Donnie Dumptruck says Mar-A-Lago's been searched by the FBI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

Ah, that explains the request.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will offer a contrarian view. Trump suffers from a form of narcissistic personality disorder. He was the president and who was anyone else to tell him that he wasn’t allowed to keep “his documents” relating to something he may have considered to be a success of his presidency. So he started to hoard things — including classified materials — with the thought that successive administrations would not give him the credit he thought he deserved. Was it unlawful? Yes. Was it incredibly irresponsible? Yes. Did he put US secrets at risk? Almost certainly. Has he improperly shared classified information in the past? No doubt. But do I think he was selling national intelligence secrets? No.

Has this been the case, DOJ would not have handled the matter with the care and patience it did. It would come as no surprise to anyone that Trump did not turn over presidential records that became the property of NARA on 1/20/21. Something like the infamous Sharpie hurricane map. It was no secret he had aides remove boxes from the West Wing to the residence during the course of January. And senior staff attempted to discuss his legal obligations to surrender documents during that same period.

After repeated efforts to recover the documents, a grand jury was empaneled to subpoena the missing presidential records. Only then was there a recognition that Trump had taken voluminous classified material. And it would subsequently be discovered that his attorneys lied about the possession of such material all-the-while there was no meaningful effort to secure material tossed in boxes with raincoats and golf balls. But Trump was fully aware of the importance of some of the material. It’s the reason that boxes continued to be moved in and out of the storage area and some were found in the closet of his private office suite.

But we still have no indication that Trump was seeking to affirmatively misuse the material for personal or political gain. The time allowed to pass between May and August doesn’t seem to support this was the case. Nonetheless the counterintelligence professionals couldn’t have been happy about Orban visiting MAL earlier in the month and other foreign contacts that have not been made public. Let’s hope this was ultimately more a matter of securing positive control over the material and not something more sinister.

I don’t even know what to say to this.

DP and let me caveat that I hate Trump. I think he is a dangerous authoritarian. I believe January 6th and the efforts around it were an attempted coup/autogolpe.

But I agree with the PP's assessment. I don't think Trump cares one bit about this country or about IC safeguards or the like. But I also don't find it plausible that he was feeding information to a foreign intelligence service on any sort of routinized basis. He's too erratic to take direction from anyone. I think the danger is actually that a foreign intelligence service recruits/co-opts a staffer, or plants someone and that person leverages their access to get Trump to share information or documents.

I absolutely think Trump should be in jail for improperly handling classified, or at least charged and fined. Plus the taking of records he didn't have a right to take. It's completely possible that the records at Mar a Lago were exposed to people that shouldn't have had access to them. I just don't really buy all these crazy stories that Trump exposed assets! Or Trump gave up nuclear information!

It makes for good stories, but I wonder if you have people that are expecting Trump faces treason charges and when he doesn't they lose even more faith in our government and judicial system. I don't think it's a healthy information environment.

You're off your rocker. Just look at the three very reasonable crimes laid out in the warrant. That's it. There's no bloody treason. Those three are serious enough, and can be proved.

***Trump does not need to have monetized his information to be jailed***

***Trump does not need to have INTENDED to sell out agents to EFFECTIVELY sell them out!***

Same thing for nuclear secrets.

Multiple average people have already come forward to say that while guests of Trump, they were shown documents that looked confidential (exact classification uncertain).
That's what he does!!! He cannot live by himself. He has to live at a club with the constant adulation of guests. The way he feeds that adulation is to show them things no one else can show them.
He has a pathological need for recognition and it leads him to share national security docs with all and sundry.
And we already know a Chinese agent was apprehended at Mar-a-Lago at one point. It's obvious there were many more spies.

The obvious scenario is that he showed compromising agent information to someone from the other side, without even thinking he was putting anyone in danger.
He may have also done this with nuclear info.

The other obvious scenario is that his staff has either done the same thing or monetized the information for their own gain (cough-Kushner).

