The documents do not belong to him

Mark Sumner of Daily Kos reported on the Department of Justice’s reply to whatever the nasty guy is trying to get a court to do after the FBI searched his for profit estate and seized boxes of classified documents. The reply includes a photo that will likely become iconic – and Kos is helping that along by including it at the top of several posts (and will probably continue to use it for a few more days). The photo shows several documents laid out on the carpet and presumably taken from the box on the right. Many of these documents have “SECRET” or “TOP SECRET” written across the cover page (the actual secret stuff is behind that cover page). While the nasty guy did not handle and store these documents properly (that they were at Mar-a-Lago is proof they weren’t), it is the FBI that spread them on the floor to document they were indeed secret and they were indeed at Mar-a-Lago. The photo includes an evidence designation and a size scale. The rest of the DOJ response gives a few other important things: A timeline of events. Evidence that the documents were hidden during previous searches. A statement by one of the nasty guy lawyers now shown to be a lie. And that the nasty guy can’t ask for them back because they do not belong to him. They belong to the National Archives. Sumner gave a bit of history leading up to the search. Then he listed the major points: Many documents had the highest possible classification of human and space intelligence and could not be something the nasty guy needed “for his memoirs.” They are clearly marked and he could not have taken them accidentally. He clearly stalled for time. They were in various locations across the estate, including in his desk, and not in a secure location.

it’s hard to see how the case for outright obstruction, lying to the FBI, hiding classified materials, and interfering with an investigation could be any clearer.

Greg Sargent of The Plumb Line discussed the comment by Sen. Lindsay Graham that if the nasty guy were prosecuted there would be riots in the street, that the nasty guy shouldn’t be prosecuted because Hillary Clinton wasn’t. Graham is erasing the idea that the law can be applied to the nasty guy in a neutral way. This is framing the debate and the purpose of the frame is to say it is all political, that applying the law to the nasty guy cannot be legitimate. Michael Cohen tweeted a link to a Washington Post article showing the world is finally catching up to him:

I have been saying this since the @FBI raid…I believe #Trump has copies, potentially other documents as well, at other locations including his children’s homes, Weisselberg’s florida home, Bedminster, NJ golf course, Fifth Avenue apartment, etc…

Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committe, discussed a few things about the DOJ reply: The deceptive claim of no more classified documents (which prompted the search) was deliberate. The classified documents were in several locations throughout Mar-a-Lago, a public space. These were documents so highly classified the FBI agents and DOJ lawyers had to get clearance before the could review them. Joe Walsh tweeted a good summary:

He stole stuff that wasn’t his. Super classified stuff. They repeatedly asked him to return the stuff. He refused. They tried to help him. He lied about the stuff, hid the stuff, & obstructed their search for the stuff. Finally, they came & got the stuff. He should be indicted.

Sumner reported on the Republican reaction to that iconic photo. Rep. Jim Jordan of the House Judiciary Committee said with snark the issue of Time magazine still in the box must be the huge threat to national security. Yeah, they’re trying real hard to not see. Others are trying to say the FBI planted the documents to take the picture – as the nasty guy said yup, they’re mine and I declassified them. Hunter of Kos wrote:

As the photograph shows, this is not a "documents" case. This is an espionage case, one that is going to result in a detailed damage assessment for every document seen in that photo and for all of the others as well. There's no way to tell who Donald Trump showed the documents to, in a Mar-a-Lago that in the past week saw Trump host yet another petty con artist posing as an "Anna de Rothschild." There's no way to tell whether photographs of any of these documents made their way to Trump's other golf resort as means of currying favor with specific Saudi guests.

And because Republicans are either ignoring the photo or are eagerly trying to explain it away, Hunter says they are the party of treason.

They are national security documents, and he took them from government after a coup attempt failed to keep him in power, and all but perhaps two Republicans in the entire party are not just defending those acts but are furiously looking to discredit the government that, once again, caught the treasonous ratbastard doing it. It is a party that will gleefully harm America in whatever way is necessary to "win" the news cycle of the day. Extortion, sedition, and treason; there is literally nothing the Republican Party will not embrace if the alternative is admitting Dear Crooked Leader did wrong.

In another post Sumner explained the meaning of all the different classifications visible in the photo (the classification is visible, the actual classified document isn’t). One designation is for data that came from space assets, likely from satellites the US didn’t want other countries to know existed. Sumner discussed human intelligence assets, both US and foreign, and included this side note:

No matter what happens to Trump or anyone else at Mar-a-Lago, all of these assets, whether foreign assets or U.S. agents, are now worthless. The cavalier way in which these documents were treated means that agencies have to treat these sources as compromised. Where possible, they will be exfiltrated. Where not, they will be ignored. That’s because further contact will imperil the source, and because nothing they pass along at this point can be trusted. The cost of these losses alone is inestimable.

