Trump lawyers rail against DOJ in letter, reveal foreign leader briefings may be among classified do

[swag]

Source: CNN

Trump lawyers rail against DOJ in letter, reveal foreign leader briefings may be among classified documents taken from White House

By Paula Reid, Jeremy Herb, Katelyn Polantz and Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 3:31 PM EDT, Wed April 26, 2023

Two of Donald Trump’s defense lawyers now believe that classified briefings of phone calls with foreign leaders were among “all manner of documents” in 15 boxes that Trump returned to the National Archives a year after he left the presidency, according to a new letter his lawyers sent to Congress.

This organization of the materials “indicates that the White House staff simply swept all documents from the President’s desk and other areas into boxes, where they have resided ever since,” the two lawyers, Timothy Parlatore and Jim Trusty, wrote to the GOP chair of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

Their characterization not only reveals new details about the documents but also comes as part of a broadside against the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump over the classified documents that lays out talking points for Republicans as they try to portray the ongoing probe as politically motivated.

The lawyers urge Congress to tell the Justice Department to “stand down,” even as special counsel Jack Smith’s probe has shown signs of nearing its end and even though Congress doesn’t have the power to control DOJ criminal investigations.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/26/politics/trump-foreign-leader-briefings-classified-documents/index.html

[ashredux]

1. Grasping at straws....

[underpants]

2. He's a slob and they couldn't act like they were leaving

Not an excuse. There were reports that staff was told to act like they were staying.

Last minute
No planning
Up to the whim of one person
Total loyalty required
Half assed
Like the rest of his disastrous term.

[agingdem]

4. slob or no slob.. not the point...

he had the documents in his possession at MAL and refused to return them to the National Archives..then he lied when he said all documents had been returned, when in fact, he had his staff move them to another room..then when the FBI (with a subpoena) searched and seized those boxes there more stored in different locations..and he's still claiming they were his because he declassified them and he wants them back..what a kleptomaniac like Trump doesn't get is every document, classified or not, does not belong to him...they belong to us

[underpants]

7. Completely agree

I’m just saying they had to pretend he was actually going to overturn the election. He had to know he wouldn’t but he couldn’t let that get out in public.

[Traildogbob]

8. So do

The 40 thousand plus hours of J6 house surveillance Videos Kev gave to Tuckums. OURS!!!!!

[agingdem]

9. Yes!

and Trump didn't just steal classified documents, he stole paintings, letters, gifts, a Lincoln sculpture..we want those items back, too..

[Traildogbob]

11. Whole lotta

Sticky on those F’ing tiny ass fingers. There should never ever be his portrait in our White House.
Unless it’s in prison attire with that thing on his head without a comb and spray for weeks, or spray on color.

[AZ8theist]

25. I care little what he STOLE...

...and much more about WHAT HE SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!

Assets DIED due to his treason.

[ShazzieB]

12. I always assumed that Kev gave Tucks copies of the security footage.

And that the originals are still in the possession of the Capitol Police or whoever.

If that's not what he did, he committed a very serious crime!

[Traildogbob]

13. We should

Just assume he crimed. It’s the GQP footprint.

[ShazzieB]

21. I'm not comfortable doing that myself, but I can understand why some would.

[William Seger]

6. That sure doesn't sound like exculpatory evidence

Briefings for calls with foreign leaders would contain LOTS of stuff that Trump would consider valuable in one way or another for his personal benefit -- which of course is the more credible theory about an obnoxiously self-obsessed sociopath who has lied and cheated his way through every aspect of his life.

[Turbineguy]

3. So,

it was normal incompetence if they are to be believed.

[erronis]

5. Just add those names "Timothy Parlatore and Jim Trusty" as supposed legal people

who would sell there souls to destroy democracy.

I hope there is a publicly available database and website that lists all lawyers involved in any actions that affect our democracy - positively or negatively, and that these listings can inform all of us about who to talk to for advise or representation.

Of course, the (r)epuglicons and their ilk already have their little black book of the Roy Cohn types.

[Bev54]

10. Which leader's would be interesting to know. Putin is likely one, is the other his

call to Zelensky?

[Martin68]

14. This would be great if the National Archives and then the FBI hadn't sent repeated official

requests for listed missing documents, and for any classified document in their possession. It is hard to believe Trump's lawyers quoted here have a law degree (or a brain). Trump and his lawyers were instructed to conduct a search and return all classified documents. They don't even address that. It's like, "Oh, you know, moving is hard!"

[Joinfortmill]

16. Indict, indict, indict.

[Ford_Prefect]

17. And the hits just keep on coming...

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Foreign leader briefings were classified documents. End of discussion.

They contained classified information.

[Freethinker65]

19. So why lie about not having them, move them, then lie again about already returning all of them?

[mwooldri]

20. So let me get this straight.

The lawyers are saying the classified documents were simply swept from the White House and into boxes and they sat there ever since? Then riddle me this... How did those documents then get to his desk in Mar A Lago? Because when the FBI enforced their search warrant they found classified stuff in his desk. Not in boxes.

Trump's lawyers might have a point for some of the documents. But not all. The ones in his desk seem to be most troubling to me.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. Why write House Republicans?

This seems like a dumb move. The DOJ is not going to listen to Kevin McCarthy or Gym Jordan

[LetMyPeopleVote]

23. TFG's attorneys just admitted Trump may have taken classified briefings of phone calls with foreign

Link to tweet

In an absolutely BONEHEAD move, Trump’s attorneys just admitted Trump may have taken classified briefings of phone calls with foreign leaders.

This is absolutely wild.

In a letter to the GOP chair of the House Intelligence Committee, two of Donald Trump’s defense lawyers argue that the fact Trump may have these classified briefings “indicates that the White House staff simply swept all documents from the President’s desk and other areas into boxes.”

In defending Trump…they may have just made it even worse for him.

Trump’s attorneys wrote the letter to urge Congress to tell the Justice Department to “stand down.”

Congress has no power to tell the DOJ to stand down

[republianmushroom]

24. 27 months and counting

[2naSalit]

26. Desperation...

They are so desperate that they don't even see when they have crossed the line to the point that everything they say and do is suspect if not blatantly criminal.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

27. These lawyers are idiots,

The lawyers urge Congress to tell the Justice Department to “stand down,” even as special counsel Jack Smith’s probe has shown signs of nearing its end and even though Congress doesn’t have the power to control DOJ criminal investigations.

Congress has no authority to tell the DoJ to stand down, seperation on powers and all that, they can urge, but they cannot order it, the DoJ and Jack Smith would just tell Congress to go pound sand.

Typical of the lawyers Benedict Donald hires, incompetent idiots.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

28. TFG's "Hail Kevin" pass was among the more bizarre moves he has tried

Link to tweet

[MissMillie]

29. multiple opportunities over several months to do the right thing

And he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Now he's looking for the House of Representatives to protect him.