Day Of Reckoning: In Pursuit Of All The Ex-President’s Crimes

"...based on a general request from the FBI to restrict ELECTION MISINFORMATION." DOLT.

It's apparent that right-wingers resent not having Russia's propaganda access to our country kept wide open.  People who like to spread viruses don't like your computer having a firewall, either.  

Anyway, shitbag doper's spastic comments aside, let's look at the real topic at hand.

Donald Trump has, be it through nefariousness or simply neurosis (it's probably both), compromised the United States.

From the descriptions, it's sounding like some of those papers included lists of intelligence personnel in the field.  When you keep information like that in an unsecured location, you cannot be sure that those agents haven't been compromised.  Say we've got a spy working in Russia.  Okay, let's use China instead, because since Russians are "white" & Putin's "Christian" (just like Trump!) the bigotry-motivated right has decided they're our "friends" now.  So, this spy's in China.  And let's not even think the worst of Trump and say he sold or traded that info (although that definitely would NOT fucking surprise me) -- maybe he just wanted it because he's a vain headcase and wants to feel like a big-shot for having it.   Regardless --  it doesn't need to have been sold.  Because if a document's been sitting around a poolhouse where people who manipulate Trump come and go all the time, we can't know that that spy's identity is not now in enemy hands.  When you recognize a spy, there's all kinds of interesting things you can do -- none of them good for the people who installed him.  They can feed the spy false information to set the United States on the wrong track, or they can, if they choose, expose the spy to give the U.S. bad international P.R., threaten the spy's loved ones to turn him or her into a double-agent, or even kill the spy off.  Or all kinds of things. There's a lot of reason you keep that stuff top secret.

Basically, if that kind of document's been left an insecure location where you can't verify that it hasn't been seen... you've just burned that spy.  You can't use 'em anymore, just in case their cover's been blown.  That's sometimes years worth of trust-building, down the drain, and a huge loss to American security.

Now, I don't know if there's a list of our spies, but I do know that some of those documents were labeled "NOFORN" (that means no foreign nationals should be allowed anywhere near those documents) and "HCS-HUMINT" (human intelligence), and "SI-COMINT" (commnication intelligence).   NONE of those things should be out of a safe location because they're the kind of information that isn't useful to the country anymore if we can't verify that the enemy doesn't know we have it.   Be it the name of spies, or be it information about plots we've intercepted and are keeping a watch on, but the enemy doesn't know we know about them... whatever, all of that stuff having been left unsecured means that America is going to have to do a LOT of re-jiggering, even if we didn't actually need to.

Donald Trump has -- be it via malice or childish willfulness in wanting to have "trophies" of the time he was "important" -- compromised the security of this country.

They can try to spin that any fucking way they want, but it's an inescapable fact.  Trump's fucking around has cost us god knows how much money and work.  And now we have to guess about what foreign adversaries might know... all because Chubby McGolf-Golf thinks rules are silly and don't apply to him.

And I don't give a fuck if his cultists think he "declassified" them or not -- you don't declassify materials that deal with the intelligence sector, especially when "no foreign nationals" is a factor.  The only time you declass those things is years after whatever happened already happened... and even then you have to carefully weigh it to see if it might reveal agents or methods of intelligence gathering that you still may be using.

You also have to wonder WHY Trump wanted to keep such things. Why would you want HCS-HUMINT material in your possession unless you wanted to sell or trade it to someone? That gets into all kinds of conspiracy theories and I try not to trade in that overmuch, but... it does leave things open to a hell of a lot of speculation. It's a weird thing to keep as just "something for the memory-book."

Anyway, one thing is not only clear, it's absolute unavoidable:

Donald Trump is a pernicious dumbfuck and there is NO excusing what he did.  I'm not fond of the idea of throwing presidents in prison, because of the effect on the country's image and internal well-being, but something has to be done to call that bastard to account.  He's racked up a massive damage bill and I'm not sure why anybody in this country is okay with it, unless they're simply too goddamned stupid to understand what's happened.

zsomething wrote:It's apparent that right-wingers resent not having Russia's propaganda access to our country kept wide open.  People who like to spread viruses don't like your computer having a firewall, either.

Like our secretary of State using a basement server?

No... I didn't think so.

The New York Times Drops A 100 Megaton Print Bomb On One Donald J. Trump.

(just read it).

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/27/2119143/-The-New-York-Times-Drops-A-100-Megaton-Print-Bomb-On-One-Donald-J-Trump?pm_source=story_sidebar&pm_medium=web&pm_campaign=recommended

I knew those handwritten notes were important, because they could prove intent.

INSIDER
Trump lawyers claim classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago may be privileged because they contain handwritten notes


C. Ryan Barber,Sonam Sheth
Tue, September 20, 2022 at 2:13 PM·3 min read
In this article:

Trump's lawyers said classified Mar-a-Lago documents could be privileged because they contain his handwritten notes.

