35
you say, "look,
5:37
you are caught dead to rights in a
5:39
15-year criminal scheme to defraud in
5:41
the first degree. 15 felony counts you're
5:44
indicted on.
5:46
so you really only have two options, mr
5:48
weisselberg: one,
5:50
tell me the truth about everything you
5:51
did, everything your family did, and
5:53
everything donald trump did,
5:56
or
5:57
spend the rest of your life in prison
6:00
as a result of,
6:02
you know going to trial and being
6:03
convicted on all 15 counts. those are
6:05
your only two choices.
6:08
that's the way it works."
6:10
and if an allen weisselberg says, "i'm not
6:12
going to testify. i'm not going to
6:14
cooperate against donald trump. i'm not going
6:16
to tell you everything. but i will demand
6:20
a plea deal that would land me in jail
6:22
for only a hundred days, even though i'm
6:24
facing life, given my age."
6:28
prosecutors are supposed to say,
6:31
"no, i'll see you at trial."
6:35
but alvin bragg
6:38
blinked,
6:40
and decided he would let alan weiselberg
6:43
set the terms, and those terms included
6:47
only a hundred days
6:49
in jail, if he gets good time credit,
6:52
and he doesn't have to cooperate,
6:54
and
6:55
you know assist the prosecutors in
6:58
holding donald trump accountable for his
6:59
crimes?
7:01
that is
7:03
a deal that i have never seen the likes
7:05
of
7:06
in my 30 years as a prosecutor.
7:10
what motivated bragg to do that i have
7:12
no idea, but what i can tell you friends,
7:16
is it's an absolute
7:18
gift
7:19
to donald trump.
7:21
now i have heard some say,
7:23
"oh well, wait a minute, wait a minute,
7:25
alvin bragg has this very stealth-like,
7:29
double secret probation plan that will
7:33
end up, you know, using weisselberg -- even
7:36
though this deal looks really bad --
7:38
using weisselberg somehow against trump,"
7:42
to which i say that rings hollow. you
7:45
know why?
7:47
if alvin bragg had a stealth double
7:50
secret probation approach in what seems
7:53
to be a horrific plea deal,
7:57
then
7:58
would the top prosecutors, pomerantz and
8:01
dunn,
8:03
have resigned in protest,
8:05
with pomerantz in his resignation letter
8:08
essentially saying,
8:10
"we had enough evidence to indict and
8:12
convict donald trump on multiple
8:15
felonies,
8:17
but alvin bragg killed the case against
8:20
trump.
8:20
we resign."
8:23
no, it doesn't make sense that all of
8:26
this is part part of some
8:28
grander plan that nobody can really see,
8:32
where, you know, alvin bragg is the
8:34
prosecutorial mastermind. nonsense.
8:38
this was a sweetheart deal to alan
8:41
weiselberg
8:42
that is a gift to trump, for reasons that
8:45
i can't explain,
8:47
but i sure hope somebody investigates
8:51,
goes behind it, and finds out what the
8:54
heck is going on in the manhattan
8:57
district attorney's office.
9:00
now there are other topics we could talk
9:02
about, why this is such a horrific plea
9:04
deal,
9:05
and let me just touch on them for a
9:07
minute or two.
9:10
allen weisselberg said, "okay, i'll testify
9:12
against the trump organization, but i
9:14
won't testify or cooperate against
9:16
donald trump himself, to hold him
9:18
accountable for his crimes. well,
9:19
weisselberg is the trump organization, as
9:22
is donald trump, and his family members,
9:24
and weisselberg, the chief financial
9:26
officer, has already pleaded guilty to 15
9:29
felonies, corruptly
9:31
running the financial end of the trump
9:33
organization. so his offer to plead
9:36
against the trump organization, which is
9:38
pending trial,
9:40
it is indicted, the organization, and has
9:43
a trial date coming up in the fall, -- let
9:45
me predict, there won't be a trial.
9:47
they'll somehow settle their way out of
9:49
it --
9:51
but his agreement to
9:53
to testify against the trump
9:54
organization is not all that
9:56
earth-shattering.
9:58
but if he does have to testify as a
10:01
cooperating witness ,his testimony is
10:03
going to be,
10:06
is going to be
10:07
damaged
10:09
by this plea deal.
10:10
because
10:12
the defense attorneys for the trump
10:15
organization will be able to
10:16
cross-examine him on, "well, mr weisselberg,
10:18
wait a minute, wait a minute, you pleaded
10:19
guilty to 15 felonies. you should, by all
10:22
rights, have a sentence that results in
10:25
you being imprisoned for the rest of
10:26
your life, but the prosecutors gave you a
10:29
sentence that could result in just 100
10:30
days,
10:31
with good time, and the prosecutor said
10:34
you don't even have to testify against
10:36
the big fish, 'you don't have to cooperate
10:38
with us,
10:39
you, mr weisselberg, can just set your own
10:41
terms. whatever you want.'
10:43
mr weiselberg ,you're going to say
10:45
anything those prosecutors want you to
10:47
say when you're up on that witness stand,
10:49
because the last thing you want to do is
10:50
jeopardize
10:52
that hundred-day deal,
10:54
that also says you don't have to
10:56
cooperate against donald trump."
10:58
and the prosecutors will come back with,
11:00
"no, no, we told you you have to tell the
11:02
truth." and i've done this a thousand
11:04
times myself. and we mean it. but that
11:07
doesn't mean the jury has to buy it.
11:10
i mean, weisselberg got such a sweetheart
11:11
deal, that any defense attorney worth his
11:14
or her salt, will cross-examine him on
11:17
how "the fact that you got that
11:19
sweetheart deal means you're going to
11:20
say anything the prosecutors want you to
11:23
say, because you don't want to lose that
11:24
deal, because let's face it, if you told
11:26
the prosecutors that your truthful
11:28
testimony would clear the trump
11:30
organization, they probably wouldn't give
11:32
you that sweetheart deal.
11:35
you knew what they wanted you to say." i'm
11:37
just spinning out the typical defense
11:39
cross examination.
11:41
the point is,
11:42
his promise to testify
11:45
against the trump organization --
11:47
just who weisselberg wants to
11:49
testify against, and nobody else --
11:52
really damages his credibility as a
11:54
trial witness. the other thing people say
11:56
is, "well, he's pleaded guilty to all these
11:59
crimes, so that means he can no longer
12:00
plead the fifth."
12:02
right? because when you plead guilty, that
12:04
extinguishes
12:06
your fifth amendment right against
12:07
self-incrimination, because your
12:09
statements can't be held against you.
12:11
you've already been convicted .you've
12:13
pleaded guilty, and you don't still
12:15
have a privilege against
12:17
self-incrimination, because your
12:18
testimony can't incriminate you, because
12:20
those charges are done.
12:22
here's the thing: as an academic exercise,
12:25
that's true. that's accurate.
12:27
but the reality is,
12:31
once he pleads guilty, and his fifth
12:33
amendment rights regarding those crimes
12:35
are over, done with, extinguished,
12:39
you can compel him to testify. you can
12:42
force him to go into a grand jury, or
12:44
take the stand at trial, and testify, and
12:46
he can't plead the fifth, but you can't
12:49
compel him to tell the truth.
12:52
he could still go into a grand jury, or
12:54
take the stand at trial, and lie to
12:56
protect donald trump. he's been doing a
12:58
pretty darn good job of protecting
13:01
donald trump. and alvin bragg has let him
13:04
get away with it.
13:06
so, as an academic discussion it's great
13:10
that he can't plead the fifth, but you
13:12
can't compel him to tell the truth
13:14
about the crimes of donald trump. and
13:16
look, he's already gotten away with 15
13:18
felonies: 100 days for 15 felonies -- that's
13:22
laughable. do you really think he would
13:24
care about a perjury charge
13:26
if he lied about donald trump, even
13:28
though he was compelled to testify, and
13:31
couldn't plead the fifth? i don't think
13:32
he would bat an eye at a perjury charge,
13:35
after he just got away,
13:37
in a very real sense, with going
13:39
unpunished, largely unpunished, for 15
13:42
felonies.
13:43
a 15-year criminal scheme to defraud the
13:47
taxpayers of new york city, new york
13:49
state, and though, he hasn't been charged
13:51
federally,
13:52
the u.s taxpayers.
13:56
now, please don't misunderstand me, 100
13:58
days in jail, in prison and detention of
14:01
any kind, is horrific.
14:03
i don't care if you're 75 years old, i
14:05
don't care if you're 18 years old, it's
14:06
horrific.
14:08
but,
14:09
it is still a sweetheart deal
14:12
by which
14:13
alan weisselberg was allowed to set the
14:16
terms.
14:17
and
14:18
alvin bragg
14:21
caved,
14:22
willingly gave him that sweetheart deal?
14:24
i don't know what's behind
14:26
it, but i sure as as heck hope we
14:28
find out.
14:31
and let me finish with a public service
14:32
announcement, friends, and that public
14:34
service announcement is
14:37
that
14:38
donald trump
14:40
launched an armed attack on the u.s
14:42
capitol to stop
14:44
the peaceful transfer of presidential
14:47
power,
14:48
just in case we have
14:51
forgotten about that,
14:53
lost sight of that, when we're dealing
14:56
with injustice in a manhattan courtroom,
14:59
and we're dealing with
15:00
another investigation into donald trump
15:02
stealing classified information from the
15:05
federal government, and concealing it at
15:07
his florida home, because there's a lot
15:09
going on right now, but
15:11
i bring you that public service
15:12
announcement just to stay
15:15
focused,
15:16
um, on the fact that donald trump tried
15:19
to
15:20
steal the presidency,
15:22
and try to overthrow our democracy.
15:25
yeah, that's still in play.
15:27
and he still needs to be held
15:28
accountable for that.
15:32
because justice
15:34
matters.
15:37
hopefully tomorrow will be a better day
15:39
friends on the justice front. please stay
15:41
safe, please stay tuned,
15:43
and i look forward to talking with you
15:44
all again
15:45
tomorrow.
15:48
[Music]
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by Glenn Kirschner
Aug 19, 2022
First, the career prosecutors - Pomerantz and Dunne - who concluded there was enough evidence to charge and convict Donald Trump of multiple felon offenses resigned because New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg killed the criminal investigation into Donald Trump. Now, DA Bragg gives Trump's long-time Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg a sweetheart plea deal for the ages. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 felonies but was gifted a sentence that likely will result in only 100 days in jail (assuming he earns good-time credit). Moreover, although Weisselberg said he would testify against the Trump organization, he told Bragg that he would not cooperate with the investigation into Donald Trump's crimes, nor would he testify against Trump. The plea deal Bragg gave Weisselberg is a travesty and a miscarriage of justice.
This video discusses how competent prosecutors deal with career criminals like Weisselberg when they are trying to develop them as a cooperating witnesses.
Transcript
0:00
injustice in a manhattan courtroom.
0:04
let's talk about the obscene sweetheart
0:06
deal new york district attorney alvin
0:09
bragg gave trump's corrupt chief
0:13
financial officer, alan weisselberg.
0:16
this one's offensive.
0:19
because
0:20
justice
0:22
matters.
0:30
[Music]
0:38
hey all, glenn kirschner here.
0:40
so friends, this is not going to be an
0:43
upbeat video,
0:45
because
0:46
yesterday was not a good day for justice
0:49
in a courtroom in manhattan.
0:52
district attorney alvin bragg delivered
0:55
an absolute gift to donald trump.
1:00
here is the reporting from the new york
1:02
times.
1:04
headline: "alan weisselberg, a top trump
1:07
executive, pleads guilty in tax scheme.
1:11
one of donald j trump's most trusted
1:13
executives pleaded guilty on thursday to
1:16
conspiring with mr trump's company to
1:19
carry out a long-running tax scheme,
1:22
an admission that painted a damning
1:25
picture of the former president's family
1:27
business, but
1:29
did not advance
1:31
a broader investigation into the former
1:34
president himself.
1:37
and alan weisselberg pleaded guilty to
1:40
15 felony crimes, so you would expect
1:44
he's going to prison for a very long
1:46
time.
1:48
get this:
1:50
under the terms of the plea deal, if mr
1:52
weisselberg testifies truthfully at the
1:55
upcoming trial -- that's against the trump
1:57
organization not, against donald trump --
2:01
he will receive a five-month sentence,
2:04
and likely serve as little as 100 days,
2:08
with time credited for good behavior.
2:11
mr weisselberg, who was facing up to 15
2:13
years in prison,
2:15
must also pay nearly 2 million dollars
2:17
in taxes, penalties, and interest.
2:21
this plea does not require mr
2:24
weisselberg to cooperate with the
2:26
district attorney's broader criminal
2:28
investigation of mr trump, and his
2:31
admissions will not implicate the former
2:35
president.
2:36
in refusing to cooperate against mr
2:38
trump, mr weisselberg fended off intense
2:42
pressure from the prosecutors."
2:45
boy, you know, it's a good thing alan
2:48
weiselberg didn't snatch a purse,
2:52
sell a 20 rock of crack cocaine, or
2:56
sell some loose cigarettes, because then
2:58
maybe he would have really been in tr ...
