Tag: Trump indictment

DEFCON 1 – Trump to Receive Intel Briefings on Campaign Trail!

Michael Matheron1 Comment

“[N]o one inside the intelligence community is thrilled about briefing a person who is under indictment for mishandling classified information.”
Ken Dilanian, MSNBC, Chris Jansing Reports, March 8, 2024

And That’s an Understatement for the Ages, Mr. Dilanian

Since 1952, presidential candidates have received intel briefings and Trump’s are about to begin. Among the charges against the presumptive GOP-MAGA candidate in the so-called documents case is violating, not only the Presidential Records Act, but the Espionage Act. These intel briefings have never been provided to a candidate of either party who has been so clearly unworthy, and despite the tradition, Trump ought not be anywhere close to classified information.* At the least, if at all, he should be barred from intel briefings until he is the official GOP-MAGA candidate following the nomination convention when he will be the official party candidate, and that privilege I would only grudgingly allow.

* In fact, President Biden, in February 2021, barred Trump from receiving the intelligence briefings traditionally permitted for former presidents.

Trump will not be barred because of the established tradition, not for any statutory command to deliver these briefings. Tradition, though, has its limitations. In the case of the galactically irresponsible Trump. this tradition is unrelated to the danger involved in regard Trump who has his own tradition, that of oten revealing, at his pleasure, significant national security secrets. He has no compunctions whatever and appears to enjoy spilling the classified intelligence beans to anyone he hopes to impress. One of his obvious mega-flaws is a need to be both liked and to be viewed as a person in the know, a dangerous person in any position of importance.

Here are some of the known instances where he offered up secret intel during his presidency and after like M&Ms on Halloween night:

  1. Early in his term, he divulged to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador, intel about an Islamic State plot. “A Middle Eastern ally that closely guards its own secrets provided the information, which was considered so sensitive that American officials did not share it widely within the United States government or pass it on to other allies.”
  2. During Christmas season 2018, Trump visited Iraq’s Al Asad Airbase where he posted video on Twitter of several members of Seal Team Five in their camouflage and night-vision goggles, which, however, revealed their location and un-blurred faces.
  3. In August 2019, he learned in a classified briefing about an explosion at a space launch facility in Iran. He insisted on posting it on Twitter, but was strongly urged to not do so for national security reasons. He did so anyway, telling reporters “We had a photo and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do.” This incident also led to one of Trump’s more infamous and uninformed quotes, to intel staff, “I have declassification authority. I can do anything I want.”
  4. In 2023, then as citizen Trump, revealed to an Australian billionaire, Anthony Pratt, classified intel about American submarines, including nuclear warhead inventory and how closely they could maneuver to Russian submarines.

And these, serious enough, are just the national security failures that are known. It’s not hard to imagine what else he revealed in office, or out. Proving criminal responsibility is now Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s job, yet the consistent Trump-caused delays in the documents case, often enabled by presiding Judge Aileen Cannon, may prevent a trial prior to the election. In fact, it’s becoming almost inevitable that voters will be denied knowing whether Trump has violated, with apparent impunity, many provisions of the Presidential Records Act and the Espionage Act.

So, Here’s an Idea! Let’s Freeze Him Out of National Security Briefings

Fortunately, presidential candidate briefings are not as complete and informative as briefings that President Biden receives. An ABC News article point out, candidate Trump would “receive an initial briefing from the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and . . . can ask for a follow-up briefing on any topic. . . In the past, candidates have received no more than three briefings. This election season, [Trump] is expected to have two or three. The briefings become much more frequent and detailed once a candidate becomes the president-elect.” Nevertheless, Trump’s record does not qualify him to receive a single briefing.

As noted, he’s consistently revealed sensitive and top secret information. It’s a certainty that citizen Trump could not now obtain a security clearance. He’s a known national security threat. His financial needs for legal fees make him a candidate for any foreign power to manipulate in order to access, on the sly, national security information. Furthermore, he has not indicated that he even understands the need for secrecy in these matters or that he intends to act differently in the future. Psychologically, he has no compunctions about asserting himself, and does not think that the office of the presidency places any limits on his personal powers. He has a mind for espionage and would be an easy mark. A security clearance would be out of the question even though the candidate briefing tradition does not require one, a practice that needs to be modified.