Trump is backing up an order preventing DOJ from reviewing classified records seized from his home.

A "special master" appointed to review those records held an initial hearing Tuesday.

The Justice Department has not minced words in its appeal for access to classified materials seized from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Without the ability to review those records, it argued, the "government and the public would suffer irreparable harm."

But on Tuesday, Trump's lawyers suggested that those concerns — and clear classification markings — may not be enough to overcome the power of the former president's pen, or Sharpie.

"The fact the documents contain classification markings does not necessarily negate privilege claims," Trump's lawyers said in a new filing with the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. They went on to note that according to court documents, some of the classified records seized from Mar-a-Lago "allegedly contain what appear to be President Trump's handwritten notes."

"Those notes could certainly contain privileged information; further supporting the need for an independent, third-party review of these documents," they added.

Tuesday's filing came in response to the Justice Department's appeal of a court order temporarily halting its review of about 11,000 documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, including more than 100 that were marked classified.

Judge Aileen Cannon refused last week to stay her ruling and appointed Raymond Dearie, a former chief judge of the federal court in Brooklyn, to serve as special master — an outside arbiter who reviews materials and sifts out any that could be covered under attorney-client or executive privilege.

The Justice Department, in appealing Cannon's order, said it "impedes the government's efforts to protect the nation's security." But lawyers for the former president said handwritten notes trumped the urgency of that concern.

Trump has also frequently claimed without evidence that he had a "standing order" to declassify all the records that were moved to Mar-a-Lago. But more than a dozen of his former aides told CNN they had no knowledge of such an order, and Trump's legal team has not made the claim in any of its filings.

In court filings, Trump's lawyers have not echoed his declassification claims, but they have asserted that a current president has absolute authority to declassify information. On Monday, they said the government "has not proven" the records with classified markings were still classified, adding that "this issue is to be determined later."

Dearie, the newly appointed special master, held an initial hearing Tuesday to address how his review process will unfold over the next two months. Ahead of that hearing, Trump's lawyers opposed Dearie's request for more information about the classification status of the seized documents.

The response was notable because Trump's lawyers acknowledged the possibility of an indictment on charges related to the removal of records from the White House.

Handing over information about records' classification status would force Trump to "fully and specifically disclose a defense" that he might use in the event of a "subsequent indictment," his lawyers argued.

The FBI searched Mar-a-Lago on August 8 as part of an inquiry into possible violations of the Espionage Act and other laws, according to a search warrant that was unsealed with redactions. In court filings, the Justice Department has noted that the Espionage Act makes it a crime to retain government records pertaining to the national defense regardless of classification status.

The Justice Department's inquiry is also examining possible violations of laws that criminalize the concealment, removal, and destruction of government records — also regardless of classification level.

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-lawyers-claim-classified-documents-191350092.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG20bxxqi8dL5291cSwkd1Wev-GM0wwDEo_eTpAfdvRM79nmcRr4HYW5wkP0beG3Mjnhr1VOmBLHm8QNxLU7t2FChfH0uhB2EZMo5AF-bGCle_uyiCgr4pWo5riv9ZMR-T69ha5dTnAVS8EV7XVVJbmh463AJNgnvPmXdB49u_8L

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Have you figured out who actually packed those boxes yet?

Or who is the ultimate decision maker of what's classified?

"Today was the first court hearing held by the person Donald Trump selected  to serve as special master to review the classified documents Trump stole from the federal government and unlawfully concealed at Mar-a-Lago.

The hearing didn't go so well for team Trump. Judge Dearie told Trump's criminal defense attorneys that he wants to know what documents (if any) Trump declassified. Trump's attorneys refused to answer, saying it would compromise their ability to defense against an indictment in the future. Judge Dearie pointedly responded, "you can't have your cake and eat it to."

This video reviews the status of the special master's review and why it appears that Judge Dearie seems entirely unwilling to play Trump and his lawyers' inappropriate "declassification" guessing game."

WOOMP! There it is:
Plaintiff does not have a possessory interest in the documents, so no cognizable harm if the United States reviews documents he neither owns nor has a personal interest in.


Hi guys just checking in.

resident trump’s staggering record of uncharged crimes


by Conor Shaw
September 27, 2022

As of September 2022, Donald Trump has been credibly accused of committing at least 55 criminal offenses since he launched his campaign for president in 2015. That total only reflects allegations relating to his time in or running for office and omits, for instance, Trump’s criminal exposure for fraudulent business dealings.

