Mar-a-Largo raided by FBI?

[bilby]

Corcoran has the potential to become one of the most crucial witnesses in special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into possible mishandling of classified records after the Trump presidency and obstruction of justice.

That's appalling writing. I think they meant:

"Corcoran has the potential to become one of the most crucial witnesses in special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into possible obstruction of justice, and mishandling of classified records after the Trump presidency."

But what they seem to be saying is:

"Corcoran has the potential to become one of the most crucial witnesses in special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into possible mishandling of classified records, which occurred after Trump was president and obstructed justice."

I guess the latter is perfectly plausible, but a wise newsman wouldn't directly accuse a president of obstructing justice during his term in office, without either adding "alleged", or waiting until a criminal conviction had occurred.

 

[blastula]

Sources: Special counsel claims Trump deliberately misled his attorneys about classified documents, judge wrote

A federal judge ruled the special counsel has presented evidence that Donald Trump may have broken the law in his handling of classified documents, sources told ABC News.

abcnews.go.com

Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office, a former top federal judge wrote Friday in a sealed filing, according to sources who described its contents to ABC News.

In reaching the so-called prima facie standard to pierce Corcoran's privilege, Howell agreed prosecutors made a sufficient showing that on its face would appear to show Trump committed crimes. The judge made it clear that prosecutors would still need to meet a higher standard of evidence in order to seek charges against Trump, and more still to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Howell found that prosecutors showed "sufficient" evidence that Trump "intentionally concealed" the existence of additional classified documents from Corcoran, sources said, putting Corcoran in an unwitting position to deceive the government.

It's unclear what evidence Howell may have reviewed under seal from both DOJ and Trump's attorneys to help her arrive at her decision.

 

[ZiprHead]

Trump appears to lose appeal of key ruling in criminal probe of classified records stored at Mar-a-Lago

Trump is under criminal investigation for the removal of classified documents from the White House when he left office. They were kept at his Mar-a-Lago club.

www.cnbc.com

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday appears to have lost an appeal of a bombshell ruling in the criminal investigation of classified records he stored at Florida residence Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, NBC News confirmed Wednesday.

The decision will likely force one of his lawyers to testify to a federal grand jury in the criminal probe. That appeal, which was handled with unusual speed, came after a judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that DOJ’s special counsel Jack Smith had presented enough evidence to establish that Trump committed a crime through his attorneys, NBC said, citing a source briefed on the proceedings.

Normally, attorneys cannot be compelled to testify against their clients due to attorney-client privilege, which protects their communications.

But Judge Beryl Howell, as first reported by ABC News, invoked the so-called crime fraud exception to that privilege when she ordered Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran on Friday to answer questions before the grand jury.

 

[Elixir]

Trump appears to lose appeal of key ruling in criminal probe of classified records stored at Mar-a-Lago

Trump is under criminal investigation for the removal of classified documents from the White House when he left office. They were kept at his Mar-a-Lago club.

www.cnbc.com

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday appears to have lost an appeal of a bombshell ruling in the criminal investigation of classified records he stored at Florida residence Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, NBC News confirmed Wednesday.

The decision will likely force one of his lawyers to testify to a federal grand jury in the criminal probe. That appeal, which was handled with unusual speed, came after a judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that DOJ’s special counsel Jack Smith had presented enough evidence to establish that Trump committed a crime through his attorneys, NBC said, citing a source briefed on the proceedings.

Normally, attorneys cannot be compelled to testify against their clients due to attorney-client privilege, which protects their communications.

But Judge Beryl Howell, as first reported by ABC News, invoked the so-called crime fraud exception to that privilege when she ordered Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran on Friday to answer questions before the grand jury.

MakingAttorneysGetAttorneys

Coming soon: an historic first when an attorney’s attorney needs an attorney who in turn ends up needing an attorney.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Sources: Special counsel claims Trump deliberately misled his attorneys about classified documents, judge wrote

A federal judge ruled the special counsel has presented evidence that Donald Trump may have broken the law in his handling of classified documents, sources told ABC News.

abcnews.go.com

Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office, a former top federal judge wrote Friday in a sealed filing, according to sources who described its contents to ABC News.

In reaching the so-called prima facie standard to pierce Corcoran's privilege, Howell agreed prosecutors made a sufficient showing that on its face would appear to show Trump committed crimes. The judge made it clear that prosecutors would still need to meet a higher standard of evidence in order to seek charges against Trump, and more still to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Howell found that prosecutors showed "sufficient" evidence that Trump "intentionally concealed" the existence of additional classified documents from Corcoran, sources said, putting Corcoran in an unwitting position to deceive the government.

