What do you think of former President Donald Trump being indicted on federal charges?

Question

abc3643 · Accepted Answer

I actually think he's in deep shit and that this is worse than even I had earlier imagined.

When he is arraigned on Tuesday, they will likely not take a mug shot (although I would love it if they did). I expect he will be released on his own recognizance, but I believe there is the possibility that they will make him surrender his passport and consider him a flight risk.

However, the judge in this case, Aileen M. Cannon, was appointed by Trump and has already illustrated poor judgment earlier in this issue (*) having been overruled by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ideally, Cannon should recuse herself in this case. If she shows any partiality or exhibits more suspect decision-making, US Attorney will likely go to the 11th Circuit to either overrule her or get her dismissed outright.

Honestly, though, I am not sure how Trump is going to get out of this unless there's a mistrial from a hung jury which is a definite possibility in Florida. However, if a grand jury could indict, a regular jury could convict.

Personally, Trump is guilty - the evidence is clear. I wish I didn't have to say that, but it's true; too many witnesses, recordings, photographs.

I'll let The Washington Post summarize.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/11/clinton-biden-classified-documents-trump-indictment/

=====

TITLE: Why Trump was charged on secret documents and Clinton, Pence were not
Subtitle: The former president does not face illegal-retention charges for the classified documents he returned to the National Archives
By Devlin Barrett
June 11, 2023 at 6:00 a. m. EDT

...

Notably, however, the indictment does not charge Trump with the illegal retention of any of the 197 documents he returned to the archives.

That shows that if Trump had simply returned all the classified documents he had, he probably never would have been charged with any crimes, said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor.

“This is not a case about what documents were taken, it’s about what former president Trump did after the government sought to retrieve those documents,” said Mintz, who noted that willful-retention cases often hinge on how much evidence prosecutors can find that a person deliberately hid material or refused to give it back.

The indictment offers anecdote after alleged anecdote charging that the former president sought to hide and keep some of the classified papers, so much so that Trump and Nauta are accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation and scheming to conceal the truth not just from the government, but even from Trump’s own lawyer.

Those allegations include: moving boxes out of a storage room; telling an attorney to search that room for classified material without saying that dozens of boxes were being kept elsewhere; suggesting an attorney hide or destroy documents that had been subpoenaed; and causing another person to make false statements about whether all the classified documents had been produced.
“That’s not the kind of evidence you typically find in a case like this, and it’s certainly not the type of evidence so far that has come out of the Biden investigation or the Clinton email server case,” Mintz said.

===========

Just getting convicted on a single count of "Willful Retention of National Defense Information" [violating 18 USC §793(e)] could be up to 10 years. He's facing 31 counts of that, so, in principle, that could be 310 years.

These are the remaining charges in the indictment all of which include violating 18 USC §2 - Principals which, in short, says these guys are the leaders for their crimes - they either did the crime themselves or enticed someone to do it for them.

COUNT 32, Defendants: Trump, Nauta
Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice
in violation of 18 USC §1512(k)
Maximum Penalty: 20 years and fine

COUNT 33, Defendants: Trump, Nauta
Withholding a Document or Record
in violation of 18 USC §1512(b)(2)(A)
Maximum Penalty: 20 years and fine

COUNT 34, Defendants: Trump, Nauta
Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record
in violation of 18 USC §1512(c)(1)
Maximum Penalty: 20 years and fine

COUNT 35, Defendants: Trump, Nauta
Concealing a document in a Federal Investigation
in violation of 18 USC §1519
Maximum Penalty: 20 years and fine

COUNT 36, Defendants: Trump, Nauta
Scheme to Conceal
in violation of 18 USC §1001(a)(1)
Maximum Penalty: 5 years

COUNT 37, Defendants: Trump
False Statements and Representations
in violation of 18 USC §1001(a)(2)
Maximum Penalty: 5 years

COUNT 38, Defendant: Nauta
False Statements and Representations
in violation of 18 USC §1001(a)
Maximum Penalty: 5 years

=========

I suspect former President Trump is going to plea bargain this out to no jail time, but a shitload of fines and other compromises. Of course, he might just risk a jury because, more than likely, there will be at least one juror who is a blindly devoted Trumpster. Voir dire should weed any such person out though.