IT'S ALL JAIL-WORTHY.

DP. Interestingly, the FBI's search affidavit lists all the classified handling markings on the documents they seized. The marking that is used for nuclear was not on the list. There are other very concerning markings, but not the ones for nuclear.

I don't think this is about nukes. I think it's about spies. He gave up our spy identities and got them killed.

It is ALSO about nukes. He and Flynn have been funneling nuclear information to the Saudi's for years.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021

Note the words ‘may have’ and ‘planned’ in your article. They are important

There is an investigation for a reason. Trump didn’t tweet about all of his misdeeds.

All the Dems do is investigate. It’s to leak to media and sow discord

I understand it is upsetting that Republicans aren't allowed to do whatever they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Real lawyers who practice in federal court are flabbergasted by this "Preliminary Order" proposed by a judge in a court who has jurisdiction over the search warrant because ?????

Many very strong people with tears in their eyes are saying the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure don’t apply to Trump under the bigly theory of the unitary former executive.

Good one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

TBH the motion is about the farthest thing from clarity — perhaps intentional so. Trump is asking for appointment of a Special Master to review “potentially privileged” documents the FBI may have siezed. But he fails to identify any specific document or class of documents that may be subject to a claim of privilege. What he instead tells the court is that the government should be directed to provide a “more detailed receipt” for the siezed property that will enable Trump to determine what was taken, and implicitly some insight into the investigation and opportunity for greymail, and the return of material outside ghe scope of the warrant. In no uncertain terms Trump wants to know why the warrant was sought and belatedly asks the court to enjoin any further review of the material until the Dprcial Master is appointed — in other words, yet more delay, delay, delay. We can assume however that the review has been completed now that three weeks have passed as of Monday since the warrant was executed. DOJ would have anticipated prompt action by Trump and completed review at warp speed consistent with concerns about national security. And 5 boxes of material apparently have been sent to Judge Reinhart for review according to a warrant receipt. In short, it’s a proceeding full of sound and fury, but likely signifying nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will offer a contrarian view. Trump suffers from a form of narcissistic personality disorder. He was the president and who was anyone else to tell him that he wasn’t allowed to keep “his documents” relating to something he may have considered to be a success of his presidency. So he started to hoard things — including classified materials — with the thought that successive administrations would not give him the credit he thought he deserved. Was it unlawful? Yes. Was it incredibly irresponsible? Yes. Did he put US secrets at risk? Almost certainly. Has he improperly shared classified information in the past? No doubt. But do I think he was selling national intelligence secrets? No.

Has this been the case, DOJ would not have handled the matter with the care and patience it did. It would come as no surprise to anyone that Trump did not turn over presidential records that became the property of NARA on 1/20/21. Something like the infamous Sharpie hurricane map. It was no secret he had aides remove boxes from the West Wing to the residence during the course of January. And senior staff attempted to discuss his legal obligations to surrender documents during that same period.

After repeated efforts to recover the documents, a grand jury was empaneled to subpoena the missing presidential records. Only then was there a recognition that Trump had taken voluminous classified material. And it would subsequently be discovered that his attorneys lied about the possession of such material all-the-while there was no meaningful effort to secure material tossed in boxes with raincoats and golf balls. But Trump was fully aware of the importance of some of the material. It’s the reason that boxes continued to be moved in and out of the storage area and some were found in the closet of his private office suite.

But we still have no indication that Trump was seeking to affirmatively misuse the material for personal or political gain. The time allowed to pass between May and August doesn’t seem to support this was the case. Nonetheless the counterintelligence professionals couldn’t have been happy about Orban visiting MAL earlier in the month and other foreign contacts that have not been made public. Let’s hope this was ultimately more a matter of securing positive control over the material and not something more sinister.

I don’t even know what to say to this.

DP and let me caveat that I hate Trump. I think he is a dangerous authoritarian. I believe January 6th and the efforts around it were an attempted coup/autogolpe.