Moreover, he held this classified information in secret at his Mar A Lago and Westminster New Jersey homes in violation of the Presidential Records Act (PRA). Shockingly, he’s spoken of the PRA as having allowed him to take anything he wants. In plain words, the PRA forbids what Trump believes it permits. Attorney Joyce Vance recently wrote, “Trump insists he designated the documents as personal records under the PRA so his possession of them was authorised and he can’t be prosecuted for it. But he’s never been able to explain how the PRA trumps laws about handling classified and national defence [information]. It doesn’t.” In other words, the PRA does allow certain personal records to be retained by an outgoing president, like note for a memoir. As the National Archives explains:

“In 1978, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act (PRA), which states that any records created or received by the President as part of his constitutional, statutory, or ceremonial duties are the property of the United States government and will be managed by NARA at the end of the administration. The Presidential Records Act (PRA) changed the legal status of Presidential and Vice Presidential materials. Under the PRA, the official records of the President and his staff are owned by the United States, not by the President.” Emphasis in original.

Trump’s admitted openly to taking highly secret documents from the White House. He also has a track record of sharing national security information with others. The tradition allowing national security briefings for candidates must bow before a person so manifestly unreliable, dishonest, and irresponsible as Donald Trump. He must be denied intelligence briefings until, God forbid, he’s President-Elect. Perhaps President Biden will make it so as he did in the matter of briefings for former presidents.

Is This Election “Crucial”? You Bet It Is

Michael Matheron3 Comments

Crucial Elections Are a Moveable Feast

Once again we enter the one-year countdown until our next presidential election, and, as always, this is a crucial one. Trite as that observation may be, trite is not always wrong. At 74, I’m old enough to recall the 1959 election and every one since. Each of those was labeled crucial by many. Yet, “crucial” is a moveable feast: what were the perceived stakes then, in each presidential election? In hindsight, FDR’s election in 1932 was crucial for the nation. Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, became crucial for the Union of the States. George Washington, elected to serve in 1789 was a crucial election, perhaps most importantly because he refused to accept the mantle of king, and calmly retired to Mount Vernon.

Mostly and realistically, the crucialness of an election is a post facto consensus. For one example among many, especially during the conservative resurgence since 1980, people still argue, for instance, that Herbert Hoover’s laissez faire policies would have brought us out of the depression more swiftly and satisfactorily. Liberals see Ronald Reagan’s two terms as a wrecking ball to all we believe in; conservatives sanctify him, calling his elections crucial to the birthing of the Tea Party and the MAGA movement. We need not talk about Nixon, he was always obvious.

The point is that we ought to belay the crucialness game. It’s hindsight alone that generally makes the case whether the previous election was crucial. On the whole, most presidential elections have had but a modicum of cruciality. In hindsight, few presidencies threatened to utterly unhinge our governmental and constitutional foundations, although admittedly, FDR gave many a Republican a scare during that worldwide period of enthusiasm for socialism, ever more an honest threat then to many in the gilded class than now. Nixon frightened the Democratic party into an uncharacteristically fighting stance. The Bush-Cheney alliance accelerated the decimation of even the concept of truth.

Belay Waiting for Hindsight

And then there was Trump. Among the despicable and degenerate presidencies, his was the worst we’ve faced as a nation, and we barely survived him. Pardon me if I don’t waste time demonstrating that he swung a wrecking ball to all we hold dear. And far from just retiring to Mar-A-Lago, like Washington did to Mount Vernon, he is now more than ever before front and center, bringing fear and trembling to the majority of Americans, from old-fashioned conservatives to card-carrying socialists. Despite his very real legal jeopardy in courtrooms throughout the land, he confidently speaks openly about his policies for his next attack on his own country: martial law using armed services troops on our soil; presidentially ordered selective prosecutions; destruction of the civil service system; frightening cabinet picks; wildly disturbing pardons; historical revision. What else? Do we need mention the whole that would likely be worse than its parts?

As a looming dictatorship of the Kleptocrats, i.e., government by thieves, Trump’s enabler’s plan to steal not only wealth in all its material forms, but moral, intellectual, and cultural wealth. Moreover, they plan – are already planning – to use our legal, electoral, and constitutional systems to do so, and in so doing, to destroy those systems and install authoritarian rule, in a way they will maintain was “lawful.” And by and large, the opposition, particularly the moribund and reticent Democratic party, treats this election surprisingly lightly, as if an historically unprecedented malevolent threat were simply another presidential election. This despite Trump’s first term presidential record of abuse at every turn.