Click here to jump straight to the table

The seven offenses we have added since we published the first version of this table in March 2022 include three criminal offenses relating to the investigation of election fraud and related crimes in Fulton County, Georgia; one offense relating to potential wire fraud stemming from fraudulent representations made to solicit PAC contributions after the 2020 election; and three offenses relating to Trump’s unlawful possession of government records at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office. The updated tracker likely understates Trump’s legal exposure because the high volume of sensitive records discovered at Mar-A-Lago suggests that he could be indicted for multiple counts of willfully retaining without authorization government records containing national defense information, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 793(e)), even though it is only listed once on CREW’s tracker.

Federal and state prosecutors are at an important crossroads with respect to accountability for the former president. On the one hand, the deadline has already passed or will soon pass for charges relating to several extremely serious offenses. That includes offenses relating to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign as well as his obstruction of the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the subsequent special counsel investigation. The investigation of both matters was terminated by the Department of Justice at the direction of former Attorney General Bill Barr. While there is substantial evidence that Trump committed several felonies, he is unlikely to face consequences for that conduct.

On the other hand, Trump is squarely in the crosshairs of at least three grand jury investigations that have been very active over the last half year: the Fulton County, Georgia investigation of election fraud and related offenses; a federal grand jury investigation of the January 6 insurrection and events leading up to it; and a federal grand jury investigation of Trump’s unlawful possession of government records since leaving office and related offenses. These investigations suggest that Trump’s long run of avoiding accountability may soon be over.

While adherence to the rule of law requires that prosecutors pursue criminal indictments only where the facts, law, and principles of prosecution support such action, it is also critical that no individual be insulated from accountability simply because they are a national political figure, a former president, or a candidate for public office. Choosing not to pursue accountability for fear of political criticism or consequences is itself a deeply political act.

Failing to deter Donald Trump from engaging in further criminal misconduct would have profoundly damaging consequences for our democracy. Criminal law is designed to punish individuals for criminal offenses to discourage these individuals and others like them from engaging in the same conduct in the future. If President Trump avoids criminal prosecution for attempting to retain power despite being voted out of office or for compromising some of the country’s most sensitive national security secrets, the message to him and others who hold power will be clear: you can commit crimes that threaten the future of our democracy with impunity.

The rule of law is not self-enforcing. The individuals who serve in the Department of Justice and in prosecutors’ offices across the country are charged with upholding it. They must pursue criminal charges against President Trump if the facts, law, and principles of prosecution support doing so.

(see site)

https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/president-trumps-staggering-record-of-uncharged-crimes/

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When Trump moves on to the next world, his real trial to pay for his crimes and sins will begin, along with the mindless dupes who supported Trump and his countless sins. Pray for the children of the Great Demon of Tallahassee, they are still young enough to atone for their father's sins and denounce their demonic daddy.

Trump officials removed '2.7 million' PPP fraud flags from 'the largest corporations' during his lame duck period

Alex Henderson October 07, 2022


The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was part of the CARES Act of 2020, was launched under former President Donald Trump in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued into the Joe Biden era. Some PPP loans were investigated by federal officials and flagged for potential fraud. But according to a Project on Government Oversight (POGO) report released on Thursday, October 6, the Trump Administration eliminated an abundance of flags during its final weeks in office.

Truthout’s Sharon Zhang reports that according to POGO’s report, Small Business Administration (SBA) officials “eliminated 2.7 million flags between December 2020 and January 2021, as the Administration was in its lame duck period.”

In an article published on October 6, Zhang notes, “Special preference was given to the largest loans, which often also went to the largest corporations. On January 16, 2021, four days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s SBA wiped 99 percent of special review flags — which were given out to every loan above $2 million for separate investigatory purposes.”

READ MORE: How looters who abused the Paycheck Protection Program pulled off the 'biggest fraud in a generation': report

Zhang notes that according to POGO, the Trump Administration “appeared to have favored the very largest loan recipients.”

“Trump continually gave huge financial favors to large corporations during his time in office — and though most large corporations were exempt from receiving PPP loans, some large corporations managed to skirt the rules and receive loans anyway,” Zhang observes. “Out of the $800 billion given out in the program, flagged loans accounted for at least $189 billion. Because the vast majority of PPP loans — 95 percent — have been forgiven, it’s likely that many of these loans that had previously been flagged have been forgiven entirely.”

Zhang points out that a National Bureau of Economic Research study released in January 2022 “estimated that only between about a quarter and a third of PPP loans went to saving workers’ jobs.”

“The rest — about 66 to 77 percent — went to business owners and people like shareholders,” Zhang reports. “Many loans went directly to the rich. Several billionaires or companies owned by billionaires received loans, like Republican fundraiser Joe Farrell or Kanye West’s apparel company, valued at $3 billion. One loan, POGO found, went to a hotel owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican who is the richest man in the state and a former billionaire.”

READ MORE: White House shreds Marjorie Taylor Greene over PPP loan hypocrisy

Zhang adds, “The loan was worth $8.9 million and appeared to have been flagged eight times by the SBA. Another loan with nine flags, worth over $5 million, appears to belong to a Kentucky hospitality corporation whose annual revenue of $850 million would likely make it too large to receive a PPP loan.”