It's unclear what evidence Howell may have reviewed under seal from both DOJ and Trump's attorneys to help her arrive at her decision.

What is angering about this is that the prosecution is being required to jump higher and higher hurdles and you listen to the alt-right media, and you'd swear they were being handed a conviction by the judge.

 

[Elixir]

Trump "intentionally concealed" the existence of additional classified documents from Corcoran, sources said, putting Corcoran in an unwitting position to deceive the government.

Ya sure, Corcoran had no clue that his client was BSing him, which is why he signed the statement saying no more docs. OH WAIT!
He didn’t sign it. He made Christina Bobb sign it. Because he had no idea that it was bullshit?
Riiiight.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Trump "intentionally concealed" the existence of additional classified documents from Corcoran, sources said, putting Corcoran in an unwitting position to deceive the government.

Ya sure, Corcoran had no clue that his client was BSing him, which is why he signed the statement saying no more docs. OH WAIT!
He didn’t sign it. He made Christina Bobb sign it. Because he had no idea that it was bullshit?
Riiiight.

Bacteria protect themselves by producing a layer of slime. Many antibiotics are incapable of piercing this slime defense to get to the bacteria. Orange Slime. The right set of conditions is gonna get through the slime. I think Howell wants to get through the Orange Slime.

 

[Angry Floof]

Sky News has a web cam on Mar-a-Lago. I don't know why this cracks me up, but it does.

 

[ZiprHead]

There's a cam watching his personal jet too.

 

[blastula]

Mar-a-Lago evidence suggests possible Trump obstruction, people familiar say - The Washington Post.

Justice Department and FBI investigators have amassed fresh evidence pointing to possible obstruction by former president Donald Trump in the investigation into top-secret documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home, according to people familiar with the matter.

The additional evidence comes as investigators have used emails and text messages from a former Trump aide to help understand key moments last year, said the people, who like others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.

In the classified documents case, federal investigators have gathered new and significant evidence that after the subpoena was delivered, Trump looked through the contents of some of the boxes of documents in his home, apparently out of a desire to keep certain things in his possession, the people familiar with the investigation said.

Investigators now suspect, based on witness statements, security camera footage, and other documentary evidence, that boxes including classified material were moved from a Mar-a-Lago storage area after the subpoena was served, and that Trump personally examined at least some of those boxes, these people said. While Trump’s team returned some documents with classified markings in response to the subpoena, a later FBI search found more than 100 additional classified items that had not been turned over.

The Washington Post reported in October that Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, had told investigators that he moved boxes at Mar-a-Lago at the former president’s instruction after the subpoena was issued. Smith’s team has video surveillance footage corroborating that account, The Post reported, and considers the evidence significant.

As investigators piece together what happened in May and June of last year, they have been asking witnesses if Trump showed classified documents, including maps, to political donors, people familiar with those conversations said.
Such alleged conduct could demonstrate Trump’s habits when it came to classified documents, and what may have motivated him to want to keep the papers. The Post has previously reported that Trump told aides he did not want to return documents and other items from his presidency — which by law are supposed to remain in government custody — because he believed they belonged to him.

 

[ZiprHead]

Judge Cannon Issues Another Troubling Order in Mar-a-Lago Case

Why Judge Cannon’s denial of the prosecutors’ motion to seal and request that co-defendant Nauta file a response brief are so intensely weird

www.lawfaremedia.org

On Aug. 7, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s version of United States v. Trump, Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order denying the Justice Department’s motion to seal and requesting supplemental briefing. While seemingly insignificant, today’s order raises troubling concerns regarding her administration of the case.

“I’m not here to talk about the past.”

Cannon became nationally known in August and September 2022, when, in a civil case brought by Donald Trump, she issued a series of unusual orders blocking the Justice Department from reviewing documents seized at Mar-a-Lago and appointing a special master to oversee the Justice Department’s work. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed Cannon’s ruling, holding that the court lacked jurisdiction to interfere with the Justice Department’s review of lawfully seized documents.

Trump has now been indicted in the Southern District of Florida along with two co-defendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Cannon is presiding over the criminal case.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[ZiprHead]

Trump must review classified documents case evidence in secure location, judge says

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his lawyers may only review classified evidence in a secure place as he prepares for a criminal trial over his handling of secret documents after he left office in 2021, a judge ruled on Wednesday. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican...

www.yahoo.com

(Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his lawyers may only review classified evidence in a secure place as he prepares for a criminal trial over his handling of secret documents after he left office in 2021, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been charged along with two aides with illegally storing troves of classified documents at his personal residence and lying to federal investigators who sought to retrieve them.

