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Government Corruption
'Trump spy chief on classified documents: 'Virtually impossible to prosecute'
2022-08-13
[Washington Examiner] Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe argued that it is "virtually impossible" to prosecute his onetime boss, former President Donald Trump, for alleged mishandling of classified material.

While chiding the FBI for "acting as the muscle" of the Democrats, the Trump-era spy chief hearkened back to Hillary Clinton's email situation and surmised that Trump possessed the "ultimate declassification authority," shielding him from liability.

"I thought, surely this is not about classified documents and the president being in possession of those. It has to be more than that because the Department of Justice and the FBI have already set a standard that makes it virtually impossible to prosecute a case like that," Ratcliffe told Fox Business's Larry Kudlow, who is another former Trump administration official.

Although no president has ever been prosecuted for mishandling classified material, some experts dispute the notion that one could suddenly deem something declassified and argue that the president must instead follow a formal process.

"I’ve seen thousands of declassified documents. They’re all marked ’declassified’ with the date they were declassified," Richard Immerman, assistant deputy director of national intelligence in the Obama administration, told NBC News.

During a Monday raid, FBI agents carried out a search warrant of Trump's lavish Mar-a-Lago resort and reportedly retrieved some 20 boxes of material while seeking documents with details about nuclear weapons.

A warrant released to the public Friday revealed that authorities were looking for material retained in violation of three federal laws, including the Espionage Act.
Related:
John Ratcliffe: 2022-08-11 They Were After The Ratcliffe Docs Trump Declassified Regarding DOJ/FBI Targeting Of Trump 2016-2020
John Ratcliffe: 2021-11-09 Former intel chief expects many more indictments in Durham probe
John Ratcliffe: 2021-10-16 Former Director Of National Intelligence Issues Warning Over Biden Buying Chinese Drones For Feds
Posted by:Besoeker

#8  ^ Exactly. 100%.
Posted by: Dron66046   2022-08-13 13:28  

#7  The raid was planned to demonstrate power, create an impression of grave wrongdoing, to intimidate Trump but more importantly, those allied to him and those thinking of it, to ascertain exactly what holdings he had regarding the entire history of criminal abuse of classified monitoring systems, and create a media firestorm and predicate for years of slow-rolling "Russia-hoax" V 2.0 to thwart 2024.

Should he return to power in 2024...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XUu3_pLPUE
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2022-08-13 13:07  

#6  New twist in FBI raid: Trump had 'standing order' to declassify documents taken to residence
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-08-13 09:05  

#5  
"it is "virtually impossible" to prosecute... "
Spoken like a citizen that follows the law.

However.... we are discussing the LSD's & DC Swamp/Deep State that is facing charges of TREASON and SEDITION, IF a Constitutional Government is restored.


"Treason is a federal crime that consists of acts against the United States government.

Sedition is a state crime that consists of inciting rebellion or violence against the government."
Posted by: NN2N1   2022-08-13 07:40  

#4  When the Founders wrote the Constitution they left a flaw. They did not anticipate powerful, unelected bureaucracies that will partner with one of the political parties to crush political opposition.

SOLUTION:. Convene a Constitutional Convention to pass another Amendment To The Constitution that requires Deep State to maintain neutrality or be hung in the gallows.
Posted by: Phons Omert2327   2022-08-13 04:56  

#3  Is this how the Democrat regime prepares for midterm elections?
Like a Latin American junta?
Posted by: Anon1   2022-08-13 03:52  

#2  Trump should have pardoned Assange and strengthened Wikileaks
He should have taken action against the social media platforms
Posted by: Anon1   2022-08-13 03:46  

#1  The current EO governing classified information was issued in 2009 by Barak Obama and is pretty clear that a president (or vice president) has unfettered authority to declassify without following any procedural review as is required by all other entities

Executive order 13526
Classified National Security Information

See Section 3.5(a)(3)(b) in large bold text below:

Sec. 3.5. Mandatory Declassification Review.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, all information classified under this order or predecessor orders shall be subject to a review for declassification by the originating agency if:

(1) the request for a review describes the document or material containing the information with sufficient specificity to enable the agency to locate it with a reasonable amount of effort;
(2) the document or material containing the information responsive to the request is not contained within an operational file exempted from search and review, publication, and disclosure under 5 U.S.C. 552 in accordance with law; and
(3) the information is not the subject of pending litigation.
(b) Information originated by the incumbent President or the incumbent Vice President; the incumbent President’s White House Staff or the incumbent Vice President’s Staff; committees, commissions, or boards appointed by the incumbent President; or other entities within the Executive Office of the President that solely advise and assist the incumbent President is exempted from the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-08-13 03:41  

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