It can take a long time to develop an asset. All that effort is now gone. Sumner gave a full history of the steps taken by the National Archives, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to get the documents back. The nasty guy had many opportunities to return the documents. Instead, he and his lawyers stalled and lied. Sumner reported the nasty guy’s lawyers responded to the DOJ report. Beyond it being another mess there were a few things of interest. First, the nasty guy asserted the right of privacy means a home can’t be searched, even with an approved search warrant. Other criminals would applaud this one. Second, the lawyers say they didn’t have time to rebut every one of the DOJ’s statements. But wasn’t that the purpose of this response? Third, the nasty guy said “allowed” the FBI to come to offer security advice. Nothing is said about the FBI leaving with boxes of classified documents. And finally, the response does not rebut the claim the documents were moved or hidden for the purpose of obstruction. The nasty guy, wrote Sumner, wants us to know (through several media outlets) it was the FBI that threw all the documents on the floor. It wasn’t him who put them there. He’s not a slob. His desk is orderly. Of course, a few photos at the end of the post show his desk is messy. In a final post (for today) Sumner reported that the nasty guy knew what the FBI was really searching for – Hillary’s emails. In a Ukraine update Kos of Kos wrote that one reason why the big counteroffensive near Kherson is going well is because Ukraine brought in fresh troops to relieve some of those who have held the line for six months. They are reserve troops who have spent the last several months in training. Just as important, these fresh, and more aggressive troops, are also relieving some troops on the Donbas front. Marissa Higgins of Kos reported on an “all ages” drag show in Roanoke, Texas. Protesters came. So did counterprotesters. And this last group was armed (see: Texas). The two sides got a little heated, but it looks like no shots were fired. And no one was arrested. I think the sold out event went on as planned. Even so, noisy protests outside would have affected the comedy inside. Of course, Fox News heard about this and ranted about “Masked Antifa” who were “brandishing weapons.” Yup, trying to declare those fighting actual fascists are the ones who want civil unrest. Walter Einenkel of Kos reminds us “antifa” means anti fascist. They are against bullies. In response to the misinformation from Fox News a legion of veterans got on Twitter to say “I am antifa.” Being antifa is part of their military oath to defend the constitution, an oath they still uphold. Many added their father or grandfather was also antifa and fought against Hitler. Einenkel included many of these tweets. The last one is from Heather, who wrote: “I am Antifa because I was raised by this amazing man who was also Antifa.” She included a photo of his tombstone, which says he served in the Army in WWII. John Burnett of NPR reported that conservatives have taken over the Library Board of Control on Lafayette, Louisiana. The board president, Robert Judge, is devout Catholic and says a library should submit to traditional family values and community standards. They are moving suspicious books from the youth to the adult sections. They banned Drag Queen Story Time, even displays of the local Cajun culture. This is expected in a region “red as a boiled crawfish.” Most residents like what the board is doing. And those who object to this conservative shift are attacked. Amanda Jones said the parish is more than straight, white Christians and should be represented in the library. Attacks of Jones through the internet have been strong and haven’t stopped. She is now afraid she or her child will be harmed. She sued Citizens for a New Louisiana, the group she says are targeting her. Yep, definitely a supremacist tactic of attacking and harassing those who don’t agree with your oppression. Higgins reported that a 2021 Texas law mandates public schools and colleges display signs that include the national motto of “In God We Trust.” Srivan Krishna, a parent, donated a sign to the Carroll Independent School District, in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. His sign said “In God We Trust” – in Arabic. It was rejected. Higgins said some teachers and families simply can’t leave the state, then she added:

That’s part of why I think Krishna’s point is so valuable and admirable; is anyone surprised these signs were rejected? Honestly, no. But is still important to try? Is it still valuable to make conservatives sweat? Is it still an opportunity to get people to realize the hypocrisy here? Yes, yes, and yes. Did I really expect signs like these to be displayed in public schools in Texas per this ridiculous law? No. But I’m still glad to see advocates are getting creative in getting their message across.

In another post Higgins wrote:

Republicans in some states are trying to dissolve public school access to the federal National School Lunch Program in order to evade the Biden administration’s nondiscrimination guidances, which include protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Why are conservatives trying to get around this specifically? Because they want to be able to discriminate against trans students—and apparently, they’re willing to let kids go hungry in order to accomplish this sick goal.

An apparent example is the schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after Biden’s guidance came out the school said they would no longer participate in the school lunch program so they could “fully live out the mission of our Catholic Church.” Instead of a free lunch poor families will be directed to “similar meal services” – food banks. Strange that the Archdiocese did not ask for a religious exemption. Patrick Ruffini, a pollster of Echelon Insights (the fun polling firm), retweeted a couple of his own poll results (apparently from 2016):

If you’re a Republican who supported Trump in the primary: Being a conservative is about Political combat – 71% Ideas – 29% If you’re a Republican who didn’t support Trump in the primary: Being a conservative is about Political combat – 11% Ideas – 89%