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

[emailking]

I don't see it as defending him. Like not at all. So if he proposed a deal, that amounts to extortion, to hand over these top secret docs he doesn't have a clearance for, that screams of corruption. Not poor Trump, if only they were nicer to him.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I don't see it as defending him. Like not at all. So if he proposed a deal, that amounts to extortion, to hand over these top secret docs he doesn't have a clearance for, that screams of corruption. Not poor Trump, if only they were nicer to him.

There's no evidence he did anything of the sort, even from the allegations his people leaked to Haberman. Even if it was somehow true, "I thought about blackmailing the Deep State" isn't even crime. It's fodder for his routine of, "See what they accused me of, that I never did? It's all fake!"

And it's working - here you (and a great many others) are, so outraged over something Trump cannot possibly be held accountable for, that the open and shut crime of, "Trump stole a bunch of government documents, including secret one's, and refused to give them back" is fading into the background and Trump and the NYT cloud the coverage.

This is how he got elected in the first place. And yes, the NYT helped the same way back in 2016 - with loads of ineffective criticsm. If they'd stuck with the quite factual "Trump is a bankrupt crook and liar", it would have weight. Instead they helped cover that up with an endless stream of "Trump said" and "But what he really meant was" arguments. Whether they meant to do that, or are just addicted to outrage eyeballs (and access for "scoops") I don't have any way of knowing, and I don't think it really matters.

[emailking]

Ok. So what is it you want her to do here then. Bury this in another story, not report it at all, not investigate MAL in the first place? What?

[GeorgiaModerate]

The point of the allegation is not that Trump might be prosecuted for attempting to make a corrupt bargain.  The point is that if there is corroboration that he was even musing about this idea, it helps to establish that he was willfully retaining documents that he knew to be government property.  Willful retention is an important element in at least one of the statutes under which he's being investigated.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

The point of the allegation is not that Trump might be prosecuted for attempting to make a corrupt bargain.  The point is that if there is corroboration that he was even musing about this idea, it helps to establish that he was willfully retaining documents that he knew to be government property.  Willful retention is an important element in at least one of the statutes under which he's being investigated.

The government doesn't need to chase down twisty, foggy alleyways of "what-if Trump really said" to prove willful and unlawful retention.(aka theft) of government documents. Trump has already handed that to them on a platter.

All Haberman's coverage ever seems to do is overshadow what Trump did, with what Trump said. And that's damned poor journalism, no matter how effective it is as clickbait.

[brucejoel99]

NARA statement:

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1579841854090383361

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Of course those were false statements. But the thing about Trump is, he can say whatever he wants and his followers will believe him over what anyone else says.

[brucejoel99]

Oh no, evil Maggie strikes again:

https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579879896993521667https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579881699147935745https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579885876871847936

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1579928735712948224

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Oh no, evil Maggie strikes again:

https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579879896993521667https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579881699147935745https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/1579885876871847936

More like misleading Maggie, and yes, this is a fine example; thank you for sharing it.  Lots of words and some passive voice to avoid saying outright: Trump had his lawyer lie to the Department of Justice about the government documents he stole.

Trump will be quite pleased if the NYT spends the next two years and change talking about the legal knots his lawyers tied themselves in on his behalf instead of his own treasonous crimes. The article does, in passing, remind us of one meaning of MAGA: Making Attorneys Get Attorneys. (And there's even a silver lining of sorts: a lot of GOP money is going to Trump's legal bills  instead of key races.)

[Torie]

I get it that the above poster dislikes the NYT. The poster says that a lot.

So far as we know, Bobb is in no legal trouble, and did not lie. She was a good enough lawyer to insert in the document that she signed that her attestation was based on the information provided to her. That information was provided by another Trump attorney, Corcoran, per a leak from the paper that the poster disdains. Corcoran did not sign anything under oath, and I am not sure he is in legal trouble either. It depends on the basis of his statement to Bobb, and whether he knew it was a lie. If Trump was the one that told Corcoran that, that does seem to be a crime committed by Trump, and that statement by Trump to Corcoran would not be privileged under the crime-fraud exception.  It is possible that Corcoran's conduct may be unethical, in which event his legal license may be at risk. We shall see.

[brucejoel99]

So f**ked:

https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1580310851663572992

[emailking]

This might be the person who told the FBI there were still classified documents at MAL.

[wbrocks67]

How is this man not in jail yet? This is getting absolutely ridiculous.

[ProudModerate2]

Trump employee tells FBI that Trump directed boxes to be moved at Mar-a-Lago after subpoena served.

... The Trump employee initially denied handling sensitive documents or boxes at Mar-a-Lago, according to the source. But the FBI developed evidence that prompted investigators to go back to the witness, who revised their story to say Trump had given instructions to move the boxes.

https://us.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/trump-employee-fbi-mar-a-lago-boxes/index.html

This was also indicated above in a Tweet, but I think this story may get bigger, due to the fact that the employee first lied (told a different story), and then changed his story, because the FBI had evidence (probably perfect video, DUH) showing the employee moving the boxes. Oops.

Yeah. trump needs to be prosecuted and in jail.

And who told/directed this employee to lie? trump himself? trump's lawyers?

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Trump employee tells FBI that Trump directed boxes to be moved at Mar-a-Lago after subpoena served.

... The Trump employee initially denied handling sensitive documents or boxes at Mar-a-Lago, according to the source. But the FBI developed evidence that prompted investigators to go back to the witness, who revised their story to say Trump had given instructions to move the boxes.

https://us.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/trump-employee-fbi-mar-a-lago-boxes/index.html

This was also indicated above in a Tweet, but I think this story may get bigger, due to the fact that the employee first lied (told a different story), and then changed his story, because the FBI had evidence (probably perfect video, DUH) showing the employee moving the boxes. Oops.

Yeah. trump needs to be prosecuted and in jail.

And who told/directed this employee to lie? trump himself? trump's lawyers?

No *competent* lawyer would advise someone to lie if there was any possibility of video evidence exposing the lie - though obviously most competent lawyers abandoned Trump's circle a while ago. My bet is that any instruction to lie came from Trump himself.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/rollingstone/status/1580359213863165953

[Inmate Trump]

Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in America, and to America.

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1580635104719667201

[President Johnson]

Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in America, and to America.

He fits the description of a traitor to America. And as much as I disdain him, I take no pleasure in saying this about a former president. It's just the sad and bitter truth.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

How is this man not in jail yet? This is getting absolutely ridiculous.

My hope is the DOJ is building an airtight case before an indictment so Trump won't be able to maneuver his way out of it.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

So does this mean the conservatives on the Supreme Court have no inclination at helping Trump at all through this investigation?

[brucejoel99]

So does this mean the conservatives on the Supreme Court have no inclination at helping Trump at all through this investigation?

So far.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/rollingstone/status/1580359213863165953

That's like Chelsea Manning-level stuff that would carry a comparable (pre-commutation) sentence, right?

[Yoda]

So does this mean the conservatives on the Supreme Court have no inclination at helping Trump at all through this investigation?

My take on SCOTUS republicans is that they know that helping trump would be shooting their own party in the foot politically come '24. They probably want trump in prison more than most so they can get DeSantis.