But I agree with the PP's assessment. I don't think Trump cares one bit about this country or about IC safeguards or the like. But I also don't find it plausible that he was feeding information to a foreign intelligence service on any sort of routinized basis. He's too erratic to take direction from anyone. I think the danger is actually that a foreign intelligence service recruits/co-opts a staffer, or plants someone and that person leverages their access to get Trump to share information or documents.

I absolutely think Trump should be in jail for improperly handling classified, or at least charged and fined. Plus the taking of records he didn't have a right to take. It's completely possible that the records at Mar a Lago were exposed to people that shouldn't have had access to them. I just don't really buy all these crazy stories that Trump exposed assets! Or Trump gave up nuclear information!

It makes for good stories, but I wonder if you have people that are expecting Trump faces treason charges and when he doesn't they lose even more faith in our government and judicial system. I don't think it's a healthy information environment.

You're off your rocker. Just look at the three very reasonable crimes laid out in the warrant. That's it. There's no bloody treason. Those three are serious enough, and can be proved.

***Trump does not need to have monetized his information to be jailed***

***Trump does not need to have INTENDED to sell out agents to EFFECTIVELY sell them out!***

Same thing for nuclear secrets.

Multiple average people have already come forward to say that while guests of Trump, they were shown documents that looked confidential (exact classification uncertain).
That's what he does!!! He cannot live by himself. He has to live at a club with the constant adulation of guests. The way he feeds that adulation is to show them things no one else can show them.
He has a pathological need for recognition and it leads him to share national security docs with all and sundry.
And we already know a Chinese agent was apprehended at Mar-a-Lago at one point. It's obvious there were many more spies.

The obvious scenario is that he showed compromising agent information to someone from the other side, without even thinking he was putting anyone in danger.
He may have also done this with nuclear info.

The other obvious scenario is that his staff has either done the same thing or monetized the information for their own gain (cough-Kushner).

IT'S ALL JAIL-WORTHY.

DP. Interestingly, the FBI's search affidavit lists all the classified handling markings on the documents they seized. The marking that is used for nuclear was not on the list. There are other very concerning markings, but not the ones for nuclear.

I don't think this is about nukes. I think it's about spies. He gave up our spy identities and got them killed.

It is ALSO about nukes. He and Flynn have been funneling nuclear information to the Saudi's for years.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021

Note the words ‘may have’ and ‘planned’ in your article. They are important

There is an investigation for a reason. Trump didn’t tweet about all of his misdeeds.

All the Dems do is investigate. It’s to leak to media and sow discord

I understand it is upsetting that Republicans aren't allowed to do whatever they want.

Bwhahaha. We're just giving republicans a dose of their own medicine. It's too bad they aren't used to being investigated, and may have committed crimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

We can expect him to argue otherwise based on language in US v. Nixon characterizing certain presidential communications as presumptively privileged. NARA has explained the reasons Trump is not correct but he’s simply trying to kick to can closer and closer to the midterms and the presumptive announcement of his candidacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will offer a contrarian view. Trump suffers from a form of narcissistic personality disorder. He was the president and who was anyone else to tell him that he wasn’t allowed to keep “his documents” relating to something he may have considered to be a success of his presidency. So he started to hoard things — including classified materials — with the thought that successive administrations would not give him the credit he thought he deserved. Was it unlawful? Yes. Was it incredibly irresponsible? Yes. Did he put US secrets at risk? Almost certainly. Has he improperly shared classified information in the past? No doubt. But do I think he was selling national intelligence secrets? No.

Has this been the case, DOJ would not have handled the matter with the care and patience it did. It would come as no surprise to anyone that Trump did not turn over presidential records that became the property of NARA on 1/20/21. Something like the infamous Sharpie hurricane map. It was no secret he had aides remove boxes from the West Wing to the residence during the course of January. And senior staff attempted to discuss his legal obligations to surrender documents during that same period.

