Trump's Classified Docs Theft: Mar-A-Lago, FBI Subpoenas, Searches & Seizures - DOJ, Garland, GOP Madness - Spy Hard

[Danraft]

What stood out to me of the Kristi Noem F&F interview was her instant smug smirk each and every time the degree of damning knowledge was elaborated.

My guess, whether this was calculated to do so or not, many more witnesses will make themselves available. I think many more tidbits will come to their attention to fill in any gaps there are.

So…
1. Will charges be made on Trump himself?
2. Will his legal team be charged/disciplined?
3. Will we ever know the actual contents (in general) of the documents found in various places?
Without knowing the contents, I just can’t seem to get my head around what motivations were at play.

[Maybenaut]

I know nothing about how firms (especially white shoe ones) operate. And I get they are successful because they cultivate an alpha gunner culture.

By for the life of me I can't understand how so many highly successful people, who know taking on a new client is a Big Deal, sought forgiveness rather than permission from their own firms, literally* the hands that feed them.

* Mostly; I presume they can feed themselves.

Same here. I can certainly understand why the firms would withhold permission for one of their attorneys to take on a client who doesn't pay, and is likely to enmesh the firm in a case that could (1) potentially result in conflicts between the firm and the client who is known to lie to his lawyers; (2) potentially result in conflicts between the firm and other clients; and (3) trap the firm into a representation from which it might not be able to withdraw or escape.

I don't know shit about federal practice, but my sense is that white-collar practice in federal court is highly specialized. I know for a fact that National Security law is highly specialized. So what I cannot understand is why any attorney would leave a presumably well-paying job to take this shit on, particularly if he does not have the experience he's going to need. I mean, they had to know they'd get fired over this, right?

[RVInit]

It's not like he can actually use it, right? As soon as he shows up in another country, won't it light up? Unless he's heading to Russia, as if Putin wants him.

I heard that the point of the passports was that they were located in the same drawer as the top secret docs, thereby showing that this was a private drawer used by TFG--a drawer that he used for his personal things, thereby going to show that the TS docs were in his personal space (eliminating the likelihood that someone else put them there and he didn't know about it).

I certainly take it this way. I suppose he can still point fingers and claim someone put them in that drawer for him, but who is going to take the ultimate fall for Trump?

Should we have a special vote for who is likely to put their head on the block for Trump? It might be a fun distraction for us to speculate on.

[p0rtia]

What stood out to me of the Kristi Noem F&F interview was her instant smug smirk each and every time the degree of damning knowledge was elaborated.

My guess, whether this was calculated to do so or not, many more witnesses will make themselves available. I think many more tidbits will come to their attention to fill in any gaps there are.

So…
1. Will charges be made on Trump himself?
2. Will his legal team be charged/disciplined?
3. Will we ever know the actual contents (in general) of the documents found in various places?
Without knowing the contents, I just can’t seem to get my head around what motivations were at play.

You're right, Dan.

I've been so busy reading analysis and listening to the takes of my betters (or at the better informed) to step back. But this is going open the effing floodgates. The waters are going to be black with rats.

Even my despicable congresswoman was posting about the power outage in my county last night. I've been thinking she would be one of the last to jump ship. We'll see.

[Foggy]

Let's take a deep breath here and remember that Jimmy Carter had actual blueprints in his possession after leaving office.

Trump is gonna mention that REAL SOON.

He worked for Habitat for Humanity for many years.

[Kendra]

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/3 ... s-00054369

Just six days before the Justice Department subpoenaed to recover highly sensitive documents housed at Mar-a-Lago, one of Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys scoured the estate searching for records in response to a separate legal matter.

The attorney, Alina Habba, told a New York State court that on May 5, she conducted a search of Trump’s private residence and office at Mar-a-Lago that was so “diligent” it included “all desks, drawers, nightstands, dressers, closets, etc.” She was looking for records in response to a subpoena issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is investigating matters related to the Trump Organization.

The same filing also includes an affidavit from Trump himself, indicating that he “authorized Alina Habba to search my private residence and personal office located at The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida for any and all documents responsive to the Subpoena.” Habba indicated she conducted similar searches at Trump’s residences and office at his Bedminster estate.

Oh.

[Kendra]

DOJ doesn't *need* anyone to flip to prove its case. But since Christina Bobb is looking into the eyes of an obstruction charge, she might want to think about talking to prosecutors about any "instructions" she received about responding to DOJ's subpoena

FYI : Christina Bobb was in the War Room at the Willard Hotel on the evening of Jan 5, 2021.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Good thread from a law professor who is new to me:

► Show Spoiler

Worth reading the rest of the short thread.