We don’t need to wonder if this election is crucial. No waiting for hindsight is required. Drop the debate about it. Use time, especially air time, more productively. We’ve already witnessed Trump and company at work; they openly showed their cards to the entire nation. He earned two impeachments, 90 some odd criminal charges for actions he feels entitled to, and near universal disdain here and abroad for using the nuclear option against our electoral college, and his own Vice President. If this was the warm-up act, imagine the main event. Despite my admission that hindsight plays an important role in labeling presidential elections crucial, we don’t need hindsight to label this election crucial.

We’ve been to the circus and we saw the elephants.

BREAKING: Mark Meadows Gets Immunity from Prosecution in January 6th Case!

Michael Matheron1 Comment

NOTE: On the emailed version of this post the link to the ABC News article below does not work. Here is the link you may copy and paste: https://abcnews-go-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/chief-staff-mark-meadows-granted-immunity-tells-special/story?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&id=104231281&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16981870020037&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Fchief-staff-mark-meadows-granted-immunity-tells-special%2Fstory%3Fid%3D104231281

In a stunning move, former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has accepted an immunity from prosecution deal from Jack Smith, the chief prosecutor for the January 6th case, ABC News reported just minutes ago. Meadows’ role in the attempt to steal the 2020 election and in the January 6th insurrection was at the highest level since he had daily contact with Trump and coordinated plans and actions with other accused co-conspirators. As you’ll see in the ABC News article cited above, Trump will have great difficulty claiming that he “barely knew” Mr. Meadows. . . but this has not deterred him before; nevertheless, perhaps the gag order will.

More here as this develops.

Trump Demands Change of Venue to His Favorite Place, or to Scotland.

Michael Matheron2 Comments

Following his arraignment today, Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that he’d enjoyed his “very good day,” especially since he was forced to “fly to a filthy, dirty, falling apart, & very unsafe Washington, D.C.” He didn’t mention that, as far as it’s true, the “filthy, dirty, falling apart, & very unsafe Washington, D.C.” was essentially on his watch. Nonetheless, for all but the certifiably loony, he did not have “a very good day,” in fact, if his brain were functioning he’d know his day pissed all over him. Shouts of “lock him up” rained on him by the bucketful.

Many details trouble him. The accusations are, of course, the most troubling. The fact that he cannot pardon himself “just by thinking about it” also rankles. He cannot escape to Cancun in some sort of orange-colored disguise, although he still has a passport, so we’ll wait and see. He doesn’t like the judge, the bailiff, the court reporter, the concession stand, the lack of a swimming pool, and there’s no putting green. He wants and needs this trial to be televised since he’s most comfortable at a circus.

Why is she talking to me?

In effect, he simply doesn’t like the idea of the whole thing. He asked his “blood sucking lawyers” to request a change of venue, from D.C. to West Virginia, among his “soul peers” where a friendly jury awaits. This request was found guilty and summarily dispatched, by his own blood-sucking lawyers.

Mar-A-Lago? Scotland? Here come the judge?

Undaunted, the offensive defendant quickly suggested another venue from a long list of alternatives, one that, he said, “would be a win-win, although I detest win-wins where I have to share.” He pointed out that Mar-A-Lago would be a pleasant venue for all involved. “Fine dining, free; two or three swimming pools that are the best ever built; a large ballroom, the very best for a trial; a holding cell more luxurious than the D.C. jail should it be needed; and a fabulous and very best in the world golf course where her honor may enjoy discounted green fees. If not Mar-A-Lago, then I have a world’s best golf course in Scotland. This is my last offer, Judge Chutkan!” She is said to be giving his offer serious consideration, given her avid interest in swimming and golf.

Breaking: Trump Indicted Again, Will Join Senator Ted Cruz in Cancun, Mexico, Pronto

Michael Matheron2 Comments

Donald Trump was indicted for violations of three federal conspiracy laws, and for deprivation of citizens’ rights to have their votes honestly recorded and counted. Moreover, appearing among the charges was one of his favorite pastimes: obstruction of justice. (Indictment .pdf) This adds to his already impressive indictment collection, today’s indictment is number three. More to follow is likely, especially that indictment that’s been stewing in Georgia and all signs point toward September. Unprecedented in our history was his first indictment of a former president. Trump is an innovator, though, he wants to establish a record that no future president will overturn, even an energetic one.