3:00
well, no, probably not. because alan
3:03
weiselberg is a rich, influential,
3:06
connected white male.
3:10
so he gets to set his own terms of the
3:12
deal with prosecutors,
3:15
even though he was involved in a 15-year
3:18
long criminal scheme to defraud
3:21
the taxpayers of the city of new york, of
3:23
the state of new york, and federal
3:24
taxpayers, though he hasn't been charged,
3:27
for some reason, with his federal tax
3:30
crimes.
3:34
let me talk for a few minutes, friends,
3:36
about
3:37
how we take defendants,
3:39
like alan weiselberg,
3:41
people who can
3:43
absolutely give us bigger criminal fish,
3:46
and try to convert them into cooperating
3:49
witnesses.
3:51
now,
3:52
in my many years in the homicide
3:54
practice at the u.s attorney's office in
3:56
d.c.,
3:58
I worked with and developed lots and lots
4:00
of cooperating witnesses. one of my
4:03
colleagues, one of my former assistant
4:05
u.s attorneys in the homicide section,
4:07
used to call me "the king of the
4:08
cooperators", and that was not a
4:11
compliment.
4:12
you know, defendants who have chosen a
4:15
life of crime, career criminals, can be
4:17
very, very challenging to work with, when
4:21
you're trying to convert them from
4:22
defendant
4:24
to cooperating witness.
4:26
why? because you have to take somebody
4:28
who has lived a life of crime,
4:30
convince them
4:32
to tell the complete truth about all of
4:35
their crimes,
4:37
and all of their friends crimes, and all
4:39
of their family members crimes, if their
4:42
family members were involved in their
4:44
criminal activities,
4:46
and then you could start to talk to them
4:48
about the crimes of the bigger criminal
4:51
fish, and work your way up that criminal
4:54
food chain.
4:56
and people who have chosen a life of
4:57
crime -- and make no mistake about it,
4:59
alan weisselberg chose a life of
5:01
crime -- white collar crime, though it may
5:03
have been -- it's very challenging to get
5:06
them to
5:08
become effective cooperators, to tell the
5:10
complete truth about their own crimes,
5:13
and then the crimes of others. but it can
5:16
be done,
5:17
and prosecutors do it every day. but
5:19
there's a formula.
5:21
there's a tried and true approach to how
5:23
you deal with a defendant that you're
5:25
trying to flip,
5:27
and convert to become a really quality
5:30
cooperating witness. here's what you do.
5:33
you take a guy like alan weisselberg and
5:35
you say, "look,
5:37
you are caught dead to rights in a
5:39
15-year criminal scheme to defraud in
5:41
the first degree. 15 felony counts you're
5:44
indicted on.
5:46
so you really only have two options, mr
5:48
weisselberg: one,
5:50
tell me the truth about everything you
5:51
did, everything your family did, and
5:53
everything donald trump did,
5:56
or
5:57
spend the rest of your life in prison
6:00
as a result of,
6:02
you know going to trial and being
6:03
convicted on all 15 counts. those are
6:05
your only two choices.
6:08
that's the way it works."
6:10
and if an allen weisselberg says, "i'm not
6:12
going to testify. i'm not going to
6:14
cooperate against donald trump. i'm not going
6:16
to tell you everything. but i will demand
6:20
a plea deal that would land me in jail
6:22
for only a hundred days, even though i'm
6:24
facing life, given my age."
6:28
prosecutors are supposed to say,
6:31
"no, i'll see you at trial."
6:35
but alvin bragg
6:38
blinked,
6:40
and decided he would let alan weiselberg
6:43
set the terms, and those terms included
6:47
only a hundred days
6:49
in jail, if he gets good time credit,
6:52
and he doesn't have to cooperate,
6:54
and
6:55
you know assist the prosecutors in
6:58
holding donald trump accountable for his
6:59
crimes?
7:01
that is
7:03
a deal that i have never seen the likes
7:05
of
7:06
in my 30 years as a prosecutor.
7:10
what motivated bragg to do that i have
7:12
no idea, but what i can tell you friends,
7:16
is it's an absolute
7:18
gift
7:19
to donald trump.
7:21
now i have heard some say,
7:23
"oh well, wait a minute, wait a minute,
7:25
alvin bragg has this very stealth-like,
7:29
double secret probation plan that will
7:33
end up, you know, using weisselberg -- even
7:36
though this deal looks really bad --
7:38
using weisselberg somehow against trump,"
7:42
to which i say that rings hollow. you
7:45
know why?
7:47
if alvin bragg had a stealth double
7:50
secret probation approach in what seems
7:53
to be a horrific plea deal,
7:57
then
7:58
would the top prosecutors, pomerantz and
8:01
dunn,
8:03
have resigned in protest,
8:05
with pomerantz in his resignation letter
8:08
essentially saying,
8:10
"we had enough evidence to indict and
8:12
convict donald trump on multiple
8:15
felonies,
8:17
but alvin bragg killed the case against
8:20
trump.
8:20
we resign."
8:23
no, it doesn't make sense that all of
8:26
this is part part of some
8:28
grander plan that nobody can really see,
8:32
where, you know, alvin bragg is the
8:34
prosecutorial mastermind. nonsense.
8:38
this was a sweetheart deal to alan
8:41
weiselberg
8:42
that is a gift to trump, for reasons that
8:45
i can't explain,
8:47
but i sure hope somebody investigates
8:51,
goes behind it, and finds out what the
8:54
heck is going on in the manhattan
8:57
district attorney's office.
9:00
now there are other topics we could talk
9:02
about, why this is such a horrific plea
9:04
deal,
9:05
and let me just touch on them for a
9:07
minute or two.
9:10
allen weisselberg said, "okay, i'll testify
9:12
against the trump organization, but i
9:14
won't testify or cooperate against
9:16
donald trump himself, to hold him
9:18
accountable for his crimes. well,
9:19
weisselberg is the trump organization, as
9:22
is donald trump, and his family members,
9:24
and weisselberg, the chief financial
9:26
officer, has already pleaded guilty to 15
9:29
felonies, corruptly
9:31
running the financial end of the trump
9:33
organization. so his offer to plead
9:36
against the trump organization, which is
9:38
pending trial,
9:40
it is indicted, the organization, and has
9:43
a trial date coming up in the fall, -- let
9:45
me predict, there won't be a trial.
9:47
they'll somehow settle their way out of
9:49
it --
9:51
but his agreement to
9:53
to testify against the trump
9:54
organization is not all that
9:56
earth-shattering.
9:58
but if he does have to testify as a
10:01
cooperating witness ,his testimony is
10:03
going to be,
10:06
is going to be
10:07
damaged
10:09
by this plea deal.
10:10
because
10:12
the defense attorneys for the trump
10:15
organization will be able to
10:16
cross-examine him on, "well, mr weisselberg,
10:18
wait a minute, wait a minute, you pleaded
10:19
guilty to 15 felonies. you should, by all
10:22
rights, have a sentence that results in
10:25
you being imprisoned for the rest of
10:26
your life, but the prosecutors gave you a
10:29
sentence that could result in just 100
10:30
days,
10:31
with good time, and the prosecutor said
10:34
you don't even have to testify against
10:36
the big fish, 'you don't have to cooperate
10:38
with us,
10:39
you, mr weisselberg, can just set your own
10:41
terms. whatever you want.'
10:43
mr weiselberg ,you're going to say
10:45
anything those prosecutors want you to
10:47
say when you're up on that witness stand,
10:49
because the last thing you want to do is
10:50
jeopardize
10:52
that hundred-day deal,
10:54
that also says you don't have to
10:56
cooperate against donald trump."
10:58
and the prosecutors will come back with,
11:00
"no, no, we told you you have to tell the
11:02
truth." and i've done this a thousand
11:04
times myself. and we mean it. but that
11:07
doesn't mean the jury has to buy it.
11:10
i mean, weisselberg got such a sweetheart
11:11
deal, that any defense attorney worth his
11:14
or her salt, will cross-examine him on
11:17
how "the fact that you got that
11:19
sweetheart deal means you're going to
11:20
say anything the prosecutors want you to
11:23
say, because you don't want to lose that
11:24
deal, because let's face it, if you told
11:26
the prosecutors that your truthful
11:28
testimony would clear the trump
11:30
organization, they probably wouldn't give
11:32
you that sweetheart deal.
11:35
you knew what they wanted you to say." i'm
11:37
just spinning out the typical defense
11:39
cross examination.
11:41
the point is,
11:42
his promise to testify
11:45
against the trump organization --
11:47
just who weisselberg wants to
11:49
testify against, and nobody else --
11:52
really damages his credibility as a
11:54
trial witness. the other thing people say
11:56
is, "well, he's pleaded guilty to all these
11:59
crimes, so that means he can no longer
12:00
plead the fifth."
12:02
right? because when you plead guilty, that
12:04
extinguishes
12:06
your fifth amendment right against
12:07
self-incrimination, because your
12:09
statements can't be held against you.
12:11
you've already been convicted .you've
12:13
pleaded guilty, and you don't still
12:15
have a privilege against
12:17
self-incrimination, because your
12:18
testimony can't incriminate you, because
12:20
those charges are done.
12:22
here's the thing: as an academic exercise,
12:25
that's true. that's accurate.
12:27
but the reality is,
12:31
once he pleads guilty, and his fifth
12:33
amendment rights regarding those crimes
12:35
are over, done with, extinguished,
12:39
you can compel him to testify. you can
12:42
force him to go into a grand jury, or
12:44
take the stand at trial, and testify, and
12:46
he can't plead the fifth, but you can't
12:49
compel him to tell the truth.
12:52
he could still go into a grand jury, or
12:54
take the stand at trial, and lie to
12:56
protect donald trump. he's been doing a
12:58
pretty darn good job of protecting
13:01
donald trump. and alvin bragg has let him
13:04
get away with it.
13:06
so, as an academic discussion it's great
13:10
that he can't plead the fifth, but you
13:12
can't compel him to tell the truth
13:14
about the crimes of donald trump. and
13:16
look, he's already gotten away with 15
13:18
felonies: 100 days for 15 felonies -- that's
13:22
laughable. do you really think he would
13:24
care about a perjury charge
13:26
if he lied about donald trump, even
13:28
though he was compelled to testify, and
13:31
couldn't plead the fifth? i don't think
13:32
he would bat an eye at a perjury charge,
13:35
after he just got away,
13:37
in a very real sense, with going
13:39
unpunished, largely unpunished, for 15
13:42
felonies.
13:43
a 15-year criminal scheme to defraud the
13:47
taxpayers of new york city, new york
13:49
state, and though, he hasn't been charged
13:51
federally,
13:52
the u.s taxpayers.
13:56
now, please don't misunderstand me, 100
13:58
days in jail, in prison and detention of
14:01
any kind, is horrific.
14:03
i don't care if you're 75 years old, i
14:05
don't care if you're 18 years old, it's
14:06
horrific.
14:08
but,
14:09
it is still a sweetheart deal
14:12
by which
14:13
alan weisselberg was allowed to set the
14:16
terms.
14:17
and
14:18
alvin bragg
14:21
caved,
14:22
willingly gave him that sweetheart deal?
14:24
i don't know what's behind
14:26
it, but i sure as as heck hope we
14:28
find out.
14:31
and let me finish with a public service
14:32
announcement, friends, and that public
14:34
service announcement is
14:37
that
14:38
donald trump
14:40
launched an armed attack on the u.s
14:42
capitol to stop
14:44
the peaceful transfer of presidential
14:47
power,
14:48
just in case we have
14:51
forgotten about that,
14:53
lost sight of that, when we're dealing
14:56
with injustice in a manhattan courtroom,
14:59
and we're dealing with
15:00
another investigation into donald trump
15:02
stealing classified information from the
15:05
federal government, and concealing it at
15:07
his florida home, because there's a lot
15:09
going on right now, but
15:11
i bring you that public service
15:12
announcement just to stay
15:15
focused,
15:16
um, on the fact that donald trump tried
15:19
to
15:20
steal the presidency,
15:22
and try to overthrow our democracy.
15:25
yeah, that's still in play.
15:27
and he still needs to be held
15:28
accountable for that.
15:32
because justice
15:34
matters.
15:37
hopefully tomorrow will be a better day
15:39
friends on the justice front. please stay
15:41
safe, please stay tuned,
15:43
and i look forward to talking with you
15:44
all again
15:45
tomorrow.
15:48
[Music]
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Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Mon Aug 22, 2022 2:07 am
Appellate court exposes Bill Barr's lies about secret DOJ memo used to protect Trump from charges
by Glenn Kirschner
Aug 20, 2022
Recall that federal judge Reggie Walton found that former Attorney General Bill Barr spun the conclusions of the Mueller report, mischaracterized its findings, and announced that "Bill Barr lacks candor."