READ MORE: Congressional candidate disparaged COVID-19 aid despite taking thousands of dollars for her businesses

https://www.alternet.org/2022/10/trump-officials-removed-2-7-million-ppp-fraud-flags-during-the-lame-duck-period-report/

************

That's rich coming from an org that was held liable (later vacated on a technicality and then politically protected) for paying off govt employee leakers (whistleblowers?).

Brought to you by Soros's "media" truthout about an org funded by Soros's Open Society Foundation's ... lol.

Do you ever use reliable sources?

Russia Collusion
Crossfire Hurricane
DC Investigates Inaugural Funds
New York Investigates Inaugural Funds
New Jersey Investigates Inaugural Funds
Emoluments Clause Investigation
Ways and Means Tax Investigation
Trump Hotel Lease Investigation
Foreign Gift Investigation
Fulton County DA 2020 Election Investigation
NAACP Michigan Voting Rights Act Investigation
Mar-A-Lago Raid
House Oversight Classified Material Investigation
January 6TH Committee Investigation
DC AG January 6TH Investigation
January 6TH Impeachment Investigation
Ukraine Phone Call Impeachment Investigation
Hush Money Payment Investigation (Stormy Daniels)
Michael Cohen Pardon Investigation
Save America PAC Investigation
White House Security Clearance Investigation
Trump's Net Worth Investigated In House
Use Of Private Email By Jared & Ivanka
Investigation Into Communications With Putin
Possible Money Laundering Investigation
Saudi Arabia Nuclear Venture Investigation
New York AG Trump Property Values
Manhattan DA Trump Property Values
Westchester DA Trump Property Values
Trump SPCA/Truth Social Investigation
Inflated Insurance Claims Investigation
E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Apparently, this list came from Sean Hannity. But they're all witch hunts.

GOP operative convicted in scheme to funnel Russian money into Trump campaign

Shawna Chen

Jesse Benton, spokesperson for the Ron Paul campaign, speaking to reporters on Jan. 1, 2012. Photo: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

A former senior aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was convicted Thursday after being found guilty of helping to funnel illegal foreign campaign contributions from a Russian national into former President Trump's 2016 campaign.

Driving the news: Jessie Benton, 45, orchestrated a scheme to conceal the illegal foreign donation with another GOP operative, per the Justice Department. Benton, the husband of Paul's niece and a veteran Republican staffer, faces up to 20 years in prison. His attorney told the Washington Post Benton "maintains his innocence and plans to appeal."

Federal prosecutors say Benton arranged for the Russian national to attend a political fundraising event for Trump's campaign and take a photo with Trump.
For the record: Neither Trump nor his campaign was aware of the Russian person's nationality, the DOJ said.

Zoom in: The Russian national wired $100,000 to Benton's political consulting firm to make an illegal foreign contribution, but Benton allegedly pocketed $75,000 and gave $25,000 to the campaign, falsely identifying himself as the donor.

He faced six criminal charges, including conspiracy and abetting illegal foreign political contributions.
Flashback: Benton was previously convicted of filing false statements as part of a scheme to funnel money from Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign to an influential Iowa politician who backed Paul in the state's presidential caucus.

Trump pardoned Benton shortly before leaving office.
Go deeper: Pro-Trump PAC fined over foreign money offer

https://www.axios.com/2022/11/18/trump-campaign-jesse-benton-russia

**************

If Trump didn't know about it, why did he pardon this guy?

Group of legal superstars prepares model "Prosecution Memo" making massive case for indicting Trump

Mrmuni12
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Friday November 18, 2022 · 2:48 AM CST

Group of legal superstars prepares model "Prosecution Memo" making massive case for indicting Trump on six sets of crimes.
by: Andrew Weissmann, Ryan Goodman, Joyce Vance, Norman L. Eisen, Fred Wertheimer, E. Danya Perry, Siven Watt, Joshua Stanton, Donald Simon and Alexander K. Parachini. Descriptions of this impressive team are here:

AndrewWeissmann, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
RyanGoodman, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
JoyceVance, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
NormanL. Eisen, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
FredWertheimer, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
E.Danya Perry, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
SivenWatt, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
JoshuaStanton, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
DonaldSimon, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/
AlexanderK. Parachini, Author at Just Security - https://www.justsecurity.org/

The entire memo is here:

https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/just-security-mar-a-lago-model-prosecution-memorandum-november-2022.pdf

[...]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/18/2137025/-Group-of-legal-superstars-prepares-model-Prosecution-Memo-making-massive-case-for-indicting-Trump?pm_source=story_sidebar&pm_medium=web&pm_campaign=recommended

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This deals only with the theft of government documents.