DONALD TRUMP SAID he “absolutely” plans to testify in the federal government’s case against him regarding classified documents he removed from the White House. “I’m allowed to do whatever I want … I’m allowed to do everything I did,” the former president told conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt.
In an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” that dropped Wednesday, the host asked Trump, “Did you direct anyone to move the boxes, Mr. President? Did you tell anyone to move the boxes?” referring to the boxes of more than 300 classified documents the federal government seized last year from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“I don’t talk about anything. You know why? Because I’m allowed to do whatever I want. I come under the Presidential Records Act,” Trump replied, while also taking a quick detour to bash Hewitt. “I’m not telling you. You know, every time I talk to you, ‘Oh, I have a breaking story.’ You don’t have any story. I come under the Presidential Records Act. I’m allowed to do everything I did.”
Will be super interesting to see him try that under oath…
“OBJECTION YOUR HONOR. My client is a moron and just incriminated himself.”
“Your honor, I object!”
“And why is that?”
“Because it’s devastating to my case!”
“Overruled.”
“Good call.”
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His lawyers actually said that while he was president. They said he was incapable of being deposed without perjuring himself. Eventually they sent 10 questions written out and he had his lawyers with him to help respond.
They said he was incapable of being deposed without perjuring himself.
“Perjury trap” is a fake term that tries to place the blame for “My client is a compulsive liar and literally can’t tell the truth to save his life” on the other party. And whoever came up with the term deserves both a raise for being amazing at their job, and a knee to the groin for being a shit human being.
And whoever came up with the term deserves both a raise for being amazing at their job, and a knee to the groin for being a shit human being.
So, a lawyer.
Probably went to the same school as the lawyer that came up with “afluenza”
I cannot imagine the guy speaking a single word in court.
I can def see a man-child reaction exactly like this dumb statement -kinda like what he did on the debates with Hillary and Biden, interrupting and interjecting his sad alternate reality- as the cases pick up steam and hes forced to fly between Fla, DC, Ga and wherever his current cult rally/grievance is that day, oh boy, is it gonna be fun or what?
Thing is, neither a man-child reaction, nor making deranged statements, helps you in court. So, I’m imagining his lawyers will instruct him to please shut the hell up.
yeah cause the trumpet is well known for heading his lawyers advice
Eh, I also just imagine, he’s not particularly excited for speaking there. The judge won’t let him blathe on like an imbecil, but rather demand proof for his statements. And the only way, he can avoid subjecting himself to that power dynamic, is to not speak to the judge.
But yeah, we’ll have to see…
I could see him yelling and screaming as they take him away.
Oh yeah, after the verdict, I can imagine him inciting another coup and whatnot.
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It would make for a much shorter trial, at least. Basically just a guilty plea with extra steps.
I like a petulant Trump. Means he’s worried.
He’s always been petulant though.
Which makes sense given his constant state of anxiety about whatever demographic, real or imagined, is supposedly after him for no good reason next.
There is only one person trying to take down Trump and that is Donald Trump. He’s absolutely his own worst enemy because he doesn’t ever think.
The speech centres of his brain appear to be directly wired to his mouth without reference to the critical thinking or self-preservation lobes.
He can in fact do whatever he wants, he just needs to deal with the consequences of his actions.
I don’t see proof of that last part for the moment, hopefully it will become true
Well, technically, no consequences are some kind of consequences. But I really do hope that he will pay for what he did wrong.
Candidate Trump needs to be belligerent and defiant. Defendant Trump needs to STFU.
The problem is those two things are in competition. So he has to say, Russia, Russia, Russia as candidate Trump, but that isn’t a relevant or useful argument for defendant Trump. He has to say, “I’m allowed to do this thing” as candidate Trump, but as defendant Trump, I’m allowed to break the law is not a defense.
His only hope is to delay. If he goes to trial on anything, defendant Trump loses. If he can hold out, then candidate Trump will win.
This is his bet. He wins and it all goes away and the US is ruled by a guy who believes he can get away with anything.
Maybe we get lucky and he has a cheeseburger embolism between now and then and then Walter Reed docs just choose to try a little less hard that day.
This attitude is terrifying to people who handle national security information. Just because you might have authority to declassify something doesn’t mean you should. It’s reckless and irresponsible to expose sources and methods unnecessarily - not to mention the information itself. There’s a reason that declassified documents still have a lot of redactions.
This type of stuff is usually in a very controlled environment with significant physical security - not a bathroom.
No you are not. It is classified for a reason.