But we can report tonight that he’s already in the sky, off to join Ted Cruz in Cancun. Ted, of course, has been in Mexico to avoid a martial arts challenge by Barbie who he criticized for having a controversial map of Asia in her blockbuster movie. This he called Chinese communist propaganda, thus the dust up, thus the skedaddle to Cancun. See our coverage. Trump, also facing a thumping by federal prosecutors, decided to join in, bringing his two daughters Ivanka and Mercedes who apparently were hungry for mind boggling 120 degree heat in Cancun.

Trump, through one of his last unindicted spokespersons, explained, “This so-called skedaddle was to please my two daughters who say it’s been a long-term dream for us three to spend time together. There is no time scheduled for our return, but we certainly will return for my inauguration in January 2025. So, as the Mexicans say, ‘sayonara’ until then.”

Ted Cruz had no comment primarily due to his refusal to come out of his hotel room.

Donald’s Nightmare Visualized

Michael MatheronLeave a comment

J6 investigation is pitching….and Georgia’s warming up in the bullpen…..and where is Melania….and you’re behind in the count…..and hitting .122

Trump Threatens Himself, Implies He May Take Witness Stand at J6 Trial

Michael Matheron1 Comment
Very large brain . . .

Toward the end of July, Donald Trump gleefully proclaimed on Truth Social that he will do what only the dumbest criminal defendants do: he will take the stand in his J6 defense. This, in Trump’s case, is a prosecutor’s dream scenario.

Here’s what he wrote:

We’ll have fun on the stand with all of these people that say the Presidential Election wasn’t Rigged and Stollen [sic]. ‘THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY!!!’”

Donald Trump, Truth Social, July 26, 2023

His lawyers must have passed out. If he’s indicted for his J6 shenanigans, Trump explaining himself in the witness box would be fun. However, not for him. His mouth has a habit of making things worse. So much so that testifying in his own defense would surely lead to (1) multiple convictions (2) more criminal indictments; and/or (3) reasonable grounds for an insanity plea. So, let’s encourage him. Perhaps sign on to Truth Social for a few minutes and fire him up!

Trump Sends His Own Target Letter to J6 Prosecutor, Jack Smith and the “Entire U.S. Government”

Michael Matheron1 Comment

Today, Donald Trump announced that he had received a target letter from the Office of the (Jan. 6th) Special Counsel. Generally, a target letter leads to an indictment. Immediately after receiving the letter, the former president issued his own target letter to “the US government.” Written in hand paint and ketchup on chunks of dry wall, he specifically lambasted Special Counsel Jack Smith, whom he accused of “politicaling [sic] the J6 which [sic] hunt.” In closing, Trump dismissed the Office of the Special Counsel; “everybody says I should have done this sooner, and now I did.”

Appoints Himself the “Real President”

Also, President Joe Biden reported receipt of a target letter, accusing him of “treesun [sic] for unlegally [sic]” carrying out his duties and “enforcing the BIG LIE” that he is the president. Moreover, Trump claimed that Biden had politicized every component of the Executive Branch. This includes the big and the small, for example, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the survey office of the Department of Interior, and all janitors. Finally, he included a White House eviction order.

As for the Rest . . .

He next turned on the judiciary where he overturned all judicial decisions – state and federal – that held that his big lie was, indeed, a big lie. Dismissing all judges involved, including life tenured judges, he demanded that all judicial robes, gavels, and paraphernalia be returned to Mar-A-Lago.

The legislative branch was sent packing as well. He repeated his observation, “I alone can do it,” but promised to select new Members “to replace the blood sucking Democrats in a hurry.” He finished with a flurry:

“I shall personally be the entire membership of Congress, asuming [sic] the office of the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, which also makes me Vice President.”

Trump target letter, July 18, 2023, drywall panel 3

The former president ventured far from the traditional target letter. Nonetheless, his originality often results in a dramatic rise in his poll numbers. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, still the Speaker until Trump’s orders take effect, observed:

“Well, of course I condemn it and he should withdraw it immediately, yet he is the president. He can do what he pleases, which I approve wholeheartedly.”

Virtuoso Trump Lies About Telling The Truth About Lying

Michael Matheron1 Comment
A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse.

What documents?

