***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[Belgium]

You’ve got to think that they wouldn’t have taken this bold action unless there’s an arrest warrant is coming soon.

If there isn’t a bombshell in these documents or a conviction, it might actual work to help Trump. Can’t imagine the DOJ making that move unless they were certain.

Doesn’t really matter what’s in the documents I think as long as they’re classified. Remember that when it was reported there were classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, he returned some classified documents.
The raid means a judge found it likely enough that a search would turn up more classified docs that are effectively stolen property.
So if he withheld some, that’s a pretty big indication about his intent.

 

[Chopper]

Teflon Trump not looking so Teflon

Looking pretty Telfon to me... if history is any indicator, this will backfire and the FBI will once again hand the GOP another gift.

 

[dwalk31]

Doesn’t really matter what’s in the documents I think as long as they’re classified. Remember that when it was reported there were classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, he returned some classified documents.
The raid means a judge found it likely enough that a search would turn up more classified docs that are effectively stolen property.
So if he withheld some, that’s a pretty big indication about his intent.

I hear you, but that seems like a pretty weak argument to raid a former president’s home on its own. Especially considering the broad powers of presidents to declassify documentation/information.

I’ve got to imagine that an arrest/conviction is coming soon related to the contents of the documents, or else this probably ends up helping Trump.

 

[Belgium]

I hear you, but that seems like a pretty weak argument to raid a former president’s home on its own. Especially considering the broad powers of presidents to declassify documentation/information.

I’ve got to imagine that an arrest/conviction is coming soon related to the contents of the documents, or else this probably ends up helping Trump.

He’s not president anymore and wasn’t when the first report came out that there were classified docs at Mar-a-Lago post-presidency.
He would’ve had to return them when Biden became president. Albeit legal as far as I know, taking classified documents home in office seems dubious to me in terms of security, kinda like Hillary’s private server that had a few retroactively classified docs on there if I recall correctly.

Taking them home and holding on to them when you no longer have a legal right to is just straight up theft though. And it’s a security nightmare. Those months ago, someone told reporters that there were classified docs there. So who had access?

 

[dwalk31]

He’s not president anymore and wasn’t when the first report came out that there were classified docs at Mar-a-Lago post-presidency.
He would’ve had to return them when Biden became president. Albeit legal as far as I know, taking classified documents home in office seems dubious to me in terms of security, kinda like Hillary’s private server that had a few retroactively classified docs on there if I recall correctly.

Taking them home and holding on to them when you no longer have a legal right to is just straight up theft though

The difference is he can declassify them at any point during his presidency. I imagine the argument from his camp will be that the documents weren’t classified because he declassified them prior to leaving office.

Also, wasn’t the issue of the prior docs at Mar-a-Lago more about the handling/storage of the documents from a security standpoint and not just their presence at the residence? I didn’t follow that reporting closely.

 

[Belgium]

The difference is he can declassify them at any point during his presidency. I imagine the argument from his camp will be that the documents weren’t classified because he declassified them prior to leaving office.

Also, wasn’t the issue of the prior docs at Mar-a-Lago more about the handling/storage of the documents from a security standpoint and not just their presence at the residence? I didn’t follow that reporting closely.

That’s not how it works. Declassified docs aren’t classified anymore. There would be nothing to report or raid for if they were declassified docs.
And some of the docs he gave back when the government requested them were indeed classified.
He already admitted to possessing classified documents post-presidency by returning them to the government when they requested them after those reports.

The raid suggests they suspect he didn’t return all of the classified docs he had in his possession when the Biden government requested them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/us/politics/trump-archives-white-house.html

Material Recovered From Trump by Archives Included Classified Information​

The former president, who assailed Hillary Clinton in 2016 for her handling of sensitive material, was confirmed by the National Archives to have taken classified documents with him when he left office

 

[jking0821]

I really hope the Jan 6th committee do a prime time special called "Alex Jones Texts" and just put up screen shots of all the juicy texts in slow mo...with some slow building classical music.

The fact that he was sending nudes of his own wife to Roger Stone....Roger Stone....gross bro

 

[heelsandeers]

R’s really think this 87,000 IRS agents thing is a bar

 

[dwalk31]

That’s not how it works. Declassified docs aren’t classified anymore. There would be nothing to report or raid for if they were declassified docs.
And some of the docs he gave back when the government requested them were indeed classified.
He already admitted to possessing classified documents post-presidency by returning them to the government when they requested them after those reports.

