Trump worker told FBI about moving Mar-a-Lago boxes on ex-president’s orders

[Say it aint so]

A Trump employee has told federal agents about moving boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago at the specific direction of the former president, according to people familiar with the investigation, who say the witness account — combined with security-camera footage — offers key evidence of Donald Trump’s behavior as investigators sought the return of classified material....
....The people familiar with the investigation said agents have gathered witness accounts indicating that, after Trump advisers received a subpoena in May for any classified documents that remained at Mar-a-Lago, Trump told people to move boxes to his residence at the property. That description of events was corroborated by the security-camera footage, which showed people moving the boxes, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

This took place after the subpoena. Trump is already in hot water, but if more classified documents were moved after the subpoena, then obstruction charges are strong. I know he has no sense of right and wrong, but if they were moved out of Mar A Largo....oh man...

 

[BobRyan]

This took place after the subpoena. Trump is already in hot water, but if more classified documents were moved after the subpoena, then obstruction charges are strong. I know he has no sense of right and wrong, but if they were moved out of Mar A Largo....oh man...

What is or is not deemed secret is a determination made by the President, there is no higher authority when it comes to classified documents that the President can report to. The idea that he forgot to "tell himself" that he did not want himself to move a box ... is a bit thin.

 

[wing2000]

What is or is not deemed secret is a determination made by the President, there is no higher authority when it comes to classified documents that the President can report to. The idea that he forget to "tell himself" that he did not want himself to move a box ... is a bit thin.

A former president has no such authority.

 

[wing2000]

This took place after the subpoena. Trump is already in hot water, but if more classified documents were moved after the subpoena, then obstruction charges are strong. I know he has no sense of right and wrong, but if they were moved out of Mar A Largo....oh man...

It's usually the cover-up that gets em....

 

[BobRyan]

A former president has no such authority.

He is only dealing with his former documents - not new ones created under this current president.

This is a point blatantly obvious enough that elements outside of partisan D.C. might notice it - for example SCOTUS.

 

[wing2000]

He is only dealing with his former documents - not new ones created under this current president.

This is a point blatantly obvious enough that elements outside of partisan D.C. might notice it - for example SCOTUS.

A point so obvious that none of his lawyers could produce evidence before a judge demonstrating the alleged documents had been declassified....

 

[stevil]

A point so obvious that none of his lawyers could produce evidence before a judge demonstrating the alleged documents had been declassified....

Trump has psychic powers. He just needs to think it and they are declassified.
Even if they are declassified, they are still government property, and there was a subpoena for the documents.
Trump moving them (regardless of whether they are classified or not), knowing that the authorities were coming for them under subpoena is him knowing that he is committing a crime, of obstruction of justice.

"Bad boys, Bad boys, Whatch'ya gonna do? Whatch'ya gonna do when they come for you?"

Problem as always with D Trump is that those around him, also go to jail. (or perhaps "instead of" rather than "also")
His staff that physically picked up the boxes and moved them are complicit with the crime.

I guess for them it was either:
1. Stick to the law and refuse Trump's demand and then get fired
2. Do what D Trump says, keep your job for a little while and hope the CCTV wasn't on. Then beg for mercy and sing like a songbird when they come for you. Trump of course will deny that he told his employee to move the boxes. He might even say he hardly knows this employee that this employee is an insignificant loser who he was going to fire soon anyway.

Oh the joys of wallowing in Trump's swamp.

 

[disciple Clint]

I see a bunch of assumptions with no evidence that anything actually happened that should not have happened, what is wrong with waiting for the facts to come out before jumping to a bunch of what if's

 

[7thKeeper]

He is only dealing with his former documents - not new ones created under this current president.

This is a point blatantly obvious enough that elements outside of partisan D.C. might notice it - for example SCOTUS.

His "former" documents do not belong to him anymore. They belong to the government, he has no right or reason to hold onto them after his term ended.

 

[Larniavc]

there is no higher authority when it comes to classified documents that the President can report to

You keep saying that but he was not president at that time.

 

[disciple Clint]

His "former" documents do not belong to him anymore. They belong to the government, he has no right or reason to hold onto them after his term ended.