He had opposed strict security protocols for the classified evidence as inconvenient, saying he and his lawyers should be able to review them in his office at his Mar-a-Lago estate, his personal residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida is a win for prosecutors, who said it would be inappropriate for Trump to be able to review classified documents at the very location where he is accused of illegally and haphazardly storing them.

 

[Elixir]

Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida is a win for prosecutors, who said

"...WTF?!"
I wonder if Trump will give her 'the warning' like he does everyone else who does anything opposing his wishes.
"People are saying she's wrong. Ya know, and I was really nice to her. I was. I was really nice, I went out of my way. I did.
And now this... I don't know, but ... it's a bad thing for America, you know, bad things happen. (shrug)"

He shouldn't complain. His lawyers got the delay they intended, so there's that. But this particular case wasn't going to resolve before the elections anyway, I don't think.

 

[Copernicus]

I believe that Cannon only dodged the responsibility for making the ultimate decision. She said that a security professional would determine the location. It would be absurd to establish a SCIF in the home or office of a defendant charged with mishandling and concealing classified documents illegally. Would they need to put a 24-hour guard on the door to the SCIF and strip-search the man for thumb drives, hidden cameras, and microphones every time he entered it? I strongly suspect that Trump still illegally possesses and hides classified secrets from the government. I hope that the prosecutors are kept informed by the Secret Service of everywhere this guy goes and who he meets with. After all, they are law officers, not his personal bodyguards.

 

[ZiprHead]

Legal Experts Have A Field Day With Trump's Megyn Kelly Interview

The former president thought he was speaking his truth, but some thought it sounded more like a confession.

www.huffpost.com

Donald Trump’s SiriusXM interview with Megyn Kelly probably helped her attract listeners after its release Thursday, but it may also end up helping prosecutors in his classified documents case.
During their discussion, the former president suggested that it is his right to hold on to the top-secret materials, which are at the center of a felony indictment announced earlier this summer.
“I’m allowed to take these documents, classified or not classified,” he told Kelly. “And frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t — at least in my opinion, you don’t.”
Trump justified his stance by pointing to the 1978 Presidential Records Act, a law enacted after the Watergate scandal to clarify that White House documents are the property of the federal government.

Video in the link.

Wutta dumbass.

 

[Copernicus]

Legal Experts Have A Field Day With Trump's Megyn Kelly Interview

The former president thought he was speaking his truth, but some thought it sounded more like a confession.

www.huffpost.com

Donald Trump’s SiriusXM interview with Megyn Kelly probably helped her attract listeners after its release Thursday, but it may also end up helping prosecutors in his classified documents case.
During their discussion, the former president suggested that it is his right to hold on to the top-secret materials, which are at the center of a felony indictment announced earlier this summer.
“I’m allowed to take these documents, classified or not classified,” he told Kelly. “And frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t — at least in my opinion, you don’t.”
Trump justified his stance by pointing to the 1978 Presidential Records Act, a law enacted after the Watergate scandal to clarify that White House documents are the property of the federal government.

Video in the link.

Wutta dumbass.

The judge overseeing his trial is on his side, so he can blab whatever he pleases. She is deliberately slow-walking the trial to give him a chance to become President and self-pardon. Cannon might even see some merit to the defense case that he argued before Megan Kelly, who has apparently stopped bleeding long enough to get him in for an interview.

 

[ZiprHead]

Shhh, he's declassifying!

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Legal Experts Have A Field Day With Trump's Megyn Kelly Interview

The former president thought he was speaking his truth, but some thought it sounded more like a confession.

www.huffpost.com

Donald Trump’s SiriusXM interview with Megyn Kelly probably helped her attract listeners after its release Thursday, but it may also end up helping prosecutors in his classified documents case.
During their discussion, the former president suggested that it is his right to hold on to the top-secret materials, which are at the center of a felony indictment announced earlier this summer.
“I’m allowed to take these documents, classified or not classified,” he told Kelly. “And frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t — at least in my opinion, you don’t.”

It is complicated and these statements might not be as dumb as they sound... at least regarding some charges. Trump has no motive to destroy evidence of hiding the documents if he thinks owning them is legal. This pits him against the IT guy who says he was told to destroy tapes, video, whatever, because why would Trump ask that, he thought he had legal possession of them. The guy was lying because of overzealous prosecution.

This argument isn't quite as easy as that, as the Government was pretty clear in informing him he had no legal right to these docs. But it is an argument his lawyers can make.

 

[Elixir]

it is an argument his lawyers can make.

Lawyers can argue that aliens didit. Can they present evidence to a jury that will convince them that aliens didit? I doubt it.