Now a federal appellate panel has ruled that Bill Barr also lied when he claimed that a secret memo compelled him to decline to charge Donald Trump with the obstruction of justice crimes documented by Bob Mueller's investigating into Trump-Russia coordination in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
This video discusses the new court finding that a secret memo that Bill Barr mischaracterized must be released in its entirely.
Transcript
0:00
so former Attorney General Bill Barr is
0:04
the corrupt gift that just keeps on
0:07
giving.
0:08
wish we could return some of these gifts,
0:11
but a federal court just told us, once
0:15
again, that bill Barr is Unworthy of
0:19
belief.
0:21
let's talk about that,
0:22
because Justice matters.
0:32
[Music]
0:34
hey all. glenn kirschner
0:40
here. so former Attorney General Bill
0:44
Barr has been caught, again,
0:46
deceiving the court, and by extension
0:49
deceiving the American people.
0:52
now, before I go to the new Washington
0:54
Post reporting, let me set this one up,
0:56
because it's a little bit convoluted.
1:00
so, remember when Bill Barr lied to us
1:03
about the Mueller report?
1:05
federal court judge Reggie Walton said,
1:08
you know, "he lied; he deceived; he
1:10
dissembled; he mischaracterized." and he
1:13
said Bill Barr "lacks candor."
1:15
and remember, Bill Barr told us all, "no, no,
1:18
no obstruction. Donald Trump can't be
1:21
charged with any crimes."
1:23
well, it turns out that bill Barr
1:27
used as a basis to say, oh, he can't be
1:31
charged with any obstruction, a doj memo
1:34
that had been written.
1:36
and Bill Barr said, "it's a secret memo. I
1:39
can't show it to anybody. but trust me.
1:41
it's an analysis of, you know, the facts,
1:45
and the law, and it reaches the
1:46
conclusion that, well, Donald Trump just
1:48
can't be charged with obstructing
1:50
justice, with obstructing Bob Mueller's
1:53
probe of all things Trump Russia. but
1:56
just trust me."
1:57
well, there's an organization called "crew":
2:00
citizens for responsibility and ethics
2:04
in Washington, and they didn't trust Bill
2:06
Barr,
2:07
and they filed suit, Freedom of
2:09
Information Act, seeking this memo that
2:13
bill Barr said "we can't show you, but
2:16
trust me. it says Donald Trump can't be
2:19
charged with obstructing justice." against
2:22
that backdrop, here is the new reporting
2:26
from The Washington Post about how a
2:29
federal appeals court just smacked down
2:32
Bill Barr again.
2:35
headline: "court orders release of doj
2:39
memo on Trump obstruction in Mueller
2:42
probe." and that article begins:
2:45
"a federal appeals court has ordered the
2:48
release of a secret justice department
2:50
memo discussing whether president Donald
2:52
Trump obstructed the investigation into
2:55
Russian interference in the 2016
2:58
election.
3:00
the unanimous panel decision issued
3:02
Friday Echoes that of a lower Court
3:05
Judge, Amy Berman Jackson, Who last year
3:09
accused Bill Barr's justice department
3:11
of dishonesty in its justification for
3:16
keeping the memo hidden." now. I'm going to
3:18
take a pause, and we're going to jump
3:20
over to the earlier reporting about
3:24
Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling
3:27
slamming Bill Barr, accusing him of
3:30
dishonesty, and then we're going to go
3:33
back to this new reporting about how the
3:35
Appellate Court just upheld Judge Amy
3:39
Berman Jackson's ruling. so here is the
3:42
earlier Washington Post reporting:
3:44
headline: "judge blast's barr, justice
3:48
department for disingenuous handling of
3:51
secret Trump obstruction memo."
3:54
and that article reads in part:
3:57
"a federal judge has accused the justice
3:59
department, and then Attorney General
4:01
William Barr, of misleading the court ,and
4:04
the public, to hide how he decided that
4:08
President Donald Trump should not be
4:10
charged with obstructing special counsel
4:13
Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
4:16
U.S District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of
4:19
Washington D.C.,
4:21
ordered the release Monday of a 2019
4:24
memo, prepared by the Department's office
4:26
of legal counsel.
4:28
barr, and a string of Justice Department
4:30
officials, had sought to keep the
4:33
memo secret asserting, 'it was part of the
4:37
Department's internal decision-making
4:39
process' before he selectively and
4:42
misleadingly announced the Mueller
4:45
reports findings that March. Judge Amy
4:49
Berman Jackson wrote in a blistering
4:51
opinion, after viewing the memo and other
4:54
evidence, that the Department's claims
4:57
are so inconsistent with evidence in the
5:00
record they are not worthy of credence."
5:04
so she ordered it released, but that
5:07
decision was appealed, and now
5:09
the Appellate Court just
5:12
sided with Judge Amy Berman Jackson,
5:15
and they also slammed Bill Barr. so let's
5:18
go back to the first Washington Post
5:21
reporting. I know it takes some time to
5:24
walk through this one,
5:26
and then we're going to recap after we
5:29
get through these two Washington Post
5:30
articles, and kind of put it all into
5:33
layman's terms.
5:35
back to the new Washington Post
5:37
reporting:
5:39
"a panel of three judges said that
5:42
whether or not there was bad faith, the
5:44
government created a misimpression, and
5:47
could not stop release under the Freedom
5:49
of Information Act.
5:51
the memo was written by two senior
5:54
Justice Department officials for then
5:56
Attorney General William Barr, who
5:59
subsequently told Congress that there
6:01
was not enough evidence to charge Trump
6:03
with obstruction of special counsel Bob
6:06
Mueller's inquiry. a redacted version was
6:10
released last year, but left under seal
6:13
the legal and factual analysis.
6:16
Department of Justice officials argued
6:19
that the document was protected because
6:21
it involved internal deliberations over
6:25
a prosecutorial decision." but friends.
6:27
that turned out to be untrue.
6:30
it had nothing to do with internal
6:33
decisions about a prosecutorial decision.
6:37
rather, "the discussion in the memo was
6:41
over how Barr would publicly
6:44
characterize the obstruction evidence
6:47
Mueller had assembled. the justice
6:49
department conceded on appeal" -- in other
6:53
words,
6:55
the memo was all about how Bill Barr
6:57
would spin it
6:58
to Congress, and to the American people.
7:03
the article continues:
7:05
"the Court's review of the memorandum
7:07
revealed that the department in fact
7:10
never considered bringing a charge of
7:14
obstruction against Donald Trump, the
7:16
panel wrote. instead, the memorandum
7:19
concerned a separate decision, that had
7:22
gone entirely unmentioned by the
7:24
government in its submissions to the
7:27
court,"
7:27
and that decision? "what if anything to
7:31
say to Congress and the public about the
7:35
Mueller report." in other words, how to
7:38
spin the Mueller report.
7:42
admittedly, friends, that is kind of a
7:45
convoluted tale, so let's do it again in
7:47
layman's speak:
7:49
Bob Mueller investigated Donald Trump,
7:51
and the Trump campaign, for contacts and
7:55
coordination with Russia, by which they
7:58
sought and obtained Russia's assistance
8:01
in the 2016 presidential election.
8:05
and Bob Mueller found quote, "substantial
8:10
evidence of obstruction by Trump."
8:13
but Bill Barr didn't care.
8:15
Bill Barr was going to protect Donald
8:17
Trump at all costs. so Bill Barr falsely
8:21
announced "no obstruction;
8:23
no evidence that Donald Trump obstructed
8:26
Justice; Donald Trump can't be charged
8:29
with any crime,"
8:31
and Bill Barr pointed to a secret memo,
8:34
a memo that he had some Department of
8:37
Justice lawyers draft up, and he claimed
8:39
"this memo was a detailed analysis of the
8:42
facts and the law, and led to only one
8:45
conclusion, that Donald Trump did nothing
8:47
wrong; no obstruction; he can't be charged
8:49
with any crime." and Bill Barr said, "just
8:52
trust me on this, because the Memo's
8:54
secret. we're not going to show it to
8:56
anybody, because it involves, you know,
8:59
prosecutorial deliberations."
9:02
well,
9:04
Judge Amy Berman Jackson figuratively
9:07
wrestled that secret memo away from Bill
9:10
Barr's Department of Justice.
9:12
turns out, it had no prosecutorial
9:17
discussions about the facts and the law,
9:20
and about whether Donald Trump committed
9:22
obstruction of justice, or he didn't.
9:24
rather,
9:26
the memo was all about how Bill Barr
9:30
could spin the Mueller report to
9:33
Congress, and to the American people, to
9:36
try to protect Donald Trump.
9:39
and that is why Judge Amy Berman Jackson
9:43
said, essentially, "Bill Barr is a great
9:46
big liar. he can't be credited." and a
9:52
three-judge Appellate Court just said
9:55
the same thing.
9:57
and they said, "give the entire memo over
10:01
to crew,
10:03
the organization that filed a Freedom of
10:07
Information Act request seeking that
10:10
memo." so now we see, once again, Bill Barr
10:14
is exposed
10:16
as deceiving Congress, deceiving the
10:19
American people, corruptly protecting
10:22
Donald Trump from being held accountable
10:25
for his crimes.
10:28
you know, I really don't want to hear
10:30
anything from Bill Barr on his
10:32
reputation Rehabilitation tour, where
10:35
he's now telling the January 6 committee,
10:38
perhaps telling a Federal grand jury, all
10:40
about Donald Trump's misdeeds, his crimes,
10:44
his corruption.
10:46
you know, the only way I'm willing to
10:48
listen to anything Bill Barr says,
10:50
is for him to be charged with his own
10:52
crimes, plead guilty, accept
10:54
responsibility, and then Bill, you can
10:57
talk, you can talk as a cooperating
10:59
Witness.
11:01
because frankly, that is the only way
11:03
anything Bill Barr says today
11:06
could be credited.
11:10
because Justice
11:12
matters.
11:15
friends, as always, please stay safe,
11:17
please stay tuned, and I look forward to
11:19
talking with you all again tomorrow.
11:23
[Music]
by Glenn Kirschner
Aug 20, 2022
Recall that federal judge Reggie Walton found that former Attorney General Bill Barr spun the conclusions of the Mueller report, mischaracterized its findings, and announced that "Bill Barr lacks candor."
Now a federal appellate panel has ruled that Bill Barr also lied when he claimed that a secret memo compelled him to decline to charge Donald Trump with the obstruction of justice crimes documented by Bob Mueller's investigating into Trump-Russia coordination in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
This video discusses the new court finding that a secret memo that Bill Barr mischaracterized must be released in its entirely.
Transcript
0:00
so former Attorney General Bill Barr is
0:04
the corrupt gift that just keeps on
0:07
giving.
0:08
wish we could return some of these gifts,
0:11
but a federal court just told us, once
0:15
again, that bill Barr is Unworthy of
0:19
belief.
0:21
let's talk about that,
0:22
because Justice matters.
0:32
[Music]
0:34
hey all. glenn kirschner
0:40
here. so former Attorney General Bill
0:44
Barr has been caught, again,
0:46
deceiving the court, and by extension
0:49
deceiving the American people.
0:52
now, before I go to the new Washington
0:54
Post reporting, let me set this one up,
0:56
because it's a little bit convoluted.
1:00
so, remember when Bill Barr lied to us
1:03
about the Mueller report?
1:05
federal court judge Reggie Walton said,
1:08
you know, "he lied; he deceived; he
1:10
dissembled; he mischaracterized." and he
1:13
said Bill Barr "lacks candor."
1:15
and remember, Bill Barr told us all, "no, no,
1:18
no obstruction. Donald Trump can't be
1:21
charged with any crimes."
1:23
well, it turns out that bill Barr
1:27
used as a basis to say, oh, he can't be
1:31
charged with any obstruction, a doj memo
1:34
that had been written.
1:36
and Bill Barr said, "it's a secret memo. I
1:39
can't show it to anybody. but trust me.
1:41
it's an analysis of, you know, the facts,
1:45
and the law, and it reaches the
1:46
conclusion that, well, Donald Trump just
1:48
can't be charged with obstructing
1:50
justice, with obstructing Bob Mueller's
1:53
probe of all things Trump Russia. but
1:56
just trust me."
1:57
well, there's an organization called "crew":
2:00
citizens for responsibility and ethics
2:04
in Washington, and they didn't trust Bill
2:06
Barr,
2:07
and they filed suit, Freedom of
2:09
Information Act, seeking this memo that
2:13
bill Barr said "we can't show you, but
2:16
trust me. it says Donald Trump can't be
2:19
charged with obstructing justice." against
2:22
that backdrop, here is the new reporting
2:26
from The Washington Post about how a
2:29
federal appeals court just smacked down
2:32
Bill Barr again.
2:35
headline: "court orders release of doj
2:39
memo on Trump obstruction in Mueller
2:42
probe." and that article begins:
2:45
"a federal appeals court has ordered the
2:48
release of a secret justice department
2:50
memo discussing whether president Donald
2:52
Trump obstructed the investigation into
2:55
Russian interference in the 2016
2:58
election.