After repeated efforts to recover the documents, a grand jury was empaneled to subpoena the missing presidential records. Only then was there a recognition that Trump had taken voluminous classified material. And it would subsequently be discovered that his attorneys lied about the possession of such material all-the-while there was no meaningful effort to secure material tossed in boxes with raincoats and golf balls. But Trump was fully aware of the importance of some of the material. It’s the reason that boxes continued to be moved in and out of the storage area and some were found in the closet of his private office suite.

But we still have no indication that Trump was seeking to affirmatively misuse the material for personal or political gain. The time allowed to pass between May and August doesn’t seem to support this was the case. Nonetheless the counterintelligence professionals couldn’t have been happy about Orban visiting MAL earlier in the month and other foreign contacts that have not been made public. Let’s hope this was ultimately more a matter of securing positive control over the material and not something more sinister.

I don’t even know what to say to this.

DP and let me caveat that I hate Trump. I think he is a dangerous authoritarian. I believe January 6th and the efforts around it were an attempted coup/autogolpe.

But I agree with the PP's assessment. I don't think Trump cares one bit about this country or about IC safeguards or the like. But I also don't find it plausible that he was feeding information to a foreign intelligence service on any sort of routinized basis. He's too erratic to take direction from anyone. I think the danger is actually that a foreign intelligence service recruits/co-opts a staffer, or plants someone and that person leverages their access to get Trump to share information or documents.

I absolutely think Trump should be in jail for improperly handling classified, or at least charged and fined. Plus the taking of records he didn't have a right to take. It's completely possible that the records at Mar a Lago were exposed to people that shouldn't have had access to them. I just don't really buy all these crazy stories that Trump exposed assets! Or Trump gave up nuclear information!

It makes for good stories, but I wonder if you have people that are expecting Trump faces treason charges and when he doesn't they lose even more faith in our government and judicial system. I don't think it's a healthy information environment.

You're off your rocker. Just look at the three very reasonable crimes laid out in the warrant. That's it. There's no bloody treason. Those three are serious enough, and can be proved.

***Trump does not need to have monetized his information to be jailed***

***Trump does not need to have INTENDED to sell out agents to EFFECTIVELY sell them out!***

Same thing for nuclear secrets.

Multiple average people have already come forward to say that while guests of Trump, they were shown documents that looked confidential (exact classification uncertain).
That's what he does!!! He cannot live by himself. He has to live at a club with the constant adulation of guests. The way he feeds that adulation is to show them things no one else can show them.
He has a pathological need for recognition and it leads him to share national security docs with all and sundry.
And we already know a Chinese agent was apprehended at Mar-a-Lago at one point. It's obvious there were many more spies.

The obvious scenario is that he showed compromising agent information to someone from the other side, without even thinking he was putting anyone in danger.
He may have also done this with nuclear info.

The other obvious scenario is that his staff has either done the same thing or monetized the information for their own gain (cough-Kushner).

IT'S ALL JAIL-WORTHY.

DP. Interestingly, the FBI's search affidavit lists all the classified handling markings on the documents they seized. The marking that is used for nuclear was not on the list. There are other very concerning markings, but not the ones for nuclear.

I don't think this is about nukes. I think it's about spies. He gave up our spy identities and got them killed.

It is ALSO about nukes. He and Flynn have been funneling nuclear information to the Saudi's for years.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021

Note the words ‘may have’ and ‘planned’ in your article. They are important

There is an investigation for a reason. Trump didn’t tweet about all of his misdeeds.

All the Dems do is investigate. It’s to leak to media and sow discord

I understand it is upsetting that Republicans aren't allowed to do whatever they want.

Bwhahaha. We're just giving republicans a dose of their own medicine. It's too bad they aren't used to being investigated, and may have committed crimes.

