Trump Charged With 37 counts of Espionage, Obstruction and related crimes
Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
Whoah!
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
As I understand it, Kise's work for Maduro would not make it impossible for him to get the necessary security clearance, but it would make it harder.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
I don't know, of course. The tweet says that being registered under FARA does not preclude clearance. I wonder if that depends which country one is an agent of. And if the "illegitimate authoritarian regime" part is relevant.
Will Kise have to return the 3 mil if he doesn't get the clearance?
Will Kise have to return the 3 mil if he doesn't get the clearance?
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
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Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
Brandon Van Grack is a security expert; he would know much better than I would, and he was responding to the question about Kise registering as an agent of Venezuela. But it certainly is a complication. I think that Jim Trusty is the only one of Trump's attorneys that would be able to get clearance relatively quickly.
As for whether Kise would need to return the $3 million, it depends on how the contract is written, but I doubt it. As I understand it, it covers representing him in other investigations (such as the January 6 investigation), not just the espionage/obstruction case.
As for whether Kise would need to return the $3 million, it depends on how the contract is written, but I doubt it. As I understand it, it covers representing him in other investigations (such as the January 6 investigation), not just the espionage/obstruction case.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
The latest.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
This analysis caught my eye: Trump Wants Two Weeks to Review 64 Documents; DOJ Expects Review of 500 Documents a Day.
That's (again) from Marcy Wheeler, who believes there's a good chance that Judge Cannon will fire the Special Master, Judge Dearie.
That's (again) from Marcy Wheeler, who believes there's a good chance that Judge Cannon will fire the Special Master, Judge Dearie.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
A lot happened today while I was off hiking at Big Basin. This morning the Trump team filed its response to the stay motion in the 11th Circuit, arguing among other things that because Trump might have written on some of the classified documents that might somehow make them privileged. The States of Texas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia filed a proposed amicus brief that its truly nutsy-cuckoo, basically a long extended diatribe against the Biden administration. Then this afternoon there was a hearing with Judge Dearie, in which (so far as I have been able to gather so far) he basically said that if Trump is not willing to prove that the classified documents were not classified he will simply treat them as classified.
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Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
We’re in an “open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not” situation with MAGA, and the sooner the good guys accept that and resolve to fight back, the better. There has been some progress lately.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
The DoJ filed a reply brief late last night responding to Trump's opposition to their stay request in the 11th Circuit, so the court could rule any time, or they could order oral argument. My guess is that they will not order oral argument, and will issue a ruling in the next couple of days. We do not know who is on the three-judge panel.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
The 11th Circuit has granted the DoJ motion for a stay.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
The appeals court panel, which includes two Trump appointees, very politely eviscerates both Trump's lawyers and Judge Cannon. My favorite sentence:
ETA:For our part, we cannot discern why Plaintiff would have an individual interest in or need for any of the one-hundred documents with classification markings.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
I agree with this.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
In an interview on Fox News this evening, Donald Trump said that he had declassified these documents -- a claim which his attorneys refuse to make in court -- and he added that a president can declassify documents merely "by thinking about it."
As I've said before, if Trump ever does make that claim in court (he won't), the Dept. of Justice could just have President Biden provide a statement saying that as soon as he became president, he mentally reclassified everything that Donald Trump had declassified as president.
As I've said before, if Trump ever does make that claim in court (he won't), the Dept. of Justice could just have President Biden provide a statement saying that as soon as he became president, he mentally reclassified everything that Donald Trump had declassified as president.
Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
Wut.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
That's what was in the empty folders. Hillary broke in and retrieved them because she knew this was going to happen. She was very sneaky and left no evidence behind. Cleverly disguised herself so no one recognized her on the security feeds and then just waltzed in and grabbed them from the very secure place Trump had them stashed.
I made that up on the fly, BTW. And I'm only sharing it here. So if someone writes up this fiction on Twitter or elsewhere...it was an obvious leap.
I made that up on the fly, BTW. And I'm only sharing it here. So if someone writes up this fiction on Twitter or elsewhere...it was an obvious leap.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
But it's okay if she stole them because he had declassified them so she didn't steal any classified documents.River wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 4:09 pm That's what was in the empty folders. Hillary broke in and retrieved them because she knew this was going to happen. She was very sneaky and left no evidence behind. Cleverly disguised herself so no one recognized her on the security feeds and then just waltzed in and grabbed them from the very secure place Trump had them stashed.
I made that up on the fly, BTW. And I'm only sharing it here. So if someone writes up this fiction on Twitter or elsewhere...it was an obvious leap.
The dumbest thing I've ever bought
was a 2020 planner.
"Does anyone ever think about Denethor, the guy driven to madness by staying up late into the night alone in the dark staring at a flickering device he believed revealed unvarnished truth about the outside word, but which in fact showed mostly manipulated media created by a hostile power committed to portraying nothing but bad news framed in the worst possible way in order to sap hope, courage, and the will to go on? Seems like he's someone we should think about." - Dave_LF
was a 2020 planner.
"Does anyone ever think about Denethor, the guy driven to madness by staying up late into the night alone in the dark staring at a flickering device he believed revealed unvarnished truth about the outside word, but which in fact showed mostly manipulated media created by a hostile power committed to portraying nothing but bad news framed in the worst possible way in order to sap hope, courage, and the will to go on? Seems like he's someone we should think about." - Dave_LF
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
Peter Strzok observes that the most important part of this statement Donald Trump made in his interview last night ...
...is the last part, which I have bolded. Is this Trump admitting to having sent classified information to other locations?If you're the President of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, "It's declassified," even by thinking about it. Because you're sending it to Mar-a-Lago, or to wherever you’re sending it.
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
It certainly suggests that, but with Trump I don't think you can take anything at face value. But it is at least as significant that it appears to be an admission that he affirmatively sent the material that was marked as classified (whether or not he de-classified it, it was still national defense information for the purposes of the Espionage Act), not some inadvertent action. That is very important for proving the willfulness of his actions.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: Trump Espionage and Obstruction Investigation
Meanwhile,
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."