3:00
the unanimous panel decision issued
3:02
Friday Echoes that of a lower Court
3:05
Judge, Amy Berman Jackson, Who last year
3:09
accused Bill Barr's justice department
3:11
of dishonesty in its justification for
3:16
keeping the memo hidden." now. I'm going to
3:18
take a pause, and we're going to jump
3:20
over to the earlier reporting about
3:24
Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling
3:27
slamming Bill Barr, accusing him of
3:30
dishonesty, and then we're going to go
3:33
back to this new reporting about how the
3:35
Appellate Court just upheld Judge Amy
3:39
Berman Jackson's ruling. so here is the
3:42
earlier Washington Post reporting:
3:44
headline: "judge blast's barr, justice
3:48
department for disingenuous handling of
3:51
secret Trump obstruction memo."
3:54
and that article reads in part:
3:57
"a federal judge has accused the justice
3:59
department, and then Attorney General
4:01
William Barr, of misleading the court ,and
4:04
the public, to hide how he decided that
4:08
President Donald Trump should not be
4:10
charged with obstructing special counsel
4:13
Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
4:16
U.S District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of
4:19
Washington D.C.,
4:21
ordered the release Monday of a 2019
4:24
memo, prepared by the Department's office
4:26
of legal counsel.
4:28
barr, and a string of Justice Department
4:30
officials, had sought to keep the
4:33
memo secret asserting, 'it was part of the
4:37
Department's internal decision-making
4:39
process' before he selectively and
4:42
misleadingly announced the Mueller
4:45
reports findings that March. Judge Amy
4:49
Berman Jackson wrote in a blistering
4:51
opinion, after viewing the memo and other
4:54
evidence, that the Department's claims
4:57
are so inconsistent with evidence in the
5:00
record they are not worthy of credence."
5:04
so she ordered it released, but that
5:07
decision was appealed, and now
5:09
the Appellate Court just
5:12
sided with Judge Amy Berman Jackson,
5:15
and they also slammed Bill Barr. so let's
5:18
go back to the first Washington Post
5:21
reporting. I know it takes some time to
5:24
walk through this one,
5:26
and then we're going to recap after we
5:29
get through these two Washington Post
5:30
articles, and kind of put it all into
5:33
layman's terms.
5:35
back to the new Washington Post
5:37
reporting:
5:39
"a panel of three judges said that
5:42
whether or not there was bad faith, the
5:44
government created a misimpression, and
5:47
could not stop release under the Freedom
5:49
of Information Act.
5:51
the memo was written by two senior
5:54
Justice Department officials for then
5:56
Attorney General William Barr, who
5:59
subsequently told Congress that there
6:01
was not enough evidence to charge Trump
6:03
with obstruction of special counsel Bob
6:06
Mueller's inquiry. a redacted version was
6:10
released last year, but left under seal
6:13
the legal and factual analysis.
6:16
Department of Justice officials argued
6:19
that the document was protected because
6:21
it involved internal deliberations over
6:25
a prosecutorial decision." but friends.
6:27
that turned out to be untrue.
6:30
it had nothing to do with internal
6:33
decisions about a prosecutorial decision.
6:37
rather, "the discussion in the memo was
6:41
over how Barr would publicly
6:44
characterize the obstruction evidence
6:47
Mueller had assembled. the justice
6:49
department conceded on appeal" -- in other
6:53
words,
6:55
the memo was all about how Bill Barr
6:57
would spin it
6:58
to Congress, and to the American people.
7:03
the article continues:
7:05
"the Court's review of the memorandum
7:07
revealed that the department in fact
7:10
never considered bringing a charge of
7:14
obstruction against Donald Trump, the
7:16
panel wrote. instead, the memorandum
7:19
concerned a separate decision, that had
7:22
gone entirely unmentioned by the
7:24
government in its submissions to the
7:27
court,"
7:27
and that decision? "what if anything to
7:31
say to Congress and the public about the
7:35
Mueller report." in other words, how to
7:38
spin the Mueller report.
7:42
admittedly, friends, that is kind of a
7:45
convoluted tale, so let's do it again in
7:47
layman's speak:
7:49
Bob Mueller investigated Donald Trump,
7:51
and the Trump campaign, for contacts and
7:55
coordination with Russia, by which they
7:58
sought and obtained Russia's assistance
8:01
in the 2016 presidential election.
8:05
and Bob Mueller found quote, "substantial
8:10
evidence of obstruction by Trump."
8:13
but Bill Barr didn't care.
8:15
Bill Barr was going to protect Donald
8:17
Trump at all costs. so Bill Barr falsely
8:21
announced "no obstruction;
8:23
no evidence that Donald Trump obstructed
8:26
Justice; Donald Trump can't be charged
8:29
with any crime,"
8:31
and Bill Barr pointed to a secret memo,
8:34
a memo that he had some Department of
8:37
Justice lawyers draft up, and he claimed
8:39
"this memo was a detailed analysis of the
8:42
facts and the law, and led to only one
8:45
conclusion, that Donald Trump did nothing
8:47
wrong; no obstruction; he can't be charged
8:49
with any crime." and Bill Barr said, "just
8:52
trust me on this, because the Memo's
8:54
secret. we're not going to show it to
8:56
anybody, because it involves, you know,
8:59
prosecutorial deliberations."
9:02
well,
9:04
Judge Amy Berman Jackson figuratively
9:07
wrestled that secret memo away from Bill
9:10
Barr's Department of Justice.
9:12
turns out, it had no prosecutorial
9:17
discussions about the facts and the law,
9:20
and about whether Donald Trump committed
9:22
obstruction of justice, or he didn't.
9:24
rather,
9:26
the memo was all about how Bill Barr
9:30
could spin the Mueller report to
9:33
Congress, and to the American people, to
9:36
try to protect Donald Trump.
9:39
and that is why Judge Amy Berman Jackson
9:43
said, essentially, "Bill Barr is a great
9:46
big liar. he can't be credited." and a
9:52
three-judge Appellate Court just said
9:55
the same thing.
9:57
and they said, "give the entire memo over
10:01
to crew,
10:03
the organization that filed a Freedom of
10:07
Information Act request seeking that
10:10
memo." so now we see, once again, Bill Barr
10:14
is exposed
10:16
as deceiving Congress, deceiving the
10:19
American people, corruptly protecting
10:22
Donald Trump from being held accountable
10:25
for his crimes.
10:28
you know, I really don't want to hear
10:30
anything from Bill Barr on his
10:32
reputation Rehabilitation tour, where
10:35
he's now telling the January 6 committee,
10:38
perhaps telling a Federal grand jury, all
10:40
about Donald Trump's misdeeds, his crimes,
10:44
his corruption.
10:46
you know, the only way I'm willing to
10:48
listen to anything Bill Barr says,
10:50
is for him to be charged with his own
10:52
crimes, plead guilty, accept
10:54
responsibility, and then Bill, you can
10:57
talk, you can talk as a cooperating
10:59
Witness.
11:01
because frankly, that is the only way
11:03
anything Bill Barr says today
11:06
could be credited.
11:10
because Justice
11:12
matters.
11:15
friends, as always, please stay safe,
11:17
please stay tuned, and I look forward to
11:19
talking with you all again tomorrow.
11:23
[Music]
- admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 36750
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:21 am
Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:54 am
‘Mr. Trump Went Through The Boxes Himself’
by Lawrence O'Donnell
MSNBC
Aug 22, 2022
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell reports on the breaking news from The New York Times that former President Donald Trump had over 300 documents at Mar-a-Lago and that he personally went through the boxes himself in 2021.
Transcript
0:02
>> THANK YOU RACHEL.
0:06
MR. TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
0:09
BOXES HIMSELF.
0:11
THAT IS ONE OF THE LEGALLY
0:15
DEVASTATING LINES IN A NEW YORK
0:17
TIMES BREAKING NEWS REPORT
0:18
TONIGHT UNDER THE HEADLINE,
0:20
TRUMP HAD MORE THAN 300
0:23
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT
0:24
MAR-A-LAGO.
0:24
DONALD TRUMP'S LIFE GETS WORSE
0:28
EVERY DAY AND TONIGHT HIS LIFE
0:31
GOT MUCH WORSE WITH THE
0:33
REVELATION IN THE NEW YORK
0:34
TIMES THAT DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF
0:36
WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE BOXES
0:38
OF DOCUMENTS THAT HE WAS
0:40
ILLEGALLY POSSESSING AND
0:42
CONCEALING AT HIS FLORIDA HOME.
0:46
AND THIS IS THE KIND OF
0:48
REPORTING THAT INDICATES THAT
0:50
DONALD TRUMP'S LEGAL LIFE IS
0:52
GOING TO GET MUCH, MUCH WORSE
0:55
AS THE STORY KEEPS MOVING
0:57
FORWARD.
0:57
A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS FOR THE
1:01
NEW YORK TIMES REPORT THAT THE
1:02
GOVERNMENT HAS RETRIEVED MORE
1:04
THAN 300 CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
1:07
FROM DONALD TRUMP'S FLORIDA
1:09
HOME IN THREE DIFFERENT
1:10
RETRIEVAL'S FROM MAR-A-LAGO,
1:13
INCLUDING THE THIRD AND FINAL
1:15
RETRIEVAL WHICH WAS EXECUTED BY
1:17
THE FBI WITH SEARCH WARRANT
1:21
ISSUED BY A JUDGE WHO SAID
1:22
TODAY THAT HE ISSUED THAT
1:25
SEARCH WARRANT BECAUSE HE FOUND
1:28
QUOTE, PROBABLE CAUSE THAT
1:31
EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE FEDERAL
1:33
CRIMES WOULD BE FOUND AT THE
1:36
PREMISES.
1:37
THE TIMES REPORTS QUOTE, THE
1:40
INITIAL BATCH OF DOCUMENTS
1:42
RETRIEVED BY THE NATIONAL
1:43
ARCHIVES FROM FORMER PRESIDENT
1:45
DONALD J TRUMP IN JANUARY
1:47
INCLUDED MORE THAN 150 MARKED
1:49
AS CLASSIFIED, A NUMBER THAT
1:51
IGNITED INTENSE CONCERN AT THE
1:54
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
1:54
AND HELPED TRIGGER THE CRIMINAL
1:57
INVESTIGATION THAT LED FBI
1:59
AGENTS TO SWOOP INTO MAR-A-LAGO
2:01
THIS MONTH SEEKING TO RECOVER
2:03
MORE, MULTIPLE PEOPLE BRIEFED
2:05
ON THE MATTER SAID.
2:07
BUT BEFORE ANYONE FROM THE
2:10
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WENT TO
2:12
MAR-A-LAGO AND SEARCHED FOR
2:14
DOCUMENTS, THE TIMES REPORTS,
2:17
MR. TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
2:18
BOXES HIMSELF IN LATE 2020,
2:23
ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE
2:26
BRIEFED ON HIS EFFORTS BEFORE
2:28
TURNING THEM OVER.
2:28
SO THE TIMES IS REPORTING THAT
2:31
MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITNESSES,
2:34
MULTIPLE WITNESSES KNOW THAT
2:36
DONALD TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
2:38
BOXES OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
2:41
HIMSELF LAST YEAR IN 2021.
2:43
AND OBVIOUSLY DONALD TRUMP
2:45
DECIDED TO KEEP THOSE BOXES.
2:47
LAST WEEK WE LEARNED THAT WHEN
2:50
THE LAWYERS FOR DONALD TRUMP
2:52
TRIED TO GET HIM TO RETURN THAT
2:54
MATERIAL, HE DELIVERED THE NOW
2:55
FAMOUS LINE, IT'S NOT THERE'S,
2:57
IT'S MINE.
2:57
THE TWO LAWYERS WHO DONALD
2:59
TRUMP AND MADE HIS OFFICIAL
3:01
REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS MATTER
3:02
OR FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL
3:04
PAT CIPOLLONE FORMER WHITE
3:06
HOUSE DEPUTY COUNSEL PATRICK
3:08
PHILBIN.
3:08
THIS YEAR DONALD TRUMP REMOVED
3:11
THEM AS HIS OFFICIAL
3:13
REPRESENTATIVES IN DEALING WITH
3:15
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND
3:17
PERHAPS THEN THERE MAY HAVE
3:19
BEEN NO ONE TELLING DONALD
3:22
TRUMP THAT HE HAD TO COMPLY
3:23
WITH THE LAW.
3:24
AFTER THE FIRST BATCH OF 150
3:27
DOCUMENTS MARKED AS CLASSIFIED
3:28
WERE REMOVED FROM DONALD
3:30
TRUMP'S FLORIDA HOME IN JANUARY,
3:33
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS AND FBI
3:35
AGENTS VISITED DONALD TRUMP'S
3:36
HOME IN JUNE, WENT ACCORDING TO
3:39
THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORT
3:41
TONIGHT AIDES TO MR. TRUMP
3:43
TURNED OVER A FEW DOZEN
3:45
ADDITIONAL SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS
3:47
DURING A VISIT TO MAR-A-LAGO BY
3:49
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS IN
3:50
EARLY JUNE.
