Donald Trump has been indicted in the classified document investigation. The images of FBI agents ransacking Mar-a-Lago last August have been burned into our memories. There are over 37 counts in the indictment. If convicted, Trump could face 75 years behind bars. Counts 1-31, the bulk of the indictment, fall under the Willful Retention of National Defense Information, a charge with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. You can read a summary of the indictment here.
Donald Trump's indictment on federal charges involving mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate represents the most serious legal jeopardy so far for the former president.
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 9, 2023
Here's what to know: https://t.co/Lu83EAETNK pic.twitter.com/llqDlk32Pu
Yet, the term of imprisonment isn’t the issue here. The trial and the legal pressure the Biden Department of Justice is forcing Trump to shoulder.
As Katie wrote on Friday, they want him to quit. Trump being a billionaire is the only reason he can soak up these legal actions. The costs will be astronomical; most families would have been bankrupt by now. The Justice Department’s witch hunts have bankrupted many former Trump aides. Trump now faces two trials, this one for classified materials at Mar-a-Lago and the Stormy Daniels indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Both are opening acts of this anti-Trump political theater, though the classified document indictment is more serious. Trump allegedly showed maps of classified military operations to persons without proper clearance, with some files kept in the bathroom. If you wanted to indict Trump on this stuff, the recordings of him talking about taking the files and the FBI subpoena made it easier for federal prosecutors.
We can scream about the political bias in both these investigations, but that doesn’t make the indictments disappear. Trump will be hauled into court for both trials, impacting the Republican Party across the board in 2024 should he win the nomination. Yet, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow had another take on the indictment, one that falls into the ‘saying the quiet part out loud’ category. She suggested that the DOJ could make a deal with Trump: Drop out of the presidential race, and we’ll nix the charges. Our friends at Twitchy clipped the segment. Oh, and Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera also appears to agree:
MSNBC’s Maddow suggests DOJ could do quid pro quo with Trump, dropping charges if he leaves 2024 race pic.twitter.com/ELjpvDx4J7
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 10, 2023
As I have said consistently, President Biden should stop this tortured nonsense immediately. In exchange for former President Trump dropping out of the race for the White House, Biden should pardon him for any and all federal allegations.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) June 9, 2023
.@GeraldoRivera, you and Rachel Maddow have given away the game.
— Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) June 10, 2023
This isn’t about vindicating the criminal law or protecting the public (this is a purported document crime, which isn’t a crime, it’s a civil Presidential Records issue, and it’s victimless).
It’s completely… https://t.co/aI8nhn5sSU
I'm unsure what the legal parameters are with this cockamamie scenario, but I strongly feel it’s illegal. The DOJ can’t leverage federal charges this way: drop out of an election, and we’ll let you slide. That’s some banana republic antics, which some arguably are saying is happening before our eyes. Since Biden had to sign off on this investigation, the scandal would be immense in a sane world. Joe is using the DOJ to not only go after his political enemies but potentially make them not run against him. And what about Joe’s classified document scandal? Yes, the photos of where Trump kept files aren’t pretty, but neither is Biden keeping state secrets in his garage like Christmas decorations.
