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Now we know more about Trumps latest crimes and obstruction.
Key in the DOJ brief are new revelations of facts that go to the core of Trump's criminal liability.
Fact-1: Trump never claimed the documents were declassified.
End of story on that attempted defense or attempt to deter prosecutors from indicting (as a discretionary factor).
Fact 2. Looks like Justice Department has one or more people dead to rights on obstruction, 18 USC 1519.
These newly revealed facts also goes to 18 USC 402 (disobeying the GJ subpoena).
Fact 3. passages on obstruction directly implicate Trump's lawyers in the alleged crimes.
That's NOT going to play out well for Trump if DOJ follows past practice.
Fact 4: The false certification by Trump's lawyers on June 3 that all the documents were returned.
Fact 5: In another passage about June 3 retrieval of classified documents, DOJ states:
Yet again, never a peep by Trump's side with any claim that he had declassified the documents.
Plus Trump counsel's actions suggested they believed the docs were classified.
6. Hard to keep track of all the false statements by Trump's counsel to the Department of Justice/FBI!
Here are more:
- that all records from the White House were stored in one location
- that there were no records in Trump's office space
7. New facts: June 3 search turned up (based on FBI preliminary review):
38 documents with classification markings
16 SECRET
17 TOP SECRET
Including "markings reflecting sensitive compartments and dissemination controls" -- indicating government's most highly guarded secrets.
8. This line points directly at Donald Trump.
In August 8 search, classified documents were
- not simply found in MAL
- not simply found outside the storage room
- not simply found in Trump's office
but found in the desks in his office.
He needs to think about a plea deal.
9. More evidence Trump disobeyed subpoena and concealed more docs.
Recall Trump team certified on June 3 "a diligent search was conducted of the boxes that were moved from the White House to Florida."
Yet FBI found on Aug 8
Documents that included the unmissable colored cover sheets.
10. This is a powerful line, and one that a close reader has already come to think by this point.
It's incriminating that the FBI found "in a matter of hours" two times amount of docs with classified markings as Trump team had weeks to locate.
11. Important what happens here:
June 3:
Trump team "explicitly prohibited" DOJ looking inside other boxes in storage room to see if other docs with classified markings there (p. 13).
August 8 FBI search:
FBI finds 76 docs with classified markings in same storage room
But, who hasn't gotten a little absent-minded when handling TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS IN AN UNSECURED LOCATION?????
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device
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