3:51
THE TWO TRUMP LAWYERS WHO DEALT
3:54
WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
3:56
INVESTIGATORS WHO WENT TO
3:57
MAR-A-LAGO IN JUNE ARE
4:00
POTENTIALLY TONIGHT IN VERY
4:02
SERIOUS LEGAL TROUBLE OF THEIR
4:05
OWN BASED ON THE BREAKING NEWS
4:08
REPORTING IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
4:09
TONIGHT.
4:10
THIS DESCRIBES FALSE ASSURANCES
4:14
THAT THOSE TWO MORE LAWYERS
4:17
PROVIDED TO THE JUSTICE
4:18
DEPARTMENT IN WRITING.
4:18
THE TIMES REPORTS, ON JUNE 3RD
4:22
JAY BRAT, THE CHIEF OF THE
4:25
COUNTERESPIONAGE SECTION OF THE
4:26
NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION OF
4:27
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WENT TO
4:29
MAR-A-LAGO TO MEET WITH TWO OF
4:30
MR. TRUMP'S LAWYERS, EVAN
4:33
CORCORAN, AND CHRISTINA BOB,
4:35
AND RETRIEVE ANY REMAINING
4:37
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL TO SATISFY
4:39
THE SUPPORT PEÑA.
4:40
MR. CORCORAN WENT THROUGH THE
4:42
BOXES HIMSELF TO IDENTIFY
4:45
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL BEFOREHAND,
4:47
ACCORDING TO TWO PEOPLE
4:48
FAMILIAR WITH HIS EFFORTS.
4:49
MR. CORCORAN SHOWED MR. BRAT
4:52
THE BASEMENT STORAGE ROOM WHERE
4:54
HE SAID THE REMAINING MATERIAL
4:55
HAD BEEN KEPT.
4:57
MR. TRUMP BRIEFLY CAME TO SEE
5:01
THE INVESTIGATORS DURING THE
5:03
VISIT.
5:06
MR. BRATT AND THE AGENTS
5:09
ADJOINING WERE GIVEN AS CHIEF
5:10
OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
5:11
ACCORDING TO PEOPLE FAMILIAR
5:12
WITH THE MEETING.
5:13
MR. CORCORAN THEN DRAFTED A
5:15
STATEMENT, WHICH MS. BOB WHO IS
5:18
SAID TO BE THE CUSTODIAN OF THE
5:20
DOCUMENTS SIGNED.
5:23
IT ASSERTED THAT TO THE BEST OF
5:24
HER KNOWLEDGE, ALL CLASSIFIED
5:27
MATERIAL THAT WAS THERE HAD
5:28
BEEN RETURNED, ACCORDING TO TWO
5:31
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
5:33
STATEMENT.
5:33
THE STATEMENT WASN'T TRUE.
5:37
IT WAS NOT TRUE.
5:41
CHRISTINA BOBB SIGNED HER NAME
5:46
TO IT AND CORCORAN DRAFTED A
5:49
STATEMENT.
5:49
THEY DRAFTED A STATEMENT THERE
5:50
WAS NOT TRUE.
5:53
CHRISTINA BOBB SIGNED AN UNTRUE
5:55
STATEMENT IN A WRITTEN
5:57
COMMUNICATION WITH THE JUSTICE
5:58
DEPARTMENT WHERE IT IS A CRIME
6:00
TO LIE TO THE FBI.
6:03
THE TIMES GOES ON TO EXPLAIN
6:05
WHY THE INVESTIGATION DIDN'T
6:07
AND THERE.
6:08
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS
6:10
HAD JUST VISITED MAR-A-LAGO
6:12
THEMSELVES.
6:12
THEY HAD BEEN USHERED IN
6:14
WRITING BY THE TRUMP LAWYERS
6:15
WITH THAT DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY
6:18
CHRISTINA BOBB THAT THE JUSTICE
6:20
DEPARTMENT WAS NOW IN
6:21
POSSESSION OF ALL OF THE
6:23
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS THAT WERE
6:24
THERE.
6:24
BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
6:27
SOON AFTER THAT VISIT,
6:30
INVESTIGATORS WHO WERE
6:31
INTERVIEWING SEVERAL PEOPLE OF
6:32
MR. TRUMP CIRCLE ABOUT THE
6:34
DOCUMENTS, CAME TO BELIEVE THAT
6:36
THERE WERE OTHER PRESIDENTIAL
6:38
RECORDS THAT HAD NOT BEEN
6:39
TURNED OVER, ACCORDING TO THE
6:41
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
6:42
MATTER.
6:42
ON JUNE 22ND, THE JUSTICE
6:46
DEPARTMENT SUBPOENAED THE TRUMP
6:48
ORGANIZATION FOR MAR-A-LAGO'S
6:50
SECURITY FOOTAGE.
6:50
IT REVEALED PEOPLE MOVING BOXES
6:52
IN AND OUT, AND IN SOME CASES
6:55
APPEARING TO CHANGE THE
6:56
CONTAINERS SOME DOCUMENTS WERE
6:58
HELD IN.
7:00
A EVERY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IN
7:02
THOSE VIDEOS, ABOUT MOVING
7:05
THOSE BOXES IS GOING TO BE
7:07
QUESTIONED UNDER OATH BY THE
7:10
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT
7:11
EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING
7:12
WITH THOSE BOXES.
7:13
BUT THAT VIDEO SEEMS TO HAVE
7:16
PLAYED A STRONG ROLE IN
7:18
CONVINCING THE JUSTICE
7:19
DEPARTMENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
7:21
MERRICK GARLAND THAT THEY WOULD
7:22
NEED A SEARCH WARRANT TO GET
7:25
MORE CLASSIFIED MATERIAL FROM
7:27
DONALD TRUMP'S HOME.
7:28
AND WHEN THE FBI COMPLETED THE
7:32
SEARCH THAT THE SEARCH WARRANT
7:35
ALLOWED THEM TO CONDUCT ON
7:37
AUGUST 8TH, THE NEW YORK TIMES
7:39
REPORTS, OFFICIALS LEFT WITH 26
7:42
BOXES, INCLUDING 11 SETS OF
7:44
MATERIAL MARKED AS CLASSIFIED,
7:48
COMPRISING SCORES OF ADDITIONAL
7:51
DOCUMENTS.
7:51
ONE SET AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF
7:55
CLASSIFICATION, TOP SECRET
7:56
SLASH SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED
8:01
INFORMATION.
8:01
DONALD TRUMP THE TIME REPORTS,
8:05
WENT THROUGH THE BOXES HIMSELF
8:07
AT THE END OF LAST YEAR,
8:09
WITHHELD THAT INFORMATION WHEN
8:11
THE FIRST BATCH OF DOCUMENTS
8:13
WAS RETURNED TO THE NATIONAL
8:15
ARCHIVES IN JANUARY AND DONALD
8:17
TRUMP CONTINUED TO WITHHOLD
8:19
THAT INFORMATION WHEN ANOTHER
8:22
BATCH OF DOCUMENTS WAS HANDED
8:23
OVER TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
8:25
IN JUNE.
8:25
AND WHEN THE FBI SHOWED UP,
8:28
WITH A SEARCH WARRANT IN AUGUST,
8:31
DONALD TRUMP WAS STILL HOLDING
8:33
ON TO 11 SETS OF MATERIAL
8:37
MARKED HAS CLASSIFY COMPRISING
8:40
SCORES OF ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS,
8:42
ONE SET HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL
8:43
OF CLASSIFICATION, TOP SECRET
8:45
SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED
8:47
INFORMATION.
8:47
THAT'S WHAT DONALD TRUMP WAS
8:50
HOLDING ON TO WHEN THE FBI
8:53
ARRIVED AT HIS HOME.
8:56
THE TIMES REPORTS, THE FBI
8:58
AGENTS WHO CONDUCTED THE SEARCH
8:59
FOUND THE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS
9:00
IN THE STORAGE AREA IN THE
9:02
BASEMENT OF MAR-A-LAGO, AS WELL
9:04
AS IN A CONTAINER IN A CLOSET
IN MR. TRUMP'S OFFICE, THE PEOPLE SAID.
**************************
Trump Stashed, Oh, Only 300 Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago: Report
Embattled former president filed a lawsuit earlier Monday requesting a federal watchdog be appointed to further oversee the investigation into his hoarding of state secrets
by Kat Bouza
Rolling Stone
AUGUST 22, 2022
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has recovered over 300 classified documents from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump since he left office, with at least half of the documents recovered during the National Archives’ initial search of Trump’s Palm Beach compound in January of this year.
According to The New York Times, the discovery of the initial batch of classified materials by the agency tasked with documenting and preserving historical records prompted Trump officials to relinquish an additional unknown number of materials to the government in June, and precipitated the federal raid on Mar-a-Largo earlier this month, during which additional documents were seized by the FBI. At least one box of retrieved materials were designated with the federal government’s highest level of classification.
News of the extent of Trump’s stash of state secrets comes just hours after the former president filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from “further review of seized materials” claiming “the integrity of these documents is important not only to [Trump] but also to the institution of the Presidency.” In the filing, Trump also requests that a federal watchdog — a so-called “special master” — be appointed to further oversee the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
“The Government has refused to provide President Trump with any reason for the unprecedented, general search of his home. To date, the Government has failed to legitimize its historic decision to raid the home of a President who had been fully cooperative,” the lawsuit states. “The documents seized at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022, were seized from President Trump and were created during his term as President. Accordingly, the documents are ‘presumptively privileged’ until proven otherwise… Only an evaluation by a neutral reviewer, a Special Master, can secure the sanctity of these privileged materials.”
In February, the National Archives confirmed its January search uncovered a 15 boxes containing material allegedly removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act — among which included Trump’s self-described “love letters” to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. A source close to the matter told the Times that this initial batch of documents also contained documents from the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency “spanning a variety of topics of national security interest.” Sources also previously revealed to the media Trump kept sensitive materials relating to nuclear weapons at Mar-a-Lago — an assertion that Trump quickly dismissed as a “hoax,” doubling down on claims that the ongoing investigation into his possession of classified materials is merely a partisan witch-hunt orchestrated by “Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024.”
The Justice Department’s suspicions that additional classified material remained at Mar-a-Lago following the National Archives search led federal authorities to issue a subpoena in May seeking the return of additional documents. After meeting with government officials to hand over said materials, two of Trump’s lawyers — including Christina Bobb, a former anchor for the militantly right-wing, pro-Trump One America News Network — signed a statement on June 3 stating all unauthorized documents at Mar-a-Lago had been returned to federal authorities, the Times reported.
However, subsequent review of Mar-a-Lago security footage by the Justice Department following the June 3 statement showed individuals clearly shuttling previously seized boxes of classified material throughout club grounds, prompting additional witness interviews which ultimately led to the August 8 FBI raid of the estate. The unsealed federal search warrant related to that latest search revealed the Justice Department is investigating the embattled former president for possible violations of the Espionage Act.
Since the August 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s paranoia against both the federal government and his dwindling circle of sycophants has ramped up dramatically. A Rolling Stone report from early August revealed the ex-president recently became increasingly concerned that someone in his inner circle could be “wearing a wire” or that his personal communications were under surveillance “by Biden.” The investigation also led several right-wing politicians to demand the “defunding” of the FBI and the Department of Justice for “weaponizing” federal agencies.
“When I worked for him, it was an everyday obsession [about] who was leaking, who was cooperating with what. He’d regularly ask me and others, ‘Do you think I can trust this person?’ or ‘Do you trust this person?’ or tell me to ‘go find the leaker,’ Stephanie Grisham, a former senior Trump aide, told Rolling Stone. “Trump demands total loyalty, and yet he turns on people at a moment’s notice. And he’s now in this situation where he and his people are wondering who among them could be giving some of his most closely held information to the FBI.”
by Lawrence O'Donnell
MSNBC
Aug 22, 2022
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell reports on the breaking news from The New York Times that former President Donald Trump had over 300 documents at Mar-a-Lago and that he personally went through the boxes himself in 2021.
Transcript
0:02
>> THANK YOU RACHEL.
0:06
MR. TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
0:09
BOXES HIMSELF.
0:11
THAT IS ONE OF THE LEGALLY
0:15
DEVASTATING LINES IN A NEW YORK
0:17
TIMES BREAKING NEWS REPORT
0:18
TONIGHT UNDER THE HEADLINE,
0:20
TRUMP HAD MORE THAN 300
0:23
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT
0:24
MAR-A-LAGO.
0:24
DONALD TRUMP'S LIFE GETS WORSE
0:28
EVERY DAY AND TONIGHT HIS LIFE
0:31
GOT MUCH WORSE WITH THE
0:33
REVELATION IN THE NEW YORK
0:34
TIMES THAT DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF
0:36
WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE BOXES
0:38
OF DOCUMENTS THAT HE WAS
0:40
ILLEGALLY POSSESSING AND
0:42
CONCEALING AT HIS FLORIDA HOME.