How can we justify that when we allowed a former Secretary of State to destroy her "personal e-mails" Apparently it is possible for people who are required to maintain and surrender all official documents to retain or destroy personal documents. What needs to be established in this case is which documents were personal and were the documents marked as being classified actually declassified by Trump prior to the end of his term. Until we know what the court is going to decide on these questions we are simply blindly speculating.

 

[disciple Clint]

You keep saying that but he was not president at that time.

OK so when did he declassify the documents?? We do not know, now do we?

 

[Larniavc]

OK so when did he declassify the documents?? We do not know, now do we?

There is none of the documentary evidence one would expect from a declassification event that Mr Trump's lawyers have been able to provide so we must conclude that it did not happen. There needs to be a process and an audit trail.

 

[disciple Clint]

There is none of the documentary evidence one would expect from a declassification event that Mr Trump's lawyers have been able to provide so we must conclude that it did not happen. There needs to be a process and an audit trail.

NO we must conclude that we do not know the answer to that question yet, we do not know what information the attorneys have, all we know is what the media has told us, do I need to remind anyone how wrong the media has been when it comes to telling us the truth?

 

[essentialsaltes]

He is only dealing with his former documents

No, he was dealing with We The People's documents. They do not belong to him.

 

[essentialsaltes]

NO we must conclude that we do not know the answer to that question yet, we do not know what information the attorneys have

We could know that if Trump's attorneys put that information in their filings, but the attorneys have not only avoided making any claims about declassification, they have prevailed upon the Trump-appointed judge to declare that they don't have to make any claims about declassification.

If Trump had such a slam-dunk defense, you'd expect his lawyers to make it, so this whole thing could be thrown out. Instead, the lawyers are peculiarly unwilling to sign their name to such a claim in a filing submitted to a judge.

 

[Say it aint so]

What is or is not deemed secret is a determination made by the President, there is no higher authority when it comes to classified documents that the President can report to. The idea that he forgot to "tell himself" that he did not want himself to move a box ... is a bit thin.

In all of their court filings they, the Trump lawyers, have never made that claim. It's only made by Trump at Trump rallies. In fact the Special Master pinned them down asking if that is what they are asserting. They responded by complaining to the Judge Cannon. The reason is, because that never happened.

 

[Say it aint so]

He is only dealing with his former documents - not new ones created under this current president.

This is a point blatantly obvious enough that elements outside of partisan D.C. might notice it - for example SCOTUS.

Point being, they are not his to keep.

 

[Blade]

For me to many "if's" to keep tabs on here. I would really have to run with speculation and as fun as that is its not fact. Does seem most American's have no clue on what exactly and how a President can classify and declassify. When you push this as far as it can go up the chain so to speak...no one knows for sure. So running with "He former president can't". That right there, said like it is, is true. Ooh but he did it before leaving office so he can and did have the right and sorry didn't have to mark every one, didn't have to tell anyone for he was at the time president. Then knowing he didn't pack up all that himself. Then knowing how many people there making sure what could be taken and not taken.

Fact they former presidents have years to go through all that to keep or return. All have to do this and there are thousands of papers to go through. Again this is something left out. No president knows whats in every box so they hello go through it. It seems huge when we hear Trumps team not quite tell the truth vs FBI DOJ doing the same exact thing yet why that's not reported by the left I can't tell you. What I think should bother us the most is not who this is about but "how" this was done. This was done the wrong way should happen to any former president.

For me put this on the back burner and can we work on what's really going on in the US and the WORLD.

 

[disciple Clint]

We could know that if Trump's attorneys put that information in their filings, but the attorneys have not only avoided making any claims about declassification, they have prevailed upon the Trump-appointed judge to declare that they don't have to make any claims about declassification.

If Trump had such a slam-dunk defense, you'd expect his lawyers to make it, so this whole thing could be thrown out. Instead, the lawyers are peculiarly unwilling to sign their name to such a claim in a filing submitted to a judge.

So we are supposed to assume Trump is guilty of something simply because his attorneys are pursuing his legal rights? is that how the values of our legal system work, people are assumed guilty until the prove they are innocent? Wow we have gone a long ways in the wrong direction if that is the case.