FBI search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago (Update: Trump Indicted!)

[Crumpets]

The only correct take on this whole debacle I've seen so far from one of the great sages of our time:

https://twitter.com/jon_bois/status/1557900541254156288

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Reminder that per the Atomic Energy Act the President does NOT have unilateral authority to declassify documents on nuclear weapons or material. That can only be done with an act of Congress. So whether Trump took them during his Presidency is irrelevant.

[Crumpets]

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1557934998782631936

[citizenZ]

There are no excuses or mitigating factors that would save him.

Well, 74 million people voted for him when he lost...so let's wait and see on that.

[MiddleRoad]

Here is a question: why is everyone assuming that the papers are the nuclear codes?

Could they be documents related to either a nuclear deal, or something?

Also, would think that nuclear “secrets” in the sense of “These are the codes to the nuclear football” or how to build a nuclear bomb”, or “We have X amount of nuclear missiles and they are stationed HERE” wouldn’t be written down in the first place, much less at the direct reach of the President.

Meaning, if Trump actually has such papers, wouldn’t he have had to get them from someone in the cabinet or such initially?

Probably, but that doesn’t make it much better. Nuclear secrets are nuclear secrets.

I don’t think any president should be able to hold nuclear documents / etc unless it is on a strict basis of “need”. Such papers, codes etc should be kept by a small handful of extremely small handful of trusted experts and only provided to the President when he or she needs them, and after that need, promptly given back to said experts. Think of the way a library or archive handles delicate or sensitive material such as stuff on Microfilm.

Someone dropped the ball hard that Trump had them and was able to even withdraw them from the White House. That to me is the bigger story than Trump taking them - someone at best screwed up, or at least allowed Trump to have them. Nuclear stuff for any presidents should only be at the Presidents hand when they need them, not when they ask for them.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Here is a question: why is everyone assuming that the papers are the nuclear codes?

Could they be documents related to either a nuclear deal, or something?

Also, would think that nuclear “secrets” in the sense of “These are the codes to the nuclear football” or how to build a nuclear bomb”, or “We have X amount of nuclear missiles and they are stationed HERE” wouldn’t be written down in the first place, much less at the direct reach of the President.

Meaning, if Trump actually has such papers, wouldn’t he have had to get them from someone in the cabinet or such initially?

Probably, but that doesn’t make it much better. Nuclear secrets are nuclear secrets.

I don’t think any president should be able to hold nuclear documents / etc unless it is on a strict basis of “need”. Such papers, codes etc should be kept by a small handful of extremely small handful of trusted experts and only provided to the President when he or she needs them, and after that need, promptly given back to said experts. Think of the way a library or archive handles delicate or sensitive material such as stuff on Microfilm.

Someone dropped the ball hard that Trump had them and was able to even withdraw them from the White House. That to me is the bigger story than Trump taking them - someone at best screwed up, or at least allowed Trump to have them. Nuclear stuff for any presidents should only be at the Presidents hand when they need them, not when they ask for them.

I wonder how that could have happened. Can't possibly be that he deliberately appointed nothing but sycophants who would ignore any wrongdoing he did.

[MiddleRoad]

Here is a question: why is everyone assuming that the papers are the nuclear codes?

Could they be documents related to either a nuclear deal, or something?

Also, would think that nuclear “secrets” in the sense of “These are the codes to the nuclear football” or how to build a nuclear bomb”, or “We have X amount of nuclear missiles and they are stationed HERE” wouldn’t be written down in the first place, much less at the direct reach of the President.

Meaning, if Trump actually has such papers, wouldn’t he have had to get them from someone in the cabinet or such initially?

Probably, but that doesn’t make it much better. Nuclear secrets are nuclear secrets.

I don’t think any president should be able to hold nuclear documents / etc unless it is on a strict basis of “need”. Such papers, codes etc should be kept by a small handful of extremely small handful of trusted experts and only provided to the President when he or she needs them, and after that need, promptly given back to said experts. Think of the way a library or archive handles delicate or sensitive material such as stuff on Microfilm.

Someone dropped the ball hard that Trump had them and was able to even withdraw them from the White House. That to me is the bigger story than Trump taking them - someone at best screwed up, or at least allowed Trump to have them. Nuclear stuff for any presidents should only be at the Presidents hand when they need them, not when they ask for them.

I wonder how that could have happened. Can't possibly be that he deliberately appointed nothing but sycophants who would ignore any wrongdoing he did.

The question is “who” in this case. He got the documents from someone; who? Under what pretext was he allowed to have them in his possession? How were they not accounted for when he left office? These are questions that also need to be asked

[soundchaser]

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1557934998782631936

I’m sure he thinks he’s doing what he pulled with his tax returns — keep saying “I want to release them, but my lawyers…”

Except in this case it’s up to a judge who will immediately see through that.