0:46
AND THIS IS THE KIND OF
0:48
REPORTING THAT INDICATES THAT
0:50
DONALD TRUMP'S LEGAL LIFE IS
0:52
GOING TO GET MUCH, MUCH WORSE
0:55
AS THE STORY KEEPS MOVING
0:57
FORWARD.
0:57
A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS FOR THE
1:01
NEW YORK TIMES REPORT THAT THE
1:02
GOVERNMENT HAS RETRIEVED MORE
1:04
THAN 300 CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
1:07
FROM DONALD TRUMP'S FLORIDA
1:09
HOME IN THREE DIFFERENT
1:10
RETRIEVAL'S FROM MAR-A-LAGO,
1:13
INCLUDING THE THIRD AND FINAL
1:15
RETRIEVAL WHICH WAS EXECUTED BY
1:17
THE FBI WITH SEARCH WARRANT
1:21
ISSUED BY A JUDGE WHO SAID
1:22
TODAY THAT HE ISSUED THAT
1:25
SEARCH WARRANT BECAUSE HE FOUND
1:28
QUOTE, PROBABLE CAUSE THAT
1:31
EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE FEDERAL
1:33
CRIMES WOULD BE FOUND AT THE
1:36
PREMISES.
1:37
THE TIMES REPORTS QUOTE, THE
1:40
INITIAL BATCH OF DOCUMENTS
1:42
RETRIEVED BY THE NATIONAL
1:43
ARCHIVES FROM FORMER PRESIDENT
1:45
DONALD J TRUMP IN JANUARY
1:47
INCLUDED MORE THAN 150 MARKED
1:49
AS CLASSIFIED, A NUMBER THAT
1:51
IGNITED INTENSE CONCERN AT THE
1:54
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
1:54
AND HELPED TRIGGER THE CRIMINAL
1:57
INVESTIGATION THAT LED FBI
1:59
AGENTS TO SWOOP INTO MAR-A-LAGO
2:01
THIS MONTH SEEKING TO RECOVER
2:03
MORE, MULTIPLE PEOPLE BRIEFED
2:05
ON THE MATTER SAID.
2:07
BUT BEFORE ANYONE FROM THE
2:10
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WENT TO
2:12
MAR-A-LAGO AND SEARCHED FOR
2:14
DOCUMENTS, THE TIMES REPORTS,
2:17
MR. TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
2:18
BOXES HIMSELF IN LATE 2020,
2:23
ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE
2:26
BRIEFED ON HIS EFFORTS BEFORE
2:28
TURNING THEM OVER.
2:28
SO THE TIMES IS REPORTING THAT
2:31
MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITNESSES,
2:34
MULTIPLE WITNESSES KNOW THAT
2:36
DONALD TRUMP WENT THROUGH THE
2:38
BOXES OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
2:41
HIMSELF LAST YEAR IN 2021.
2:43
AND OBVIOUSLY DONALD TRUMP
2:45
DECIDED TO KEEP THOSE BOXES.
2:47
LAST WEEK WE LEARNED THAT WHEN
2:50
THE LAWYERS FOR DONALD TRUMP
2:52
TRIED TO GET HIM TO RETURN THAT
2:54
MATERIAL, HE DELIVERED THE NOW
2:55
FAMOUS LINE, IT'S NOT THERE'S,
2:57
IT'S MINE.
2:57
THE TWO LAWYERS WHO DONALD
2:59
TRUMP AND MADE HIS OFFICIAL
3:01
REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS MATTER
3:02
OR FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL
3:04
PAT CIPOLLONE FORMER WHITE
3:06
HOUSE DEPUTY COUNSEL PATRICK
3:08
PHILBIN.
3:08
THIS YEAR DONALD TRUMP REMOVED
3:11
THEM AS HIS OFFICIAL
3:13
REPRESENTATIVES IN DEALING WITH
3:15
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND
3:17
PERHAPS THEN THERE MAY HAVE
3:19
BEEN NO ONE TELLING DONALD
3:22
TRUMP THAT HE HAD TO COMPLY
3:23
WITH THE LAW.
3:24
AFTER THE FIRST BATCH OF 150
3:27
DOCUMENTS MARKED AS CLASSIFIED
3:28
WERE REMOVED FROM DONALD
3:30
TRUMP'S FLORIDA HOME IN JANUARY,
3:33
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS AND FBI
3:35
AGENTS VISITED DONALD TRUMP'S
3:36
HOME IN JUNE, WENT ACCORDING TO
3:39
THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORT
3:41
TONIGHT AIDES TO MR. TRUMP
3:43
TURNED OVER A FEW DOZEN
3:45
ADDITIONAL SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS
3:47
DURING A VISIT TO MAR-A-LAGO BY
3:49
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS IN
3:50
EARLY JUNE.
3:51
THE TWO TRUMP LAWYERS WHO DEALT
3:54
WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
3:56
INVESTIGATORS WHO WENT TO
3:57
MAR-A-LAGO IN JUNE ARE
4:00
POTENTIALLY TONIGHT IN VERY
4:02
SERIOUS LEGAL TROUBLE OF THEIR
4:05
OWN BASED ON THE BREAKING NEWS
4:08
REPORTING IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
4:09
TONIGHT.
4:10
THIS DESCRIBES FALSE ASSURANCES
4:14
THAT THOSE TWO MORE LAWYERS
4:17
PROVIDED TO THE JUSTICE
4:18
DEPARTMENT IN WRITING.
4:18
THE TIMES REPORTS, ON JUNE 3RD
4:22
JAY BRAT, THE CHIEF OF THE
4:25
COUNTERESPIONAGE SECTION OF THE
4:26
NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION OF
4:27
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WENT TO
4:29
MAR-A-LAGO TO MEET WITH TWO OF
4:30
MR. TRUMP'S LAWYERS, EVAN
4:33
CORCORAN, AND CHRISTINA BOB,
4:35
AND RETRIEVE ANY REMAINING
4:37
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL TO SATISFY
4:39
THE SUPPORT PEÑA.
4:40
MR. CORCORAN WENT THROUGH THE
4:42
BOXES HIMSELF TO IDENTIFY
4:45
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL BEFOREHAND,
4:47
ACCORDING TO TWO PEOPLE
4:48
FAMILIAR WITH HIS EFFORTS.
4:49
MR. CORCORAN SHOWED MR. BRAT
4:52
THE BASEMENT STORAGE ROOM WHERE
4:54
HE SAID THE REMAINING MATERIAL
4:55
HAD BEEN KEPT.
4:57
MR. TRUMP BRIEFLY CAME TO SEE
5:01
THE INVESTIGATORS DURING THE
5:03
VISIT.
5:06
MR. BRATT AND THE AGENTS
5:09
ADJOINING WERE GIVEN AS CHIEF
5:10
OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
5:11
ACCORDING TO PEOPLE FAMILIAR
5:12
WITH THE MEETING.
5:13
MR. CORCORAN THEN DRAFTED A
5:15
STATEMENT, WHICH MS. BOB WHO IS
5:18
SAID TO BE THE CUSTODIAN OF THE
5:20
DOCUMENTS SIGNED.
5:23
IT ASSERTED THAT TO THE BEST OF
5:24
HER KNOWLEDGE, ALL CLASSIFIED
5:27
MATERIAL THAT WAS THERE HAD
5:28
BEEN RETURNED, ACCORDING TO TWO
5:31
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
5:33
STATEMENT.
5:33
THE STATEMENT WASN'T TRUE.
5:37
IT WAS NOT TRUE.
5:41
CHRISTINA BOBB SIGNED HER NAME
5:46
TO IT AND CORCORAN DRAFTED A
5:49
STATEMENT.
5:49
THEY DRAFTED A STATEMENT THERE
5:50
WAS NOT TRUE.
5:53
CHRISTINA BOBB SIGNED AN UNTRUE
5:55
STATEMENT IN A WRITTEN
5:57
COMMUNICATION WITH THE JUSTICE
5:58
DEPARTMENT WHERE IT IS A CRIME
6:00
TO LIE TO THE FBI.
6:03
THE TIMES GOES ON TO EXPLAIN
6:05
WHY THE INVESTIGATION DIDN'T
6:07
AND THERE.
6:08
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS
6:10
HAD JUST VISITED MAR-A-LAGO
6:12
THEMSELVES.
6:12
THEY HAD BEEN USHERED IN
6:14
WRITING BY THE TRUMP LAWYERS
6:15
WITH THAT DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY
6:18
CHRISTINA BOBB THAT THE JUSTICE
6:20
DEPARTMENT WAS NOW IN
6:21
POSSESSION OF ALL OF THE
6:23
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS THAT WERE
6:24
THERE.
6:24
BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
6:27
SOON AFTER THAT VISIT,
6:30
INVESTIGATORS WHO WERE
6:31
INTERVIEWING SEVERAL PEOPLE OF
6:32
MR. TRUMP CIRCLE ABOUT THE
6:34
DOCUMENTS, CAME TO BELIEVE THAT
6:36
THERE WERE OTHER PRESIDENTIAL
6:38
RECORDS THAT HAD NOT BEEN
6:39
TURNED OVER, ACCORDING TO THE
6:41
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
6:42
MATTER.
6:42
ON JUNE 22ND, THE JUSTICE
6:46
DEPARTMENT SUBPOENAED THE TRUMP
6:48
ORGANIZATION FOR MAR-A-LAGO'S
6:50
SECURITY FOOTAGE.
6:50
IT REVEALED PEOPLE MOVING BOXES
6:52
IN AND OUT, AND IN SOME CASES
6:55
APPEARING TO CHANGE THE
6:56
CONTAINERS SOME DOCUMENTS WERE
6:58
HELD IN.
7:00
A EVERY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IN
7:02
THOSE VIDEOS, ABOUT MOVING
7:05
THOSE BOXES IS GOING TO BE
7:07
QUESTIONED UNDER OATH BY THE
7:10
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT
7:11
EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING
7:12
WITH THOSE BOXES.
7:13
BUT THAT VIDEO SEEMS TO HAVE
7:16
PLAYED A STRONG ROLE IN
7:18
CONVINCING THE JUSTICE
7:19
DEPARTMENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
7:21
MERRICK GARLAND THAT THEY WOULD
7:22
NEED A SEARCH WARRANT TO GET
7:25
MORE CLASSIFIED MATERIAL FROM
7:27
DONALD TRUMP'S HOME.
7:28
AND WHEN THE FBI COMPLETED THE
7:32
SEARCH THAT THE SEARCH WARRANT
7:35
ALLOWED THEM TO CONDUCT ON
7:37
AUGUST 8TH, THE NEW YORK TIMES
7:39
REPORTS, OFFICIALS LEFT WITH 26
7:42
BOXES, INCLUDING 11 SETS OF
7:44
MATERIAL MARKED AS CLASSIFIED,
7:48
COMPRISING SCORES OF ADDITIONAL
7:51
DOCUMENTS.
7:51
ONE SET AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF
7:55
CLASSIFICATION, TOP SECRET
7:56
SLASH SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED
8:01
INFORMATION.
8:01
DONALD TRUMP THE TIME REPORTS,
8:05
WENT THROUGH THE BOXES HIMSELF
8:07
AT THE END OF LAST YEAR,
8:09
WITHHELD THAT INFORMATION WHEN
8:11
THE FIRST BATCH OF DOCUMENTS
8:13
WAS RETURNED TO THE NATIONAL
8:15
ARCHIVES IN JANUARY AND DONALD
8:17
TRUMP CONTINUED TO WITHHOLD
8:19
THAT INFORMATION WHEN ANOTHER
8:22
BATCH OF DOCUMENTS WAS HANDED
8:23
OVER TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
8:25
IN JUNE.
8:25
AND WHEN THE FBI SHOWED UP,
8:28
WITH A SEARCH WARRANT IN AUGUST,
8:31
DONALD TRUMP WAS STILL HOLDING
8:33
ON TO 11 SETS OF MATERIAL
8:37
MARKED HAS CLASSIFY COMPRISING
8:40
SCORES OF ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS,
8:42
ONE SET HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL
8:43
OF CLASSIFICATION, TOP SECRET
8:45
SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED
8:47
INFORMATION.
8:47
THAT'S WHAT DONALD TRUMP WAS
8:50
HOLDING ON TO WHEN THE FBI
8:53
ARRIVED AT HIS HOME.
8:56
THE TIMES REPORTS, THE FBI
8:58
AGENTS WHO CONDUCTED THE SEARCH
8:59
FOUND THE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS
9:00
IN THE STORAGE AREA IN THE
9:02
BASEMENT OF MAR-A-LAGO, AS WELL
9:04
AS IN A CONTAINER IN A CLOSET
IN MR. TRUMP'S OFFICE, THE PEOPLE SAID.
**************************
Trump Stashed, Oh, Only 300 Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago: Report
Embattled former president filed a lawsuit earlier Monday requesting a federal watchdog be appointed to further oversee the investigation into his hoarding of state secrets
by Kat Bouza
Rolling Stone
AUGUST 22, 2022
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has recovered over 300 classified documents from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump since he left office, with at least half of the documents recovered during the National Archives’ initial search of Trump’s Palm Beach compound in January of this year.