She is a Georgetown law professor. She writes succinctly on the executive privilege "defense". I'll bet her classes are popular.

[p0rtia]

The photo of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, annotated
Analysis by Philip Bump
National correspondent
Updated August 31, 2022 at 12:37 p.m. EDT|Published August 31, 2022 at 11:27 a.m. EDT


Perhaps the most intriguing component of the court filing submitted Tuesday night by the Justice Department did not involve legal argumentation or an articulation of the department’s possible case against former president Donald Trump. Instead, it was a photograph showing documents arrayed on the floor of an unidentified room.

Clearly visible on more than a half-dozen of the papers: classification markings.

WaPo gift article:

https://wapo.st/3wGlWXi

[Dr. Ken]

Let's check in with Jonathan Turley's hot takes

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Can some intrepid Hill reporter please hunt down Susan Collins and ask if she thinks he's really really learned his lesson this time?

@MarciaBarnes13

@SenatorCollins ICYMI. Has the former guy learned his lesson NOW?

(

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Steve Doocy has been pushing back a lot lately. Who had him on their Bingo card?

Thanks for asking this! I didn't.

[Kendra]

Steve Doocy has been pushing back a lot lately. Who had him on their Bingo card?

Thanks for asking this! I didn't.

John Heilman (sp?) was standing in for Nicolle Wallace for a couple of weeks. I swear every day he had a new clip of Doocy pushing back on guests and/or his co-hosts. Maybe he's on retirement watch and doesn't care anymore?

[Ben-Prime]

Narcistic collapse in real time

Is it wrong that I want to answer thusly?

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

@RichardGrenell on Twitter - is he bipolar or what? He swings the entire political spectrum with his comments.

[Dr. Ken]

[Ben-Prime]

Pay up.

Nah, I was right. The DOJ redacted the name of Trump’s soon to be ex-lawyer; the DOG didn’t rag Trump’s papers for the many defects that make his lawyers look like idiots (as far as I can tell, Trump’s lawyers fucked up service in a way familiar to observers of birther litigation) and that in ordinary litigation would have resulted in the the judge dismissing the motion and telling Trump to try again; the DOJ didn’t point out the myriad ways in which the judge’s order was grossly improper; DOJ have consciously waived a number of point-scoring arguments and focused on the ones that are most important for this proceeding, and that are most resistant to the judge's discretionary power to ignore. And they could have said much more about the lawlessness of the delay, obstruction, and general lawlessness of Trump and his lawyers.

Of course, what they did say was extraordinarily damning. Like a stiletto. Very good work.

Nice try, Bullwinkle! Your "wet blanket" referred to the issue of whether or not reading it "would be as much fun as we would like it to be."

Well, it was hella MORE fun than even I or any of us, I dare say, ever imagined. Though, "respectful" it certainly was--if you describe "respectful" as "slashing you into little pieces and stomping on you till you look like cat throw-up without breaking either Roberts Rules of Order or the Rules of Etiquette as outlines by Emily Post"!

I rest my case!

In the Court of Bun-Dogs, in the case of P0rtia vs Chancery, we must find for the plaintiff and order that the respondent not only pay up, but also cover court costs in the form of belly rubs to each and every officer of the 699th; in the event that the respondent is somehow allergic to dogs, the Court will allow an alternate punishment involving, oh, I don't know, pancakes or something.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Appeal DENINED!

[Slim Cognito]

I wondered why they'd take framed magazine covers and whatever the other frames hold, then I wondered if they were inclined to open said frames to make sure nothing important was hidden inside, as in life imitates a low-budget spy movie.

[Azastan]

I wondered why they'd take framed magazine covers and whatever the other frames hold, then I wondered if they were inclined to open said frames to make sure nothing important was hidden inside, as in life imitates a low-budget spy movie.

I thought it was to show that classified information was being carelessly stored with framed magazine covers, all jumbled together.

[p0rtia]

It was the cat throw-up reference, wasn't it.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Yes, and the citation to Emily Post.

[Kendra]

Trump attorney Alina Habba is upset that the DOJ and FBI are looking into "mundane" crimes like "espionage" at Mar-a-Lago.

"They found these three mundane statutes: espionage and the two others."

[bob]

The usual talking heads believe the possibility of an indictment are increasing, but speculate it won't be filed until after the election.

[pipistrelle]

These Bobb quotations haven’t aged well.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-ba ... ar-a-lago/