Many basic facts seem to be missing in the debate surrounding the Trump document case. Former President Trump allegedly had at his properties more than 300 government documents marked classified. Half of those were returned voluntarily, and more were produced under subpoena. The raid in August 2022 turned up the remaining 102 documents which led to 31 counts of Trump willfully retaining national defense documents, not 102 counts and not 102 counts of possessing or neglecting classified documents. Most of the 102 documents didn't contain national defense information, or else the indictment count could have been much higher. Those 102 documents were less than 1 percent of what was taken in the raid, yet Jack Smith released photos showing dozens of boxes lined up to fuel the notion that an endless count of sensitive documents was sitting around.
The simplest explanation of why DJT is facing 31 charges instead of 300 is the overuse of classification, which is a longstanding problem in DC, and one Congress should address. While they're at it, Congress should update the Presidential Records Act to narrowly define said records as the work product directly produced by the Office of the President of the United States, and to require that Presidents maintain a list what documents from the Executive Branch agencies they have chosen to declassify that has been countersigned by (but not necessarily approved of) by the head of the classifying agency - I am thinking of a procedure that would be akin to the role of a notary public.
I have always understood responsibility to be faithfully executing the duties and upholding the behavioral norms attendant on one's position in life. Parents are irresponsible if they neglect their children; police are irresponsible if they do not arrest thieves and murders. Trump was irresponsible in holding onto classified documents when he left office. He compounded that error in failing to return them when asked, and he's made it clear that he knew at least one of the documents in his possession had not been declassified. Yes, Trump has been politically persecuted, but these troubles are in part of his own making. This time, I have little sympathy for him, and it my hope that he can arrange a pardon akin to that granted to Spiro Agnew's, that he'll endorse a candidate for 2024, and return to civilian life.
Let’s hope common sense and decency prevails in this circus we call justice!
The simplest explanation of why DJT is facing 31 charges instead of 300 is the overuse of classification, which is a longstanding problem in DC, and one Congress should address. While they're at it, Congress should update the Presidential Records Act to narrowly define said records as the work product directly produced by the Office of the President of the United States, and to require that Presidents maintain a list what documents from the Executive Branch agencies they have chosen to declassify that has been countersigned by (but not necessarily approved of) by the head of the classifying agency - I am thinking of a procedure that would be akin to the role of a notary public.
I have always understood responsibility to be faithfully executing the duties and upholding the behavioral norms attendant on one's position in life. Parents are irresponsible if they neglect their children; police are irresponsible if they do not arrest thieves and murders. Trump was irresponsible in holding onto classified documents when he left office. He compounded that error in failing to return them when asked, and he's made it clear that he knew at least one of the documents in his possession had not been declassified. Yes, Trump has been politically persecuted, but these troubles are in part of his own making. This time, I have little sympathy for him, and it my hope that he can arrange a pardon akin to that granted to Spiro Agnew's, that he'll endorse a candidate for 2024, and return to civilian life.