According to The New York Times, the discovery of the initial batch of classified materials by the agency tasked with documenting and preserving historical records prompted Trump officials to relinquish an additional unknown number of materials to the government in June, and precipitated the federal raid on Mar-a-Largo earlier this month, during which additional documents were seized by the FBI. At least one box of retrieved materials were designated with the federal government’s highest level of classification.
News of the extent of Trump’s stash of state secrets comes just hours after the former president filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from “further review of seized materials” claiming “the integrity of these documents is important not only to [Trump] but also to the institution of the Presidency.” In the filing, Trump also requests that a federal watchdog — a so-called “special master” — be appointed to further oversee the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
“The Government has refused to provide President Trump with any reason for the unprecedented, general search of his home. To date, the Government has failed to legitimize its historic decision to raid the home of a President who had been fully cooperative,” the lawsuit states. “The documents seized at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022, were seized from President Trump and were created during his term as President. Accordingly, the documents are ‘presumptively privileged’ until proven otherwise… Only an evaluation by a neutral reviewer, a Special Master, can secure the sanctity of these privileged materials.”
In February, the National Archives confirmed its January search uncovered a 15 boxes containing material allegedly removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act — among which included Trump’s self-described “love letters” to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. A source close to the matter told the Times that this initial batch of documents also contained documents from the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency “spanning a variety of topics of national security interest.” Sources also previously revealed to the media Trump kept sensitive materials relating to nuclear weapons at Mar-a-Lago — an assertion that Trump quickly dismissed as a “hoax,” doubling down on claims that the ongoing investigation into his possession of classified materials is merely a partisan witch-hunt orchestrated by “Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024.”
The Justice Department’s suspicions that additional classified material remained at Mar-a-Lago following the National Archives search led federal authorities to issue a subpoena in May seeking the return of additional documents. After meeting with government officials to hand over said materials, two of Trump’s lawyers — including Christina Bobb, a former anchor for the militantly right-wing, pro-Trump One America News Network — signed a statement on June 3 stating all unauthorized documents at Mar-a-Lago had been returned to federal authorities, the Times reported.
However, subsequent review of Mar-a-Lago security footage by the Justice Department following the June 3 statement showed individuals clearly shuttling previously seized boxes of classified material throughout club grounds, prompting additional witness interviews which ultimately led to the August 8 FBI raid of the estate. The unsealed federal search warrant related to that latest search revealed the Justice Department is investigating the embattled former president for possible violations of the Espionage Act.
Since the August 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s paranoia against both the federal government and his dwindling circle of sycophants has ramped up dramatically. A Rolling Stone report from early August revealed the ex-president recently became increasingly concerned that someone in his inner circle could be “wearing a wire” or that his personal communications were under surveillance “by Biden.” The investigation also led several right-wing politicians to demand the “defunding” of the FBI and the Department of Justice for “weaponizing” federal agencies.
“When I worked for him, it was an everyday obsession [about] who was leaking, who was cooperating with what. He’d regularly ask me and others, ‘Do you think I can trust this person?’ or ‘Do you trust this person?’ or tell me to ‘go find the leaker,’ Stephanie Grisham, a former senior Trump aide, told Rolling Stone. “Trump demands total loyalty, and yet he turns on people at a moment’s notice. And he’s now in this situation where he and his people are wondering who among them could be giving some of his most closely held information to the FBI.”
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Re: Trump lashes out at Gov. Doug Ducey following certificat
by admin » Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:26 pm
New Reporting Paints Trump In Incriminating Role In Sensitive Documents Scandal
by Alex Wagner
MSNBC
Aug 23, 2022
Carol Leonnig, investigative reporter for the Washington Post, talks with Alex Wagner about new reporting that shows the extent, and sometimes even exclusivity of Donald Trump's role in misappropriating sensitive documents from the White House after he was voted out of office.
Transcript
0:00
last night we learned from the new york
0:01
times that the national archives
0:03
recovered more than 150 classified
0:06
documents from trump's florida home in
0:07
january which were squirreled away in 15
0:10
boxes of documents we also learned that
0:12
trump personally went through those
0:14
documents before he turned them over
0:17
in a bid to somehow help the former
0:19
president trump right-wing media ally
0:21
john solomon late last night published a
0:24
letter from the national archives to one
0:26
of trump's lawyers it's dated may 10th
0:29
now solomon hyped this letter as
0:31
evidence that somehow biden had sicked
0:33
the fbi on trump but as it turns out
0:37
solomon was really sort of shooting
0:38
himself or rather donald trump in the
0:40
foot
0:42
for starters this may letter from the
0:44
national archives confirms the new york
0:46
times reporting that over 100 documents
0:48
retrieved by the government in january
0:50
from mar-a-lago that they were marked
0:51
classified
0:53
the national archivist details that
0:55
specifically it was over 700 pages of
0:58
classified information just hanging out
1:00
at mar-a-lago
1:02
included in some of these were documents
1:04
with some of the very highest levels of
1:05
classification including special access
1:08
program materials which even if you have
1:10
top security clearance you still need
1:12
additional clearance to see that kind of
1:14
document
1:16
the letter again the letter somehow
1:18
meant to exonerate trump and implicate
1:20
biden it also confirms that trump and
1:22
his crew had been dragging their feet
1:24
for weeks asserting bogus claims of
1:27
executive privilege in an attempt to
1:29
delay the seized documents from being
1:31
handed over to the justice department
1:34
so while the archives retrieved the
1:35
boxes of documents in january the fbi
1:38
and the doj didn't get access to the
1:41
contents of those boxes until the month
1:43
of may
1:45
donald trump clearly has a different
1:46
definition of cooperation than most of
1:49
us do
1:50
but that is not all
1:52
in june when the justice department
1:53
officials went to mar-a-lago to ask
1:55
donald trump hey are there any more
1:56
classified documents lying around
1:59
trump's former crossfit lawyer
2:01
reportedly signed a statement saying
2:03
that trump had handed over all those
2:04
documents she signed a statement
2:06
affirming yes that is it nothing else to
2:09
see here folks
2:10
but even after that june visit even
2:13
after trump's attorney swore there were
2:15
no more classified documents in
2:16
mar-a-lago double pinky swear
2:19
the justice department wasn't convinced
2:21
so on august 8th the fbi executed a
2:23
search warrant where they found
2:26
you guessed it more documents at
2:28
mar-a-lago marked top secret
2:31
the new york times reported lot late
2:33
last night that in fact federal agents
2:35
in total have now retrieved over 300
2:38
classified documents which is hundreds
2:40
and hundreds of pages of classified
2:42
material from mar-a-lago
2:44
that record of obfuscation and foot
2:47
dragging and false statements is
2:48
apparently donald trump's definition of
2:50
complete cooperation
2:53
and we have breaking news tonight about
2:55
that supposed cooperation the washington
2:58
post reports what happened when archives
3:00
first received the documents in january
3:03
quote when archives employees began
3:05
opening up and sifting through the
3:07
material they noticed an immediate
3:08
problem the boxes arrived without any
3:11
kind of logs or inventories to describe
3:13
their content according to a person
3:15
familiar with the recovery instead they
3:17
contained a hodgepodge of documents
3:19
including some that didn't even come
3:21
from trump's time in the white house
3:23
but some of the white house records had
3:24
obvious markings indicating they were
3:26
classified
3:28
now nbc news has not yet confirmed this
3:30
reporting the washington post report
3:32
continues to chronicle how the fbi
3:34
conducted its investigation and just how
3:37
just precisely how involved donald trump
3:40
was personally with overseeing the
3:42
documents
3:43
quote as the fight with the archives
3:45
came to an uneasy conclusion the fbi
3:48
proceeded with interviews with others in
3:50
trump's orbit including vales and former
3:52
white house staffers agents were told
3:55
that trump was a pac rat who had been
3:57
personally overseeing his collection of
3:59
white house records since even before
4:01
leaving washington had had and had been
4:03
reluctant to return anything
4:06
the fbi became increasingly convinced
4:08
that the former president continued to
4:10
hold classified documents in florida it
4:12
could not be determined who was involved
4:14
with packing the boxes at mar-a-lago or
4:17
why some white house documents were not
4:18
sent to the archives though people
4:20
familiar with the episode said trump
4:22
oversaw the process himself
4:24
and did so with great secrecy declining
4:28
to show some items even to his top aides
4:32
some material recovered in the search is
4:34
considered extraordinarily sensitive
4:36
because it could reveal carefully
4:37
guarded secrets about u.s intelligence
4:40
gathering methods one of them said the
4:42
information is among the most sensitive
4:44
secrets we hold
4:46
around that time trump attorneys evan
4:49
corcoran and christina bob together
4:50
provided the justice department with a
4:52
written assurance about trump having
4:54
returned classified materials a person
4:56
familiar with the matter said the person
4:58
did not provide the specific wording of
4:59
the letter which was signed by bob a
5:02
person familiar with the matter said the
5:03
document is of interest to the fbi which
5:06
is investigating the veracity of its
5:08
claims joining us now is washington post
5:11
national reporter carol lenning who is
5:13
bylined on the story tonight carol thank
5:15
you so much for being here it is
5:17
breaking and it is
5:19
it is explosive i think the first thing
5:21
that at least grabbed me in reading this
5:23
article is just how deeply the former
5:26
president appears to have been in
5:28
selecting these documents what more can
5:30
you tell us about that
5:34
well what's clear in the both the
5:37
interviews we've done with sources and
5:39
also as revealed in a lot of new records
5:42
and letters that are coming out is that
5:44
the president was very involved the
5:46
former president was very involved in at
5:49
the last minute hastily and chaotically
5:52
packing up his his documents that he
5:55
thought were quote-unquote his to and
5:57
arranging for them to be taken to
5:59
mar-a-lago his private club and
6:01
part-time residents and that also
6:03
importantly alex despite the government
6:07
despite the the former president's claim
6:09
that all he's done has been cooperative
6:11
what we found is that
6:13
week after week he was the person
6:16
resisting providing records he was the
6:19
person along with his lawyers asking for
6:22
delay in allowing the fbi, for example, to
6:25
look over the classified records that
6:28
they found --
6:30
to their horror, to their shock --
6:32
in a group of 15 boxes of records that
6:35
they retrieved from mar-a-lago. and so
6:38
the president is really the former
6:40
president is very very much at the
6:42
center of this drama and now his own
6:46
um advisers legal and otherwise
6:50
are growing increasingly concerned, and
6:53
have been since june, that this is a
6:56
criminal
6:57
investigation in which the former
6:59
president is in legal jeopardy
7:01
ultimately of his own making. that if,
7:04
perhaps, he had turned over the records
7:06
willingly, and and forthrightly, right
7:09
away in january, or in decembe,r or in the
7:11
fall of 2021, all of these times that it
7:15
was asked for, that it might not have
7:17
morphed into a criminal investigation.
7:20
looking at the willful retention of
7:24
some of the highest and most sensitive
7:26
secrets our government holds
7:28
yeah i think we should focus on that a
7:30
little bit because this isn't like a
7:31
former president sitting at his kitchen
7:33
table leafing through memorabilia that
7:35
he mistakenly brought home right i mean
7:37
you you specifically say in the story
7:39
that he was going through these
7:40
documents with quote great secrecy
7:43
declining to show some items even to top
7:45
aides
7:46
and what are we talking about carol i
7:48
mean the some of the most sensitive
7:50
secrets
7:51
we hold
7:52
can you talk more about that? and just
7:55
the amount of, i mean not only the
7:57
recognition of that among the
8:00
people reporting on this story, but
8:01
within the trump circle, it sounds like
8:04
nobody really wanted to touch this case
8:05
with a 10-foot pole
8:09
oh such a good point and i promise we
8:12
will circle back to that alex about the
8:14
10-foot pole that a lot of people were
8:16
avoiding taking hold of um so your first
8:19
question about the sensitivity of this
8:21
material as described in the inventory
8:24
some of this material is top secret
8:27
secure compartmented information that
8:29
means that people have to as you
8:31
described earlier so well
8:33
people
8:34
who are in government have to have a
8:36
absolute reason to know
8:38
and access this information as part of
8:40
their job it has to be somebody who's
8:42
incredibly trustworthy and has this very
8:45
high security clearance and usually
8:47
secure compartmented information
8:50
involves intelligence gathering methods
8:52
the records that were seized on august
8:56
8th just as the fbi and the department
8:59
of justice feared
9:01
were some of those holiest of holy kinds
9:04
of records that if shared
9:06
indiscriminately or handled carelessly
9:09
in a private restaurant club
9:13
if ever on if other if ever disclosed
9:17
would cause immediate
9:19
grave danger to national security
9:21
because it would reveal how the us
9:24
gathers the intelligence that he that it
9:26
has that includes for example you know
9:30
how
9:31
which allies provide us special
9:33
intelligence that they don't share with
9:35
others
9:36
that includes for example uh
9:39
covert programs that we have that gather
9:41
intelligence and if those details were
9:44
revealed to a foreign adversary
9:46
our chances of protecting national
9:48
security would be greatly diminished
9:51
grave threats now you asked that good
9:54
question about people who during this
9:56
period who worked for donald trump or
9:58
were in the trump orbit trying to avoid
10:01
being involved in this case
10:03
starting in the fall of 2021 donald
10:06
trump was resisting turning over records
10:08
he believed were quote unquote mine
10:11
meaning his
10:12
and the archives knew
10:15
that he had a lot of records the things
10:17
were missing that they needed them
10:20
eventually donald trump's team turned
10:22
over 15 boxes of records the shocker for
10:25
people who had previously worked in
10:28
president trump's white house counsel's
10:30
office was that those records included
10:33
highly classified materials when they
10:36
were notified in particular deputy white
10:38
house counsel patrick philbin when he
10:40
was notified in april that the national
10:43
archives found that there was classified
10:45
information in these documents he was
10:48
stunned and
10:50
he was being asked at that time to help
10:53
team trump review the records to go up
10:56
to the national archives and review what
10:58
had been uh turned over and figure out
11:00
what's in what are in these boxes which
11:02
you would think they would have looked
11:04
before
11:05
but patrick philbin and others backed
11:07
away from this request by team trump
11:10
and pretty soon the fbi was knocking on
11:13
their doors asking the deputy white
11:15
house counsels
11:16
we need to interview you you're now a
11:19
subject witness you may be a witness for
11:21
us about what's going on in this
11:24
withholding of what appear to be
11:26
incredibly sensitive documents
11:29
at this point can you really blame any
11:31
lawyer who doesn't want to work for
11:33
donald trump carol lenning washington
11:35
post national reporter thank you so much
11:37
for joining us this evening and with
11:39
that breaking news to boot
11:48
[Music]
12:00
you
by Alex Wagner
MSNBC
Aug 23, 2022
Carol Leonnig, investigative reporter for the Washington Post, talks with Alex Wagner about new reporting that shows the extent, and sometimes even exclusivity of Donald Trump's role in misappropriating sensitive documents from the White House after he was voted out of office.
