Trump Is Now on the Hook for 32 Counts of Mishandling Secret Documents

HLMenckenFan@lemmy.worldmod to politics @lemmy.world – 623 points –
Trump Is Now on the Hook for 32 Counts of Mishandling Secret Documents
vice.com
55

popcorn eating intensifies

Save it for the 2024 election!

It’s going to be a balls-out, no-holds-barred, utter shit fest of propaganda, lies, and disregard for any laws and/or ethics to get him re-elected.

Delay, delay and then steal the election to stay out of jail.

Don’t forget the awesome third party spoilers!

The 2024 election will be a referendum on the rule of law.

Does it matter?

Does it matter that Trump is accused of butchering it? Does it matter that Alabama is ignoring a SCOTUS ruling it doesn't like?

Are we for laws or not? Big moment for America, as you don't come back from being not for laws right away.

Biden is almost as bad. He's just more respectable on the surface.

That you've been convinced of this lie is just further evidence that the media landscape needs to be regulated and the fairness doctrine needs to be updated for the internet era and brought back into effect.

I think you got lost here, this is normally a place that deals with reality and facts. No, Biden isn’t anywhere remotely close to the traitorous scum that literally attempted a coup.

Biden is just as corrupt as Trump was and is. But you don't fuck with power, and Trump fucked with the establishment, infuriated them for four years, and now they want his blood.

You are a useful idiot. Much like the idiots who broke into the Capitol were useful idiots for Trump.

Listened to a podcast which said he can still run for the presidency though. WTF ?

In a functioning democracy, a person like Trump would never stand a chance after his first term, never mind the evidence of his criminality.

Our democracy is broken from too many uneducated people who need someone else to tell them what to think about a topic. The cult of personality relies on emotional appeals instead of fact base reason.

Shit’s fucked, yo.

I think it's so you can't get your political rivals arrested to prevent them from running against you. Kinda like Lula in Brazil. I think it makes sense, even if it feels shitty right now. Congress could still do something about it, but good luck getting more than a handful of Republicans to hit their party's self destruct button.

The ancient for the most part rich white slave owners who wrote the constitution just didn’t think of the scenario where a corrupt imprisoned felon could be a candidate for president. They were all 18th century enlightened gentlemen and that was outside their reality. They were however very concerned that some Europe-born demagogue might gain power.

Eugene V. Debs ran for president from prison. There's nothing in the Constitution that says you can't. Ironically, though, you won't be allowed to vote.

Lawyers of Lemmy, let's say he gets stuck with a fine or some trivial amount of jail time or something as a result of these charges. Is there anything about these crimes or punishments that would prevent his presidential candidacy?

Not a lawyer, but related to multiple and helped one study for the bar, so I know basically jack shit, but Section 3 of the 14th amendment:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

In short, no.

We need the Jan 6th indictment and a conviction under the insurrection act US code 2383

Also those indictments for Jan 6th in the DC federal jurisdiction are expected any second now.

Some of those charges are violations of the Espionage Act. Maybe disqualifying, maybe not. The inevitable lawsuit will decide.

Perhaps too late, perhaps not.

Are you not at least entertained?

Yeah, the reason I still say 'no' is that the espionage act charges don't necessarily involve aiding enemies, because it can (and has) been violated purely by possessing and disseminating NDI documents to people not authorized, which we actually do have evidence for.

If there was compelling evidence of classified+ info being given to Putin, for example, then I'd forget bothering with the trials and go polish up the guillotine.

Definitely entertained by the online meltdowns by the idiot in chief either way.

Nope. The only charges that might potentially block him are the ones related to January 6th, but at this time we don't even know what they are.

IANAL, but no. Even if he is found guilty and faces hard time, he can still be President. It would take Congressional action under the 14th amendment to prevent it, but a judge could still over rule that theoretically.

It's a messed up system we have that someone convicted of so many felonies could still be president and hold the highest security clearance in our country.

A person should not be able to be president if they've been convicted of a felony. I don't mind misdemeanor convictions, especially if the served time, but felonies are a whole other level.

He obstructed the obstruction of justice. I am also not a lawyer, but I believe that negates the obstruction. Rick Santorum on CNN, probably. /s

"Its a double negative, which means Jack Smith is guilty of obstruction of justice now! SUCK ON THAT LIBS!"

Only 32?

So far. The problem is classified docs cases are very difficult to prosecute because everyone involved needs the clearance to view the evidence. Some documents he compromised may be so high level, it would be worse to grant clearance to a jury than to let him walk.

That’s how bad this is. 32 charges are likely the best we can do.

If Saudi Arabia can see them, then 12 US citizens can see them too.

We can assume at least some of these documents compromise allies as well.

It’s not usual for the US attorney general to visit The Hague, but Merrick Garland did last month, and there’s been talk in diplomatic circles that trump severely damaged relations with the US’s allies.

We’ll likely never know the worst of this.

e: also it’s not just 12 jurors. It’s both teams of attorneys, dozens of paralegals, the entire staff of the prosecutors including the investigation team, everyone on the defendant’s staff, plus others. For a case this size, you’re talking like a hundred people, some of whom are underpaid enough to jump at a tabloid’s offer of 100k to squeal. The government won’t take that chance.

We can assume that trump already texted selfies to the defense team of him standing in front of the bathroom mirror, holding everything, while wearing that shit eating grin of his.

Punishable with a fine though right?

Don’t be silly. Rich people don’t pay fines.

Yes they do but to them it's just a petty cost for the lifestyle. Chump change for them, ruinous for the rest of us.

What you mean is rich people don't pay fines that hurt.

Rich people don't pay fines, they have LLCs to pay fines for them.

Technically anywhere between nothing and 10 years per count depending on how the trial goes

Given that he both knew he had some of them and showed them to people who didn't have the proper clearance as a matter of bragging (for which we have proof on audio), it's going to be more than a wrist slap for sure.

Whether or not they can make all the counts stick is a different matter, but he is not likely to escape all of them.

No it will all magically go away with a wave of the money wand

Genuine question, are these ever mounting charges (even if well founded) at a time like this not going to fuel even more polarisation ??

OK. Now let's see how many Obama and Clinton have.

The most ridiculous argument ever. If they have some, then that would be a crime TOO. Even if they have truckloads, it doesn't make it any less of a crime for Trump.

Had. They turned them in when requested, like any non-traitor would.

Is he/she asking how many secret documents they had or felony counts? Because I read this as a hilarious sarcastic jab at maga voters.

Felony counts Trump 32, Clinton 0, Obama 0.