Holy shit I hate this man so much.
American government: ‘No, you’re not.’
You stopped being president nearly four years ago, man. Grow up.
I truly hate that technically, former presidents can be called Mr. President for the rest of their lives.
I still laugh that donnie Bin Laden and his supporters were outraged that a judge called him “Mr. Trump”.
I will die not understanding the allegiance this man has among his followers.
I think it’s at least 90% racism and misogyny and the hope that they will get to unleash their worse selves on others. Hillary was right about them, and my dog, the huffing and puffing her correct statement created among the tone police/“liberal media” and of course his base that is even still having a fauxrage over it…while simultaneously proudly declaring themselves “deplorables” and playing the victim card over it.
He’s right until they prove him wrong.
There’s literal audio recording of him acknowledging that he’s fully aware he can’t do whatever he wants with classified files.
As usual he’s right until he proves himself wrong then claims he’s right again.
His lies here are for his reprogrammable meatbag base, though. They probably don’t even know he contradicted himself in a recording.
he’s allowed to do whatever he wants with whatever and whoever he wants whenever he wants or why else is he the king
Okay.
Catch is… I- and everyone else- get to do what ever we want to him
tell his Supporters… you gotta fight them… they’re the ones who want him as King…
Do they still manufacture torches and pitchforks?
Let the courts sort out his stupidity.
Can he sit in prison while he awaits his trial?
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My understanding from briefly covering this in law school and reading some technical articles about it over the past year, is that classification falls under congressional powers, and the only reason the executive branch has any say in the matter as to documents is because Congress passed laws delegating some of that authority to the executive branch. In no circumstance under the law, can the president simply state that a document is declassified and make it so because no such exists under the statute.
The president has authority to initiate the process to declassify any documentwith the exception of nuclear secrets.
The president could read a classified non-nuclear document publicly, and the subject matter would lose its classification, but not the document itself, until it went through the applicable agency’s legal procedure for declassification.
Trump had not initiated such processes and had not declassified the subject matter publicly while president.
The entirety of the above statement are irrelevant to two things as far as Trump’s crimes: any of Trump’s actions after the lawful end of his tenure and nuclear secrets, to which none of the above applies, as Congress delegated classification of nuclear secrets to our nuclear energy regulators.
Trump also lied repeatedly to the public and law enforcement, and engaged in an open conspiracy to illegally destroy evidence and tamper with witnesses.
By the time this is over, I won’t be surprised if it’s revealed he sold nuclear secrets to the Saudis, Russia, or China. Dude had been a foreign agent since the 80’s.
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He admitted on tape he did not declassify the documents while president and no longer can now that he isn’t. That torpedoes any bullshit mind-link declassification powers he asserts he had. He literally admitted it. Literally. I mean in the classic sense of the word literally. He literally already admitted he did not declassify them when being interviewed for a potential book deal.
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Brother you need to improve your reading comprehension. What about the whole ‘declassification is not done only by the president but its actually a whole process that goes through congress’ argument?
Sounds like you don’t have much understanding tbh.
As opposed to “he just needs to think it and it is so?”
Hmm who do I trust? Special counsel with years experience in government or anon who just hand waved his entire case.
Better go with anon because it would be horrible if anon were right and myself, another anon, would know it.
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That’s just incorrect.
If you think the government doesn’t want more paperwork and documentation that something is declassified, then you have an inflated view of government efficiency. Not to mention the actual importance of a paper trail and approvals.
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Do you really think SCOTUS would be willing to give Biden the ability to do after his presidency what Trump did?
Do you trust the current SCOTUS to not play GOP politics and apply rules for thee not for me?
I could easily see the poor mental gymnastics that would be pulled for protecting trump and then later flipping and condemning the act if done by a non GOP president
This is absolutely not true, but I’ll allow you to try and come up with some example to support your fantastic assertions?
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Yeah, no.
This buffoon would never be able to get cleared for even a generic TS for normal government work. I think our commander in chief should be able to obtain a TS as a requirement to running for office. Then there’s Jared…
It’s not a strong case and never was.
Laughable. ETA: You are.
….aT which point his lawyer jumped in and said the the real trump would never say that … fake fake prank call don’t ever call here again!!
That all sounds to me like he’s not trying to defend himself in court, that instead his entire plan is to win the presidency and stay there for life. All of these claims (I can do the thing, it’s totally fine believe me) amount to confessions that he did what he’s charged with, but are also appeals to his base that the courts are wrong and illegitimate.
