Former DOJ national security chief says that Trump likely violated the Espionage Act and a separate federal statute

The Espionage Act has a specific provision that relates to gross negligence of handling of documents.

The full interview has a lot of interesting insights.

“There's a variety of different possible crimes, but I think the two that are probably worth focusing the most on are 18 USC 2071. This really applies to any federal government employee who, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records, right? Records that are public records. Another potential crime is actually under the Espionage Act, which is 18 USC 793. And that actually has provisions that apply to essentially the mishandling through gross negligence, permitting documents to be removed from their proper place, or to be lost, stolen, or destroyed. There's also conspiracy provisions within that 18 USC 793. But certainly gross negligence could be proved by willfulness, because that would be even beyond gross negligence.”

One other important point she makes is that the FBI would have good reason to believe evidence is still there.

“It's a very overt step for the FBI to actually execute a search warrant that signals to the whole world that they had probable cause — that a federal judge agreed with — to believe that the evidence of a crime would be located in the premises to be searched at the time it was searched. So it couldn't be, "We thought the stuff was there a year ago, but not now." It would have to be probable cause to believe that evidence of a crime exists in that location at that time. And that means that the Department of Justice, probably at the highest levels, probably all the way up to the attorney general, agreed that this was a step that was not only legally supportable, but also important to take.”


That is about as serious as it gets. I always said when he attended those sex parties in Moscow, he was drugged and hypnotized to be a soviet spy.
 
That is about as serious as it gets. I always said when he attended those sex parties in Moscow, he was drugged and hypnotized to be a soviet spy.

Yeah well, you also think you were at the crucifixion of Christ.

So there's that.
 
Yeah well, you also think you were at the crucifixion of Christ.

So there's that.
You believe the beast liar in the world that you don't believe me when I have nothing to gain by having told you my story. I simply wanted to share it. So be it.
 
They opened and went through Trump’s safe. It was a facial recognition lock, but luckily someone had a rotting Jack O' Lantern.
 
They opened and went through Trump’s safe. It was a facial recognition lock, but luckily someone had a rotting Jack O' Lantern.
If I stole top secret papers, and she'll have them in my possession, that's where I would keep them. And since they found 11 such papers. The investigation was totally warranted. It definitely qualifies as espionage. A criminal act requiring prison time. Get ready America, trump is finished for good. There's going to be a lot of crying and screaming, but he is now a national threat.
 
Patriots obey the laws.

Depends on the law and circumstances.
The original patriots of this country, the Founders, were patriots for deliberately violating British law.

I am far left and anti-Trump, but I think the FBI totally violated the law on this one.
Ex-presidents not only are the perfect repository for old classified documents, but the ONLY one who can legally do so.
They can't be given to the National Archives because they only take public papers.
 
If I stole top secret papers, and she'll have them in my possession, that's where I would keep them. And since they found 11 such papers. The investigation was totally warranted. It definitely qualifies as espionage. A criminal act requiring prison time. Get ready America, trump is finished for good. There's going to be a lot of crying and screaming, but he is now a national threat.

Wrong.
A president has total access to all classified documents, and after they become ex-presidents, they still retain the legal right to all the classified documents they had access to when president.
The only thing that would be illegal is if he still was getting recent classified documents created after his term expired.
A president can not lose access rights to documents they had legal access to before, just because they are no longer in office.
 
Then you explain why trump does what he does. Supposedly he's not stupid or ignorant has to be a reason.

Trump is lazy and does not care to follow detailed procedures.
But in general, that is the right thing to do.
Logic is better than detailed procedures, which can easily lead to bureaucracy.
In this case, we know that presidents are the final arbiter and say when it comes to classified documents.
So then there can be nothing they can not legally possess.
Does that change when they are no longer president?
Can't be, because they already have that knowledge.
If it was wrong for ex-presidents to have classified information, then you would have to shoot all outgoing presidents.
And in fact, no one else but the outgoing president can legally retain those top secret documents.
The National Archives can't do it because they can only deal with public documents.
So then who else could retain them?
 