[Horus]

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1557934998782631936

I’m sure he thinks he’s doing what he pulled with his tax returns — keep saying “I want to release them, but my lawyers…”

Except in this case it’s up to a judge who will immediately see through that.

Or Garland and the DoJ overplayed their hand. Garland doesn't seem like the type to bark with a weak bite but you never know...

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1557934998782631936

It speaks of Maggie Haberman's want of her Trump-era relevance that she got a Trump post 0 minutes after it was posted.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

There are no excuses or mitigating factors that would save him.

Well, 74 million people voted for him when he lost...so let's wait and see on that.

God I wish I could ban from the internet anyone who thinks that number makes a credible argument for literally anything.

[MiddleRoad]

There are no excuses or mitigating factors that would save him.

Well, 74 million people voted for him when he lost...so let's wait and see on that.

God I wish I could ban from the internet anyone who thinks that number makes a credible argument for literally anything.

I’d say it’s relevant

In 2016, one could make the argument: “Those voting for Trump did so because…”

In 2020, anyone who voted for Trump did so knowing exactly who and what they were voting for.

A vote for Biden was a vote against Trump,
But a vote for Trump was for Trump, I feel, in 2020.

[Spectator]

There are no excuses or mitigating factors that would save him.

Well, 74 million people voted for him when he lost...so let's wait and see on that.

God I wish I could ban from the internet anyone who thinks that number makes a credible argument for literally anything.

I’d say it’s relevant

In 2016, one could make the argument: “Those voting for Trump did so because…”

In 2020, anyone who voted for Trump did so knowing exactly who and what they were voting for.

A vote for Biden was a vote against Trump,
But a vote for Trump was for Trump, I feel, in 2020.

I agree. I don’t see how that’s relevant in a criminal proceeding though.

[Lief 🗽]

Just weeks later, they kicked her out of Congress for the crime of having consensual sex.
https://twitter.com/repkatiehill/status/1097906957216825344?s=21&t=ykWpHtig-...

[jojoju1998]

So my reaction to all of this :

What the hell ??

[Crumpets]

There's always a Tweet.

[Sir Mohamed]

I'm not a huge fan of George Conway, this is spot on though:

https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1557395603767844864

[Yoda]

If Trump was mishandling classified information, then yes, the FBI should go retrieve that information.

If Trump was in possession of classified information, there's no reason that couldn't have been resolved cooperatively (or at most with a subpoena.)  Trump voluntarily surrended 15 boxes of documents to the National Archives back in January. 

You're absolutely right. Why did trump not comply with the subpoena? Why has he dragged his feet on this for well over a year? Why did it have to get to this point?

[Sir Mohamed]

What I don't understand is what exactly did Trump expect to do with these documents.

Is it possible that he wanted to sell them to Saudi Arabia or Russia? To him, everything is grift and it may also help him get asylum, should he heave to leave the country.

It's insane to think about this kind of stuff, but we're talking about Mr. Trump. There's almost no low anymore that wouldn't shock you.

[Yoda]

Oh, also worth noting a big talking point among the Trump supporting crowd right now is that there was some report the FBI agents went through Melania's closet, so of course we have to assume they were all perverts and/or crossdressers who wanted her clothes. Sigh.

As if Melania actually lives there lol

She's likely been living at her own undisclosed location with the pool boy for a while now.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Donald Trump probably believed that as a president who was "legitimately" re-elected in an election that was then "stolen" from him that he had the right to possess these documents.

[Brittain33]

Republicans seem very... quiet over this. They were stampeding over one another to defend Trump as soon as the news of the raid had broke, but they've largely been silent now that we know what the FBI was looking for.

It’s because “God’s Not Dead 4” was airing on ABC Family again last night

[2016]

Trump supporting the release of the search warrant AND even the release of these Documents tells me two things:

# 1 He & his lawyers are confident that whatever the FBI/DoJ found will not be harmful to him.

# 2 He thinks Garland overplayed his hand.

If the ladder proves to be correct Garland/Biden/Congressional Democrats will be in full damage control mode and this whole stunt by Garland will do more harm then good.

[Ferguson97]

There are no excuses or mitigating factors that would save him.

Well, 74 million people voted for him when he lost...so let's wait and see on that.

If Trump gets even a single vote after having been revealed to have stolen nuclear secrets, we have failed as a country.

[Earthling]

Trump supporting the release of the search warrant AND even the release of these Documents tells me two things:

# 1 He & his lawyers are confident that whatever the FBI/DoJ found will not be harmful to him.

# 2 He thinks Garland overplayed his hand.

If the ladder proves to be correct Garland/Biden/Congressional Democrats will be in full damage control mode and this whole stunt by Garland will do more harm then good.

Or he will just lie, like he always does, and say that the FBI and DOJ have released different documents than the ones he has. Without ever releasing his off course.

And the cult will believe him, as usual