We’re living in an era as yet formally unnamed, but as history marches on Donald Trump is the odds on favorite to dominate it. Among his attributes we already know, lying will be front and center in any telling. Lying in all its forms, from white lies to blue lies to preposterous lies, to lies about microscopic things (the COVID virus Clorox cure) to bold universe embracing whoppers (“I alone can do it.”). Lies that stun like a charge of electricity, and lies that cause you to question your sanity, sometimes simultaneously. In short, he’s a savant of prevarication, a creative lying machine fueled by . . . what, we do not know. That’s a task for some seven year old child, today wondering how egrets fly, who will eventually unravel the Gordian knot of Donald Trump, perhaps, thereby to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the past few days Trump’s falsehoods have thrown confusion to his enemies, notably all those involved in preparing the government’s case against him in the documents case (Documentgate?), particularly Special Counsel Jack Smith and his courtroom team. The question reminds one of the board game Clue: “What actually happened in the ex president’s office at his Bedminster, New Jersey cottage, sometime in July 2021?” And – Clue aficionados – did the butler hide the tape recorder with a screwdriver in the office near the garden?

Except it is, like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this. This was done by the military and given to me.

Audio, Trump Westminster meeting

At that time Trump was in a meeting with a publisher and a writer working on a Mark Meadows memoir. During the meeting he casually displayed what he termed as military plans that were “highly confidential, [and] this is secret information,” and he disclosed that he had not declassified them while president, neither formally nor telepathically. He encouraged them to look at the documents. One could hear them shuffling around seemingly having wings.

They laughed and laughed, one said, “Now we’ve got a problem” as Trump bemoaned that he could not now as an ex-president declassify the document. Declassify a newspaper article? Why, for example, did Trump say this about the document he was discussing, “Except it is, like, highly confidential. Secret. . . .This was done by the military and given to me.” Like a ten year old, at the end of this sequence Trumps says “It’s so cool.” This scene of excitement and hilarity was kindred to a group of ten year olds looking through their buddy’s stolen baseball cards.

I told you I wanted a par 70 course!! Resume your duties.

Next, by stretching his big lie into a new shape like a balloon aficionado, Trump told FOX news that he was referring to “plans of a golf course” and “building plans.” So, the documents supposedly viewed so excitedly by his Bedminster guests were golf course plans? Apparently the golf plans were in the bailiwick of the Department of Defense. General Milley had a second assignment: golf course architect. That’s another classification in Trump’s taxonomy of lies, the stupid lie that is effective when fed to his supporters who, context challenged, will gobble it up. True context, however, suggests “preposterous.” More was quickly to come.

Bravado

Few bought his preposterous lie that he had no classified documents (except the usual suspects). Never daunted, after the initial lies were nearly unanimously panned, our virtuoso liar came up with a new idea produced in his laboratory of falsehoods, and a splendid one it was. Counter intuitively, a form of bravado. He’s bragging about all this? Yes, but with a purpose.

I would say it’s bravado,” Trump said, according to reports from both [FOX’s] Scott and Talcott. “If you want to know the truth. It was bravado. I was talking and just holding up papers and talking about them, but I had no documents. I didn’t have any documents.

Newsweek, June 27, 2023

“If you want to know the truth.” Starting a sentence with “if you want the truth” does nothing but prove his previous excuses as lies. Yet, he’s still lying, he’s lying about his claim of bravado, which he advances as defense number three. It was not bravado at all, it was another lie which he called the truth. He’s lying about telling the truth, explicitly.

This is where it gets interesting, and in a Dr. Evil sense, brilliant. “If you want to know the truth” sets up empathic, sympathetic folks (widows, orphans, liberals) to think, “Ahh, now he’s going to tell us everything even if it embarrasses him. Good. We all boast sometimes, don’t we?” In sum, he purports, explicitly, to tell the truth, when in fact he’s lying about telling the truth about what he also presented as truth in his previous pair of whoppers. Taken together, these consecutive and contradictory excuses provide a prima facie case that the was displaying classified defense-related materials. He strives here to do two things: elicit sympathy by implying “I’m only human” even at some embarrassment to himself, and with some evil savvy, to distract, distract, distract by throwing confusion at the enemy. This is called, in his lexicon, the bravado ploy.

Recall that all of this started with his blatant and ridiculous initial lies that he was not displaying classified documents, or that they were golf course plans, or it was all bravado. We now have three nonsensical lies to deal with (as of June 30, 2023). For a confused media the ratings game afoot may be to argue away valuable time about whether or not Trump displayed classified documents, but to parse each of his three tall tales. For what reason? Ask Donald Trump, Grand Master, Lying.

[This will be updated as perhaps more lies emerge.]