None of this is helpful for the state of our democracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

As I understand it, there’s still an open question on whether a former president can assert it over a current one. DC Circuit said no, but SCOTUS affirmed on different grounds and a number of justices expressly disagreed. I bet that never gets decided in this case though because SCOTUS clearly held in the Nixon cases that executive privilege cannot be used as a shield in a criminal prosecution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

As I understand it, there’s still an open question on whether a former president can assert it over a current one. DC Circuit said no, but SCOTUS affirmed on different grounds and a number of justices expressly disagreed. I bet that never gets decided in this case though because SCOTUS clearly held in the Nixon cases that executive privilege cannot be used as a shield in a criminal prosecution.

And DC Circuit authority is not controlling in 11th Circuit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

We can expect him to argue otherwise based on language in US v. Nixon characterizing certain presidential communications as presumptively privileged. NARA has explained the reasons Trump is not correct but he’s simply trying to kick to can closer and closer to the midterms and the presumptive announcement of his candidacy.

Even if they were once covered by Executive Privilege doesn’t make them Trump’s personal documents. It means they are Presidential records that belong to the National Archives. Trump doesn’t get to keep government property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

We can expect him to argue otherwise based on language in US v. Nixon characterizing certain presidential communications as presumptively privileged. NARA has explained the reasons Trump is not correct but he’s simply trying to kick to can closer and closer to the midterms and the presumptive announcement of his candidacy.

Even if they were once covered by Executive Privilege doesn’t make them Trump’s personal documents. It means they are Presidential records that belong to the National Archives. Trump doesn’t get to keep government property.

I’m not sure anyone is arguing otherwise. Even Trump’s filing only seek return of materials outside the scope of the warrant (and presumably not presidential records).

https://www.justsecurity.org/82873/assessing-trumps-claim-of-executive-privilege-on-fbi-access-to-mal-docs/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

We can expect him to argue otherwise based on language in US v. Nixon characterizing certain presidential communications as presumptively privileged. NARA has explained the reasons Trump is not correct but he’s simply trying to kick to can closer and closer to the midterms and the presumptive announcement of his candidacy.

Even if they were once covered by Executive Privilege doesn’t make them Trump’s personal documents. It means they are Presidential records that belong to the National Archives. Trump doesn’t get to keep government property.

I’m not sure anyone is arguing otherwise. Even Trump’s filing only seek return of materials outside the scope of the warrant (and presumably not presidential records).

https://www.justsecurity.org/82873/assessing-trumps-claim-of-executive-privilege-on-fbi-access-to-mal-docs/

But Trump and his people keep implying that Executive Privilege means he can do whatever he wants with the documents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused about what this special master would do. Say he determines a document is subject to executive privilege. Then what? That basically proves it belongs to the government and trump illegally had it.

A special master typically operates behind the scenes because they are supposed to act in a role as impartial advisor to the court who can make findings and recommendations to the court. Filings may not be docketed. Hearings — such as they are — may not be transcribed or open to the public. It provides cover to Trump.

That doesn’t answer the question. Trump wants a special master to determine what docs are subject to executive privilege. So what if the special master does that? What is the result? Surely they won’t give him the docs back. What’s the point?

Trump...doesn't control executive privilege.

We can expect him to argue otherwise based on language in US v. Nixon characterizing certain presidential communications as presumptively privileged. NARA has explained the reasons Trump is not correct but he’s simply trying to kick to can closer and closer to the midterms and the presumptive announcement of his candidacy.

Even if they were once covered by Executive Privilege doesn’t make them Trump’s personal documents. It means they are Presidential records that belong to the National Archives. Trump doesn’t get to keep government property.

I’m not sure anyone is arguing otherwise. Even Trump’s filing only seek return of materials outside the scope of the warrant (and presumably not presidential records).

https://www.justsecurity.org/82873/assessing-trumps-claim-of-executive-privilege-on-fbi-access-to-mal-docs/

Anything covered executive privilege is by definition a presidential record. And his filing doesn’t mention any other privileges, like AC. That is what is so baffling about the request, and the judges apparent decision to go with it.