Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on keeping classified documents after his presidential term.
These are federal charges, making the case a bit more serious than the one brought on by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
He’s been charged with 37 felony counts, as CNN reports.
This all centers on a claim that Trump moved classified documents from the White House to his home in Mar-a-Lago.
Prosecutors, led by special counsel Jack Smith, indicate that these documents contained key secrets about defense and weapons capability, with the classified info pertaining both to the US and other nations.
One of the issues is intent, perhaps. Trump didn’t just accidentally take a bunch of papers. But prosecutors say Trump ordered these specific documents to be shipped to his Florida estate from the White House. He was also singled out for showing visitors these classified docs, when they weren’t supposed to have access to them.
Worse yet, prosecutors allege, is that he did all these things without consulting with an attorney first.
The aide who helped Trump transport the document, Walt Nauta, has been charged with five felonies, including obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI.
Trump’s willful retention of records charge are punishable by a maximum of ten years in prison. The objection of justice charge, of which he has six of, carry a maximum of twenty years. If Trump is even convicted on a quarter of the charges, he’d realistically get life in prison.
Still, is there any “there” there? Former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden have been singled out for doing the same thing, but haven’t gotten any charges.
And speaking of Pence, it’s key to look at his comments on the situation in the wake of his presidential campaign announcement. It will probably indicate how the rest of the 2024 GOP Presidential Primary field will respond.
He seemed to try and have his cake and it eat it too.
On a CNN town hall Thursday, he was asked about Trump’s newest indictment.
“Look I” and then he stuttered. “I don’t know the facts of the president’s case, or the former president’s case. But what we’ve gotta’ have under this country is equal treatment under the law.”
The next day, Pence was a little more forceful:
“No one is above the law. But let it be may known, the handling of classified materials of materials of the US is a serious matter.”
Pence also called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to unseal the documents. Garland did so later in the afternoon.
Translation? Pence wants to play dumb as long as possible.
But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decided to play it nice.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society. We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?” DeSantis posted on Twitter.
The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.
We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.
Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?
The DeSantis…
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 9, 2023
Clearly the entire GOP primary field will be treating Trump’s indictment with kid gloves. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie jumped into the presidential fray Monday and came out swinging against Trump harder than any other candidate. He even called the guy and his family “grifters.” But even Christie had a wait and see approach.
We don’t get our news from Trump’s Truth Social account. Let’s see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) June 9, 2023
And as for Trump? He released a video Thursday night doing his best to get ahead of the situation. Unsurprisingly, he called it a hoax. “They can’t stop. It’s election interference at the highest level. I am an innocent, an innocent person:”
There’s a lot to chew on here, so why not get an expert to help you sort through it? Check out Pat’s take on the PBD Podcast as he gets further in the weeds. You won’t want to miss it:
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