Rumpole
Diamond Member
- Mar 20, 2023
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It appears (to me, anyway) that Trump confessed on TV to Hannity to the crime of Espionage, mishandling of national defense information documents.
Let's be clear, the 'boxes' Hannity is querying Trump about , are the boxes of classified documents, i.,e national defense information documents to which the Espionage Act, applies. It is one thing to own the documents, by inadvertent means, but he just confessed that it is okay for a president to take them. If that isn't 'mens rea' for a prosecutor, tell me what is?
And, No, it's not okay. Inadvertent acquisition by a President, as I understand DOJ policy, is not likely to be prosecuted, as is the case with Pence and Biden, but with Trump, he's giving his mens rea, (guilty mindset) on Television, to a crime? Not to mention he obstructed the governments' efforts to retrieve the documents, that's another crime, right there.
And for those of you about to raise the 'classification' issue. No can do, As I understand it, The Espionage Act does not depend on any classification regime, only DNI damage assessments, where the classification may, or may not be, supplemental to a charge if the damage assessments are severe.
Let's be clear, the 'boxes' Hannity is querying Trump about , are the boxes of classified documents, i.,e national defense information documents to which the Espionage Act, applies. It is one thing to own the documents, by inadvertent means, but he just confessed that it is okay for a president to take them. If that isn't 'mens rea' for a prosecutor, tell me what is?
And, No, it's not okay. Inadvertent acquisition by a President, as I understand DOJ policy, is not likely to be prosecuted, as is the case with Pence and Biden, but with Trump, he's giving his mens rea, (guilty mindset) on Television, to a crime? Not to mention he obstructed the governments' efforts to retrieve the documents, that's another crime, right there.
And for those of you about to raise the 'classification' issue. No can do, As I understand it, The Espionage Act does not depend on any classification regime, only DNI damage assessments, where the classification may, or may not be, supplemental to a charge if the damage assessments are severe.