Trump destroyed official US documents and would face 3 years prison... if anybody would investigate.

[DetlefK]

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/02/donald-trump-shredded-documents-january-6

The panel began receiving the records it had requested from the National Archives, and will continue to do in the coming weeks and months. That’s obviously good news for justice, though in less good news, it turns out that a number of the documents in question will be more difficult to examine than one might have hoped, because Trump apparently had a habit of tearing up official presidential business like a man who knew he’d one day have something to hide.

The Washington Post reports that in an unbelievable-yet-completely-believable turn of events, “some of the Trump White House records” handed over to the January 6 committee “had been ripped up and then taped back together,” according to people familiar with the matter. If your reaction to that is “why,” “how,” and “what the f--k,“ rest assured you‘re not alone. Despite the fact that the Presidential Records Act very clearly requires each administration to preserve everything from letters and handwritten notes to memos and other written communications related to the then president’s official work, the 45th guy apparently just chose to ignore that rule; instead, Trump regularly tore up documents, leaving White House officials to painstakingly reconstruct papers “like a jigsaw puzzle,” according to a 2018 Politico article. While some papers were simply “split down the middle,” others “would be torn into pieces so small they looked like confetti.” (What was happening on the days he decided to shred documents into teeny-tiny little pieces? Unclear, but we’re guessing that on at least one occasion he’d been recently informed that he couldn’t just buy Denmark, and was subsequently set off.)

In a statement to the Post, the National Archives confirmed that Trump White House records turned over to congressional investigators “included paper records that had been torn up by former President Trump.”

If Trump‘s little shredding habit strikes you as something that sounds like it should and might be illegal, you’re not alone. Constitutional law scholar Stephen Gillers told the Post that the damaged documents are obviously property of the government and, as such, “destroying them could be a crime under several statutes that make it a crime to destroy government property if that was the intent of the defendant. A president does not own the records generated by his own administration. The definition of presidential records is broad. Trump’s own notes to himself could qualify and destroying them could be the criminal destruction of government property.”

https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1663-protection-government-property-protection-public-records-and

The necessary measure of protection for government documents and records is provided by 18 U.S.C. § 2071. Section 2071(a) contains a broad prohibition against destruction of government records or attempts to destroy such records. This section provides that whoever: willfully and unlawfully; conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates or destroys; or attempts to conceal, remove, mutilate, obliterate or destroy; or carries away with intent to conceal, remove, mutilate, obliterate or destroy; any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document or other thing deposited in any public office may be punished by imprisonment for three years, a $2, 000 fine, or both.

There are several important aspects to this offense. First, it is a specific intent crime. This means that the defendant must act intentionally with knowledge that he is violating the law. See United States v. Simpson, 460 F.2d 515, 518 (9th Cir. 1972). Moreover, one case has suggested that this specific intent requires that the defendant know that the documents involved are public records. See United States v. DeGroat, 30 F. 764, 765 (E.D.Mich. 1887).

[UTUSN]

1. K&R

[Beachnutt]

2. So when does he get arrested ?

Common knowledge, Laws do not apply to trump....obviously.

[3Hotdogs]

20. Speculation: "I didn't rip anything up. One of the janitors must'a thought it was

junk and just got rid of it."

Or one of my staff ....

Point is, try to prove that he ordered it.

[Lonestarblue]

24. Every aide who worked directly with Trump has seen him destroy official documents.

The DOJ simply needs the testimony of a few of them. If the DOJ is unwilling to investigate and prosecute, then our laws cease to have any meaning and can be ignored at will.

[malaise]

4. Is a coup official work?

Asking for a friend

[BlueJac]

5. For some reason Trump always goes unpunished!

[jaxexpat]

11. His defense is simply airtight.

He can't be liable for whatever he says or does because he's psychotic.

[OldBaldy1701E]

15. Then, I need to start using that.

Because he has not been held accountable for much of shiat since he was born, and only those above a certain level of wealth can do this. The two-tiered system is strong and it is going to take more than whining to change it. Since it has not even been addressed, one must assume it never will change. So, he will get away with it, as they all do.

[Roy Rolling]

6. Wow

At least he didn't used a private email address. 😡

[MiHale]

7. I'm freaking tired of hearing about the laws he broke...

So many ranging from small to horrendous. Somewhere in there must be something they can get him with immediately.

[gab13by13]

14. There was, Mueller's "individual one."

DOJ already sent Michael Cohen to jail for giving Stormy Daniels that 130,000 dollar check signed by Donald Trump. Those ducks were all lined up in a row courtesy of Robert Mueller, he did it without worrying about executive privilege.

Alas, the statute of limitations has run out to indict "individual one." Maybe there weren't enough ducks?

[johnthewoodworker]

8. The saying is: 'Trumptard would pee in your hand and say it's raining'. Republicans/Nazis

have zero fucks to give to the law or democrats.

[Emile]

9. He deserves the death penalty, but at this point I'd settle for 3 years!

[wnylib]

18. Well, he likes elections, so

every 3 years we could vote on whether to let him out.

[Emile]

19. That would help the get out the vote movement.

[wnylib]

27. LOL.

[blueinredohio]

10. Of all the stuff he and his cronies have gotten away with

imagine what is going to happen the next time a republican president gets elected. Whether its Trump or anyone else. We are so screwed.

[kwijybo]

12. Remember when Pelosi tore up TFG's State of the Union copy

And the RWNJ's wanted to jail her, immediately? Even after they found out it was just a copy/blank pages (I can't recall which)?

I wonder where they are now?

[gab13by13]

13. He certainly violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution also,

Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, had to sell off his peanut farm because it could have been a possible conflict of interest.

MF45 made money because he was president. If some people believe a sitting president can't be indicted then we should abolish the emoluments clause of the Constitution for Republicans, why pretend?

Shredding documents, meh, executive privilege, it works for everything else. Trump was already a king when he was president.

Mueller's "individual one," meh, we already punished Michael Cohen.

Slander someone who accuses MF45 of rape, that's different, DOJ must defend the office of the president. Of course slander is an official duty of a Republican president.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. So what do you think our best chance is at getting him indicted and convicted

and sent to jail for a criminal act? Nothing?

[gab13by13]

21. We should do what DOJ did during Watergate,

convene a special grand jury that has no time limits, and deal only with one topic, the insurrection.

The Watergate special grand jury even named Nixon as an unindicted co-conspirator.

[Vinca]

16. He's violated so many laws, who can keep count? I want to know how he got covered in Teflon.

Any other person would be doing time for many of his crimes.

[Chainfire]

25. Just another angry child throwing tantrums.

[gab13by13]

22. Let's cut to the chase,

if DOJ is taking 53 days so far to indict Mark Meadows, why bother? If the fascist SC is going to rule that 2 presidents can claim executive authority at the same time then let's get that decision and move on to autocracy. I got rid of my guns when I stopped hunting, I need to know if I have to go buy some more.

[oldsoftie]

23. EVERY story. Its like you're reading about a 3 yr old. EVERY story. Ridiculous

I cant wait to see his businesses begin to fail. Seeing his prized golf courses and resorts lose too much to keep open. Losing all the naming revenue
I can't wait.
Yes, he has millions of fans but few who are rich enough to keep his businesses afloat.

[Scrivener7]

26. I'm sure Garland will get right on that.

And THIS, children, is how justice delayed becomes justice denied.

There are a host of crimes - crimes that erode the rule of law and put us all in danger from the next republiQan sociopath that gets elected - that will never be prosecuted because of all those i's and t's.

[DBoon]

28. Trump destroyed official US documents and would face 3 years prison... if he was a Democrat

FTFY