The raid suggests they suspect he didn’t return all of the classified docs he had in his possession when the Biden government requested them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/us/politics/trump-archives-white-house.html

Material Recovered From Trump by Archives Included Classified Information​

The former president, who assailed Hillary Clinton in 2016 for her handling of sensitive material, was confirmed by the National Archives to have taken classified documents with him when he left office

But this is exactly the issue. A document can both be marked classified and have been declassified by the President without the classified mark being removed. The president has broad powers related to declassifying documents and information.

Based on that reporting, documents were still marked classified. I guess we will have to see. I actually believe that an arrest/conviction must be coming soon. I can’t imagine the DOJ would do that if it wasn’t.

 

[Belgium]

But this is exactly the issue. A document can both be marked classified and have been declassified by the President without the classified mark being removed. The president has broad powers related to declassifying documents and information.

Based on that reporting, documents were still marked classified. I guess we will have to see. I actually believe that an arrest/conviction must be coming soon. I can’t imagine the DOJ would do that if it wasn’t.

Eh there can be a lot of time between a raid and an arrest. Depending on what was taken in the raid, the examination could take a long time too.

They weren’t just marked classified, the National Archives confirmed they are classified

 

[dblplay1212]

The difference is he can declassify them at any point during his presidency. I imagine the argument from his camp will be that the documents weren’t classified because he declassified them prior to leaving office.

Also, wasn’t the issue of the prior docs at Mar-a-Lago more about the handling/storage of the documents from a security standpoint and not just their presence at the residence? I didn’t follow that reporting closely.

He can't just make docs declassified all willy nilly bc he wants to. There's a long process to it. Thread:

 

[sonoftony]

R’s really think this 87,000 IRS agents thing is a bar

that's bc most those R's got a PPP loan. They shook!!

 

[dwalk31]

He can't just make docs declassified all willy nilly bc he wants to. There's a long process to it. Thread:

Logically, that wouldn’t apply to the president.

Do presidents have 'the ability to declassify anything'?

The blockbuster article in The Washington Post saying President Donald Trump had "revealed highly classified information

www.politifact.com

 

[Belgium]

Either way the National Archives already confirmed months ago that we’re not dealing with declassified docs here, the documents they received from Trump after their request weren’t declassified.

As usual, Trump could’ve saved himself a lot of trouble by not being an absolute moron. Whatever classified docs he took, he could’ve just declassified them prior to no longer being president. At most he might’ve run into some Presidential Records Act issues but that’s just a potential slap on the wrist.

 

[rolaholic]

 

[dblplay1212]

Logically, that wouldn’t apply to the president.

Do presidents have 'the ability to declassify anything'?

The blockbuster article in The Washington Post saying President Donald Trump had "revealed highly classified information

www.politifact.com

Again, there's a process. He can't just take **** and say it's not classified bc he says so. Other people/departments need to be aware of stuff that's no longer classified so they know what's compromised.

The first caveat: While Trump has the power to declassify information, he doesn’t appear to have done that in this case, at least at the time the story broke.

 

[gry60]

Logically, that wouldn’t apply to the president.

Do presidents have 'the ability to declassify anything'?

The blockbuster article in The Washington Post saying President Donald Trump had "revealed highly classified information

www.politifact.com

While he is president.

Ex-presidents don't have the power to declassify documents.

 

[dwalk31]

While he is president.

Ex-presidents don't have the power to declassify documents.

Right. That’s why I said I imagine the argument would be he declassified the documents prior to leaving office.

We will see soon enough.

 

[gry60]

R’s really think this 87,000 IRS agents thing is a bar

They were crying all over C-Span this morning.

"We gonna get you when we get back in power."

Instead of accepting that they committed the blunder of the century by giving control of the GOP to a potential foreign agent, they will double down on the BS and try to burn the country down.

 

[solewoman]

He sounds so bad all this coughing. Hope he's ok.

 

[Nike Jordan]

 

[sonoftony]

 

[equality]

I'm way too jaded to think anything comes of this.
This is immediately where my mind goes:

1. FBI director appointed by Trump
2. Maybe it was a plan to "find nothing of significance" so Trump can play the "see the witch hunt that amounted to nothing!" card again and actually help his 2024 run

 

[heelsandeers]

I wonder which judge issued the warrant

 

[Sharpshoeter13]

Would loooove to see these MAGAts storm the FBI HQ in DC.