Re-defining Espionage and Top-Secret Documents

They were the most sensitive of our national secrets. Human intelligence, satellite intelligence, foreign intelligence, nuclear intelligence, documents that could not be removed from their room, etc. The exposure of any of them could threaten our national security. They were supposed to be in a secure location.

But they were in Mar-a-Lago, the home and country club of Donald J Trump, former president of the US.

They were in an unsecured storage room in his basement. Many people could have had access to them. They were in a closet in the former guy's office. They were in his desk. It was a reckless disregard for the security of this nation. About 90 files are presently missing.

The DOJ secured a court-approved search warrant and went in to seize them after unsuccessful attempts to get the former guy to turn them over.

Then we got the "other side" of the story.

The FBI broke into his home. They even broke into his safe. They searched Melania's closet and handled her clothes. She had to replace them all. They even searched his "16-year old son's room.

Not only that, they took the files and scattered them on the floor to make him look like a "slob". People have seen his office. They know he is a neat person.

His lawyers equated it to an overdue library book. They said the documents were secure and safe at Mar-a-Lago. They have tried to minimize it at every turn.

But, it is what it is. The documents were stolen and were taken to Mar-a-Lago. The plaintiff refused to turn all of the documents over to the National Archives, even after a subpoena. They lied about them. They obstructed an investigation. They threatened our national security.

Now, they are challenging the DOJ's authority to seize the stolen documents.

Could Joe Biden deny executive power to Donald Trump in the Judge's decision?

The "executive power" in the Constitution rests solely with the President of the United States, not with a former president and not subject to the discretion of any judge in the Justice system.

Could President Biden take this case to court?

You can bet there is a Federalist Society strategy behind the Judge's decision.

After all, they chose the last three Supreme Court Justices.

For all intents and purposes, they are the legal arm of the Republican Party.

This decision was not made without a lot of thought and strategy, in my opinion.

Their goal appears to be to obstruct the investigation or to slow it down as much as legally possible.

They are more interested in the future of the Republican Party than they are of the law or the Constitution.

They have a vision for America and the conviction of a criminal Republican president is not part of the vision.

Will the Special Master review the files in a SCIF or at the NARA (Archives) or will ...?

...he/she take them to the storage room at Mar-a-Lago?

If they believe the files are sensitive, they may choose to examine them in a secure location.

If they believe Trump had every right to the documents, they may choose to rent a room at Mar-a-Lago, close to the pool, and spend a few hours each day checking them out?

Where will the documents be taken?

Did the Judge make her ruling in an attempt to lure the DOJ into appealing her decision?

By adding the "executive privilege" to her decision?

Because that is what Trump and the Republicans truly want?

Get it into the court system and delay as long as possible?

If that is the case, then the DOJ may opt to go the "Special Master" route. The time required to go thru the entire appeal process could take much longer.

However, there are still the "missing" documents. That search has been temporarily halted.

Since the stolen documents case against Trump looks so cut and dried, I do not see how a "Special Master" can help him?

Is John Durham busy?

Which would be the shorter delay?

Since the whole purpose of Trump's request for a Special Master is to delay the investigation, would a Special Master take longer than an appeal thru the Courts?

If it is not challenged, it will become a precedent.

It does appear that there will be no indictments before the election in November. Both investigations will likely continue after the election, making the elections critical to the continuation of the process.

The stolen documents investigation will be put on the back burner to simmer while the j6 Committee completes its works and the DOJ shifts focus temporarily as the Special Master finishes their work.

Trump would probably prefer the DOJ to appeal so it would give him an avenue to get the case to the Supreme Court and get a ruling from "his" Justices?

Special Master

Deranged or Demented?

"He was in the White House just a week ago and he kissed my ass..", paraphrasing the former president. (He was talking about a visit by Mark Zuckerberg a few years ago)

Was that just a misstatement or was it indicative of the advanced dementia now on display by the former guy?

Dementia or not, his comments were deranged in so many ways. For example, he called the FBI and DoJ "vicious monsters" for their search warrant upon his home in Mar-a-Lago. He called Joe Biden an "enemy of the state". If he does have dementia, he is still capable of attacking those people or institutions that he sees as a threat to him, in hopes of tearing them down and defeating them on the field of public relations.

Also, how would his "condition" affect the criminal investigation now ongoing? He is still capable of conspiring to attack his "enemies" and committing crimes as serious as espionage, and attempt to minimize them as nothing more than an overdue library book. If he does not understand the seriousness of his crime, can he be prosecuted for the crime?

These are questions soon to be asked.

Joe Biden was right.

Trump and the MAGA-Republicans are a threat to democracy.

He is also right in calling for "mainstream" Republicans, Independents, and Democrats to fight together to defeat them.

I do not believe all the Republicans that voted for Trump are MAGA-Republicans. They know what he is and they know that Republicans always vote for their Party.

But we should not be so naive to think that no Democrats voted for him. Many, many that voted for Barack Obama also voted for Donald Trump.

It is not a simple Democrat vs Republican battle.

We need all the help we can get to defeat this scourge and "mainstream" Republicans are needed in the battle. We need a coalition.

We can go back to the usual political battles after the democracy is saved.

Joe Biden knows also that this is good politics. Whatever votes can be taken away from the MAGA Republicans, the better it is for the Democratic Party.

When is the Judge going to make her decision?

Or is she just going to let the DoJ carry on their investigation while Trump sweats?

Does he have someone contacting her on the sly? Since he appointed her and all? Doesn't she owe him a favor?

Or maybe she is an ethical person?

Or maybe it won't make any difference what she rules because the FBI has seen all the files anyway?