Transcript
0:00
last night we learned from the new york
0:01
times that the national archives
0:03
recovered more than 150 classified
0:06
documents from trump's florida home in
0:07
january which were squirreled away in 15
0:10
boxes of documents we also learned that
0:12
trump personally went through those
0:14
documents before he turned them over
0:17
in a bid to somehow help the former
0:19
president trump right-wing media ally
0:21
john solomon late last night published a
0:24
letter from the national archives to one
0:26
of trump's lawyers it's dated may 10th
0:29
now solomon hyped this letter as
0:31
evidence that somehow biden had sicked
0:33
the fbi on trump but as it turns out
0:37
solomon was really sort of shooting
0:38
himself or rather donald trump in the
0:40
foot
0:42
for starters this may letter from the
0:44
national archives confirms the new york
0:46
times reporting that over 100 documents
0:48
retrieved by the government in january
0:50
from mar-a-lago that they were marked
0:51
classified
0:53
the national archivist details that
0:55
specifically it was over 700 pages of
0:58
classified information just hanging out
1:00
at mar-a-lago
1:02
included in some of these were documents
1:04
with some of the very highest levels of
1:05
classification including special access
1:08
program materials which even if you have
1:10
top security clearance you still need
1:12
additional clearance to see that kind of
1:14
document
1:16
the letter again the letter somehow
1:18
meant to exonerate trump and implicate
1:20
biden it also confirms that trump and
1:22
his crew had been dragging their feet
1:24
for weeks asserting bogus claims of
1:27
executive privilege in an attempt to
1:29
delay the seized documents from being
1:31
handed over to the justice department
1:34
so while the archives retrieved the
1:35
boxes of documents in january the fbi
1:38
and the doj didn't get access to the
1:41
contents of those boxes until the month
1:43
of may
1:45
donald trump clearly has a different
1:46
definition of cooperation than most of
1:49
us do
1:50
but that is not all
1:52
in june when the justice department
1:53
officials went to mar-a-lago to ask
1:55
donald trump hey are there any more
1:56
classified documents lying around
1:59
trump's former crossfit lawyer
2:01
reportedly signed a statement saying
2:03
that trump had handed over all those
2:04
documents she signed a statement
2:06
affirming yes that is it nothing else to
2:09
see here folks
2:10
but even after that june visit even
2:13
after trump's attorney swore there were
2:15
no more classified documents in
2:16
mar-a-lago double pinky swear
2:19
the justice department wasn't convinced
2:21
so on august 8th the fbi executed a
2:23
search warrant where they found
2:26
you guessed it more documents at
2:28
mar-a-lago marked top secret
2:31
the new york times reported lot late
2:33
last night that in fact federal agents
2:35
in total have now retrieved over 300
2:38
classified documents which is hundreds
2:40
and hundreds of pages of classified
2:42
material from mar-a-lago
2:44
that record of obfuscation and foot
2:47
dragging and false statements is
2:48
apparently donald trump's definition of
2:50
complete cooperation
2:53
and we have breaking news tonight about
2:55
that supposed cooperation the washington
2:58
post reports what happened when archives
3:00
first received the documents in january
3:03
quote when archives employees began
3:05
opening up and sifting through the
3:07
material they noticed an immediate
3:08
problem the boxes arrived without any
3:11
kind of logs or inventories to describe
3:13
their content according to a person
3:15
familiar with the recovery instead they
3:17
contained a hodgepodge of documents
3:19
including some that didn't even come
3:21
from trump's time in the white house
3:23
but some of the white house records had
3:24
obvious markings indicating they were
3:26
classified
3:28
now nbc news has not yet confirmed this
3:30
reporting the washington post report
3:32
continues to chronicle how the fbi
3:34
conducted its investigation and just how
3:37
just precisely how involved donald trump
3:40
was personally with overseeing the
3:42
documents
3:43
quote as the fight with the archives
3:45
came to an uneasy conclusion the fbi
3:48
proceeded with interviews with others in
3:50
trump's orbit including vales and former
3:52
white house staffers agents were told
3:55
that trump was a pac rat who had been
3:57
personally overseeing his collection of
3:59
white house records since even before
4:01
leaving washington had had and had been
4:03
reluctant to return anything
4:06
the fbi became increasingly convinced
4:08
that the former president continued to
4:10
hold classified documents in florida it
4:12
could not be determined who was involved
4:14
with packing the boxes at mar-a-lago or
4:17
why some white house documents were not
4:18
sent to the archives though people
4:20
familiar with the episode said trump
4:22
oversaw the process himself
4:24
and did so with great secrecy declining
4:28
to show some items even to his top aides
4:32
some material recovered in the search is
4:34
considered extraordinarily sensitive
4:36
because it could reveal carefully
4:37
guarded secrets about u.s intelligence
4:40
gathering methods one of them said the
4:42
information is among the most sensitive
4:44
secrets we hold
4:46
around that time trump attorneys evan
4:49
corcoran and christina bob together
4:50
provided the justice department with a
4:52
written assurance about trump having
4:54
returned classified materials a person
4:56
familiar with the matter said the person
4:58
did not provide the specific wording of
4:59
the letter which was signed by bob a
5:02
person familiar with the matter said the
5:03
document is of interest to the fbi which
5:06
is investigating the veracity of its
5:08
claims joining us now is washington post
5:11
national reporter carol lenning who is
5:13
bylined on the story tonight carol thank
5:15
you so much for being here it is
5:17
breaking and it is
5:19
it is explosive i think the first thing
5:21
that at least grabbed me in reading this
5:23
article is just how deeply the former
5:26
president appears to have been in
5:28
selecting these documents what more can
5:30
you tell us about that
5:34
well what's clear in the both the
5:37
interviews we've done with sources and
5:39
also as revealed in a lot of new records
5:42
and letters that are coming out is that
5:44
the president was very involved the
5:46
former president was very involved in at
5:49
the last minute hastily and chaotically
5:52
packing up his his documents that he
5:55
thought were quote-unquote his to and
5:57
arranging for them to be taken to
5:59
mar-a-lago his private club and
6:01
part-time residents and that also
6:03
importantly alex despite the government
6:07
despite the the former president's claim
6:09
that all he's done has been cooperative
6:11
what we found is that
6:13
week after week he was the person
6:16
resisting providing records he was the
6:19
person along with his lawyers asking for
6:22
delay in allowing the fbi, for example, to
6:25
look over the classified records that
6:28
they found --
6:30
to their horror, to their shock --
6:32
in a group of 15 boxes of records that
6:35
they retrieved from mar-a-lago. and so
6:38
the president is really the former
6:40
president is very very much at the
6:42
center of this drama and now his own
6:46
um advisers legal and otherwise
6:50
are growing increasingly concerned, and
6:53
have been since june, that this is a
6:56
criminal
6:57
investigation in which the former
6:59
president is in legal jeopardy
7:01
ultimately of his own making. that if,
7:04
perhaps, he had turned over the records
7:06
willingly, and and forthrightly, right
7:09
away in january, or in decembe,r or in the
7:11
fall of 2021, all of these times that it
7:15
was asked for, that it might not have
7:17
morphed into a criminal investigation.
7:20
looking at the willful retention of
7:24
some of the highest and most sensitive
7:26
secrets our government holds
7:28
yeah i think we should focus on that a
7:30
little bit because this isn't like a
7:31
former president sitting at his kitchen
7:33
table leafing through memorabilia that
7:35
he mistakenly brought home right i mean
7:37
you you specifically say in the story
7:39
that he was going through these
7:40
documents with quote great secrecy
7:43
declining to show some items even to top
7:45
aides
7:46
and what are we talking about carol i
7:48
mean the some of the most sensitive
7:50
secrets
7:51
we hold
7:52
can you talk more about that? and just
7:55
the amount of, i mean not only the
7:57
recognition of that among the
8:00
people reporting on this story, but
8:01
within the trump circle, it sounds like
8:04
nobody really wanted to touch this case
8:05
with a 10-foot pole
8:09
oh such a good point and i promise we
8:12
will circle back to that alex about the
8:14
10-foot pole that a lot of people were
8:16
avoiding taking hold of um so your first
8:19
question about the sensitivity of this
8:21
material as described in the inventory
8:24
some of this material is top secret
8:27
secure compartmented information that
8:29
means that people have to as you
8:31
described earlier so well
8:33
people
8:34
who are in government have to have a
8:36
absolute reason to know
8:38
and access this information as part of
8:40
their job it has to be somebody who's
8:42
incredibly trustworthy and has this very
8:45
high security clearance and usually
8:47
secure compartmented information
8:50
involves intelligence gathering methods
8:52
the records that were seized on august
8:56
8th just as the fbi and the department
8:59
of justice feared
9:01
were some of those holiest of holy kinds
9:04
of records that if shared
9:06
indiscriminately or handled carelessly
9:09
in a private restaurant club
9:13
if ever on if other if ever disclosed
9:17
would cause immediate
9:19
grave danger to national security
9:21
because it would reveal how the us
9:24
gathers the intelligence that he that it
9:26
has that includes for example you know
9:30
how
9:31
which allies provide us special
9:33
intelligence that they don't share with
9:35
others
9:36
that includes for example uh
9:39
covert programs that we have that gather
9:41
intelligence and if those details were
9:44
revealed to a foreign adversary
9:46
our chances of protecting national
9:48
security would be greatly diminished
9:51
grave threats now you asked that good
9:54
question about people who during this
9:56
period who worked for donald trump or
9:58
were in the trump orbit trying to avoid
10:01
being involved in this case
10:03
starting in the fall of 2021 donald
10:06
trump was resisting turning over records
10:08
he believed were quote unquote mine
10:11
meaning his
10:12
and the archives knew
10:15
that he had a lot of records the things
10:17
were missing that they needed them
10:20
eventually donald trump's team turned
10:22
over 15 boxes of records the shocker for
10:25
people who had previously worked in
10:28
president trump's white house counsel's
10:30
office was that those records included
10:33
highly classified materials when they
10:36
were notified in particular deputy white
10:38
house counsel patrick philbin when he
10:40
was notified in april that the national
10:43
archives found that there was classified
10:45
information in these documents he was
10:48
stunned and
10:50
he was being asked at that time to help
10:53
team trump review the records to go up
10:56
to the national archives and review what
10:58
had been uh turned over and figure out
11:00
what's in what are in these boxes which
11:02
you would think they would have looked
11:04
before
11:05
but patrick philbin and others backed
11:07
away from this request by team trump
11:10
and pretty soon the fbi was knocking on
11:13
their doors asking the deputy white
11:15
house counsels
11:16
we need to interview you you're now a
11:19
subject witness you may be a witness for
11:21
us about what's going on in this
11:24
withholding of what appear to be
11:26
incredibly sensitive documents
11:29
at this point can you really blame any
11:31
lawyer who doesn't want to work for
11:33
donald trump carol lenning washington
11:35
post national reporter thank you so much
11:37
for joining us this evening and with
11:39
that breaking news to boot
11:48
[Music]
12:00
you
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