Depends on the law and circumstances.
The original patriots of this country, the Founders, were patriots for deliberately violating British law.

I am far left and anti-Trump, but I think the FBI totally violated the law on this one.
Ex-presidents not only are the perfect repository for old classified documents, but the ONLY one who can legally do so.
They can't be given to the National Archives because they only take public papers.

Trump stalled repeatedly from returning the documents that belong to the National Archives. They were marked confidential or top secret. All the documents belong to the National Archives..

Do you think Trump is above the law?
 
Wrong.
A president has total access to all classified documents, and after they become ex-presidents, they still retain the legal right to all the classified documents they had access to when president.
The only thing that would be illegal is if he still was getting recent classified documents created after his term expired.
A president can not lose access rights to documents they had legal access to before, just because they are no longer in office.

Even the unclassified documents belong to the National Archives. Further, there's no security at Mara Lago.
 
The Espionage Act has a specific provision that relates to gross negligence of handling of documents.

The full interview has a lot of interesting insights.

“There's a variety of different possible crimes, but I think the two that are probably worth focusing the most on are 18 USC 2071. This really applies to any federal government employee who, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records, right? Records that are public records. Another potential crime is actually under the Espionage Act, which is 18 USC 793. And that actually has provisions that apply to essentially the mishandling through gross negligence, permitting documents to be removed from their proper place, or to be lost, stolen, or destroyed. There's also conspiracy provisions within that 18 USC 793. But certainly gross negligence could be proved by willfulness, because that would be even beyond gross negligence.”

One other important point she makes is that the FBI would have good reason to believe evidence is still there.

“It's a very overt step for the FBI to actually execute a search warrant that signals to the whole world that they had probable cause — that a federal judge agreed with — to believe that the evidence of a crime would be located in the premises to be searched at the time it was searched. So it couldn't be, "We thought the stuff was there a year ago, but not now." It would have to be probable cause to believe that evidence of a crime exists in that location at that time. And that means that the Department of Justice, probably at the highest levels, probably all the way up to the attorney general, agreed that this was a step that was not only legally supportable, but also important to take.”


You should identify the source as an obama flunkey
 
The Espionage Act has a specific provision that relates to gross negligence of handling of documents.

The full interview has a lot of interesting insights.

“There's a variety of different possible crimes, but I think the two that are probably worth focusing the most on are 18 USC 2071. This really applies to any federal government employee who, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies or destroys public records, right? Records that are public records. Another potential crime is actually under the Espionage Act, which is 18 USC 793. And that actually has provisions that apply to essentially the mishandling through gross negligence, permitting documents to be removed from their proper place, or to be lost, stolen, or destroyed. There's also conspiracy provisions within that 18 USC 793. But certainly gross negligence could be proved by willfulness, because that would be even beyond gross negligence.”

One other important point she makes is that the FBI would have good reason to believe evidence is still there.

“It's a very overt step for the FBI to actually execute a search warrant that signals to the whole world that they had probable cause — that a federal judge agreed with — to believe that the evidence of a crime would be located in the premises to be searched at the time it was searched. So it couldn't be, "We thought the stuff was there a year ago, but not now." It would have to be probable cause to believe that evidence of a crime exists in that location at that time. And that means that the Department of Justice, probably at the highest levels, probably all the way up to the attorney general, agreed that this was a step that was not only legally supportable, but also important to take.”



It's Mueller Time!

Bombshell

We got him this time!
 
Wrong.
A president has total access to all classified documents, and after they become ex-presidents, they still retain the legal right to all the classified documents they had access to when president.
The only thing that would be illegal is if he still was getting recent classified documents created after his term expired.
A president can not lose access rights to documents they had legal access to before, just because they are no longer in office.

Even the unclassified documents belong to the National Archives. Further, there's no security at Mara Lago.
 
Trump made taking documents to be a felony. Before it was a misdemeanor.
The president is special

All the Deep State had to do was visit the location without a warrant and pick up the boxes

But if they did that that could not have snooped through the First lady’s bedroom
 

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