The writer makes a significant observation about the affidavit used to justify the FBI’s raid at Mar-a-Lago:
“I don’t believe a smoking gun of espionage or something equally shocking will be in the redacted sections. If the FBI had that, it would have fronted that in the unredacted portions…The unredacted parts of the affidavit make no attempt to articulate cause that Trump was not authorized to have these documents in his home. The reason is that, as president, he had broad, legally intimidating authority, established by law and court determinations, to declassify any and all documents and to determine what is and is not a presidential record. Trump and his legal team have asserted that this authority was exercised while he was still president. Therefore, a violation of these fairly low-level and seldom-prosecuted document-oriented statutes cannot be proven.”
In this connection, I’d point out two things the affidavit also mentions:
- Trump apparently delivered his White House possessions to Mar-a-Lago two days before leaving office.
- DOJ asked Trump to keep until further notice any documents not in NARA’s possession in the very room where sensitive materials had already been stored.
In other words, there is a window of opportunity in which Trump, as president, could have authorized the storage at Mar-a-Lago, and DOJ appears to have approved of the basement closet as a secure space.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
“I don’t believe a smoking gun”…
From the main story.
I don’t believe that Don will ever come to like a Democrat. It is possibly true, but you never now until all of the evidence comes out. Tulsi Gabbard does come to mind.
Opinions are like a**holes. Everybody (except the unfortunate few who have had permanent colostomies. Present company included) has one. And sometimes you are stuck in an elevator with a very loud stinky one.\
There was a LOT of redacted information in the released affidavit. However, YOUR assertions concerning two days prior to departure from WH and DOJ asking TFG to keep other items in a secure room MAY be overcome by the evidence.
You can speculate all you want. I just wonder if you will salute the forum with a MEA CULPA if and when you are proven wrong.
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RE: “YOUR assertions concerning two days prior to departure from WH and DOJ asking TFG to keep other items in a secure room MAY be overcome by the evidence.”
Evidence of what?
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Your question proves that you are blind to reality and requires no further attempt to explain it to you.
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And I clearly said MAY, Dr. S.
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I am sure we will hear from the TDS prone in our midst but this article pretty much sizes up my thoughts on the subject and have long since tired of media complicity in driving sensationalized speculation. If there had been a legitimate case the raid would have taken place while Trump was there and an arrest made. No, this is a political hit job initiated and authorized by Garland himself and I am sure Biden and other democrats were in on it for distraction during midterms. It’s on par with the Steele dossier.
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It IS striking that not a single anti-Trump claim is supported by the Biden DOJ’s own documentation.
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…”this article “…
Is an OPINION, not reporting.
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“DOJ asked Trump to keep until further notice any documents not in NARA’s possession in the very room where sensitive materials had already been stored.”
You mean in June 2022, after they visited and the Trump lawyer said there were no more classified documents, but there were still more elsewhere as described by the witnesses in the redacted affidavit.
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If you say so. The point is, DOJ can’t say Mar-a-Lago was “unauthorized” for storage of sensitive documents, when DOJ itself authorized the storage of sensitive documents.
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Once the man was out of office, his Southern WH was no linger authorized for sensitive information.
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So, the DOJ authorized Trump to continue to store the remaining documents in that same room?
OK
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Yeah, let’s try that one on a jury. That so cancels out ignoring a subpoena and formally lying in response while secretly keeping extremely sensitive NDI.
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The DOJ did not know exactly what was still there until NARA reported their concerns.
Screw it, Just keep the nuclear codes on the buffet table. Leave the HUMINT and SIGINT material in the bathrooms for some light potty time reading.
Defenders of TFG continue to attempt to whitewash how god awful he is for this country. But Justices and hatred. Keep it coming, boys and girls.
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“… DOJ authorized Trump…”
DOJ authorized nothing of the kind. They merely told him to get a better lock and they would get back to him. There is a lot more for a secure room for SCI and SA documents. A padlock is not enough.
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It wasn’t a padlock. It was as specified keypad security lock.
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“It wasn’t a padlock. It was as specified keypad security lock.”
Replacing what which had been there for over a year and was immediately seen to have been grossly inadequate? A padlock maybe?
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