blueonblack22 · Accepted Answer

Yawn. This is  all part of a scheme  hatched by leftist elitists to boost Trump in the republican primaries because he’s the only candidate Biden has a snowballs chance in hell in beating. These charges will get dropped shortly after Trump gets nominated (and I don’t want him nominated)  In reality the democrat elitists are much more terrified of Ron DeSantis then Trump.  Reason being:  DeSantis thinks before he speaks.  DeSantis crushed the Florida 2022 gubernatorial election by 20 points despite barely winning in 2018 (less than a 1%). People like him vs. Trump has lost the republicans three consecutive major elections in a row (2018, 2020 and 2022)  DeSantis doesn’t have any major known skeletons in his closet unlike Trump. The mass media is frustrated and even horrified that they have no way to get the negative attention off Biden who has more skeletons in his closet than a Halloween party DeSantis had the balls to do the right thing during lockdown and kept Florida open which kept the local economy strong. Trump on other hand seesawed and screwed up his messaging on everything.  DeSantis has the balls to stand up to woke politics  which most Americans actually hate  even if they are afraid to say it out loud.  Biden will be 81 next year. DeSantis will be 45. DeSantis could literally chug a whole bottle of NyQuil and look more awake and aware than Biden who probably can’t remember which state he is in half the time.  DeSantis is a military veteran.  I do think what is happening to Trump is disgusting and yes the corrupt DOJ and deep state really are out to get him. But I know the ruse. Liberal elitists are counting on this to motivate people to support Trump. But they also know it makes him less appealing to swing voters and independents (and they really decide elections). I may be conservative but I’m not going to fall for that bullshit. I’m voting for DeSantis in the primaries  and if you are conservative you should too if you want the republicans to win for once.

chrissykerdock · Accepted Answer

let's see he was a president... we're talking about docs which he has a right to... where's the justice though? biden has taken 10 million dollar bribes with proof... taken docs when he was a senator... so i think it's disgusting trump was arrested... only shows the corruption in america... do you think we're doing well... inflation up 9%... not allowed to drill which caused the inflation... borders not protected... the list goes on but it seems a lot of idiots don't get it... we're a disgusting corrupt country... we defund the police and if you think any good comes out of that your mistaken... who suffers the most it's women who get raped and killed... not men.

YesterdaysChild · Accepted Answer

I think it is hilarious how they use a straw dog to draw attention away from Biden, who if I remember right, took some documents too. Isn't colluding with China Treason? One wonders how many of Biden's "borrowed" documents were passed on to China? Trump is no less a crook than Biden is. Frankly, half of Congress are in it for themselves and not the people they are supposed to serve. They serve their own agenda and money.

nightdrot · Answer

Let me preface my comments by noting that I am a Republican who is no fan of Mr. Trump and in fact did not even vote for him the first time. (Though I did vote for him in opposition to Mr. Biden.) I am no fan of Mr. Trump's populism and thus I come at this question from the perspective of what might be called a Tory conservative.

To start, as a legal matter, Mr. Trump is innocent until proven guilty and he should be so treated. That said, the preponderance of evidence that the public has seen - including a video tape in which the former President is seeing "showing off" classified documents - seems to point to Mr. Trump's guilt.

This is less surprising that it may seem. Mr. Trump's brand of populism has nothing but disdain for the established institutions of society. Which in his world view are the product of elites. Thus, it is not too surprising that he should conduct himself with a proportionate level of disdain for the laws and institutions of society.

Nevertheless, the question of whether or not what Mr. Trump is accused of doing rises to the level of a felony - rather than mere misdemeanor - must be left to the courts. It being noted that Presidents and even former Presidents are given enormous latitude in how hey use and keep the classified documents that they accumulated in their administrations.

Thus, in many respects, there may be less here than meets the eye as a legal matter. In terms of national security, however, Mr. Trump's disdain for the institutions and "elites" of the nation he presided over may have put the nation at risk. Certainly, however, his populism is an acid that is eating away at the nation's culture.

In this, however, Mr. Trump is hardly a pioneer. The most fundamental issue being that Mr. Trump's opponents have been as cavalier with the laws, institutions and security of the nation as he has been.

The Republicans - and Mr. Trump - have one rock solid argument when they point out that there is a mountain of evidence that several Democrats, not least former First Lady Hillary Clinton, and the sitting President himself going back to his days as a Senator from Delaware, have violated the laws on classified documents. Yet the Democrats have made sure that the Department of Justice, on their watch, conveniently ignored such violations.

The point here is not just the double standard. Rather it is the construction of social consensus that disdains the institutions and laws of society. The law is seen not as a force for stability and fairness, but rather as a cudgel to be wielded against one's opponents.

This ethos is permeating not just the nations politics and institutions. It is sunk roots deep in the culture as the law is seen as little more than a tool of power or a mere inconvenience. Thus is the nation experiencing soaring crime rates, wokeism and all the rest.

It is to be hoped that justice, based on the evidence, will be done in the case of Mr. Trump. Then also in the cases of the Mrs. Clinton and the Bidens. There needs to be some scintilla of proof that the laws and institutions of society serve the people, and not merely that they are to be used according to convenience.

Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Biden are the equal of the office that they held or hold. As noted they are small men of limited character and no historical perspective. Both are men of limited character andshort term thinking and yet the public deemed them worthy of public office.

In this, they are both symptom and not the cause of the nation's current distresses. That is the main lesson that should be drawn from Mr. Trump's indictment. It says more about the character of the nation than it does of the man.

Anonymous · Answer

Aside from the fact that he had a right to said documents as a president. The real problem is political, its going to be a lot harder convincing every president going forward to peacefully give up power after an ugly election.

The Raid itself was crossing a Rubicon we can't uncross, not only because it gave his opposition the chance to spy on him and his campaign. It meant charges would be made no matter what based upon the history of the FBI. Everyone knew no matter what they would find or make dirt to charge him with given every single American violates 3 'federal' laws a day.

This indictment just seals the ultimately dooming American democracy, its only a matter of time now before a truly corrupt administration decides they would rather not take this risk in handing over power to their enemies.

There was a good reason the Federal goverment was never given this power in the Federal Constitution, not even impeachment allows anything beyond removal from office for this simple reason. Its not worth it!

Nothing you will ever gain from persecuting a former president will ever amount to anything even close to being worth it.

Existing presidents will simply see that as a compelling reason not to become former presidents, and given the enormous amount of power congress has invested in them as well as the hate of each faction they have both the support and the means to make that happen.

Leapfrog00 · Answer

Obviously there's proof because these are series charges. What would he want with classified documents if he wasn't planning on doing something with them. I think he sold them to Russia or some other country, or maybe multiple countries.

Everything gets kept track of in the white house and the presidents possession, and this isn't the first time he's done this. A couple years or so back a recording of sensitive material came up missing he had possession off. I'm thinking he sold Russia The man is friends with Putin, so there ya go!

Mac-One · Answer

It is just a political witch hunt. All prior presidents have retained documents from their presidencies and none have ever been charged with a felony. What about prior vice-presidents, senators, and representatives who have retained documents and never been charged? None have retained them in secured places and some have even retained the documents in multiple unsecured locations. Why should Trump be denied documents for a potential Presidential Library and why has he not been allocated funds for a presidential library like all recent prior presidents? We are on the verge of loosing our country and our freedoms and having a one party communist police state like China and Russia with everything that has happened over the past two years if it continues.

purplepoppy · Answer

I don't believe it's politically motivated for a second. You don't accidentally take nuclear and military secrets home and store them in your shower. It's pretty clear he intended to sell them and for that nothing short of the death penalty should suffice.

sage2021 · Answer

Just sayin'...

You cannot trust priest's anymore since it's out in the open that they are pedophiles.

You can't trust the FBI anymore because they've been caught being dishonest.

Can't trust the DOJ because now we find out they are dishonest

Hillary is a crook that should go to jail but the Fed's looked the other way.

I could go on and on. I believe they need to drop all charges and get off his back.

DON'T VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS!!

BeMuse · Answer

A Trump-appointed judge handling the documents case in the southern district... I have family that works in that district court... It's almost like it's a movie... All for show... You know to set legal precedent. It's funny how the commies never learn.

NamerOfStars · Answer

I  suspect  that's mostly just a distraction from some scandal that hasn't blown up into a scandal yet, but Donald Trump engaging in criminal activity would hardly shock me. By all means, if he DID break the law, then try him and, if he's convicted, throw him in prison- but don't stop with him.

Sexiestjohnson · Answer

He is not the first. There have been presidents of the United States who have been indicted multiple times. Some have even been assassinated. Yet their legacy lives on.

Trump may not have been perfect but American got a chance to have a leader who made them laugh and smile. Many people underate the blessings that those two things bring to life and economies.

If people speak evil of you, you did a damn good job

DJB72 · Answer

Sad to say but an indictment isn't a conviction.

Trump could seriously screw up the system so I'm not surprised. I'll be surprised if any genuinely random jury convicts him of anything though.

That's not to say he's innocent, just such a divisive figure.

boombastik · Answer

I think deep state is scared af of his agenda because it's so far off from their goals that they are activating Operation scorchEarth like little kids who are losing their toys do they are gonna break everything so nobody can play with them anymore. It's obvious from the way they have attacked this man.

OfDeath · Answer

He intentionally stored and refused access to sensitive and highly classified documents under the false impression that the president is above the law.

The sexual assault stuff was never going to land him in jail, but this document hoarding stuff is not looking good for him.

He is clearly a mendacious megalomaniac and I'm astonished that he continues to be exalted by many Americans.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

They have NOTHING to go on!! If they wanna blow all that time and tax money on trials and shit so badly, they need to go after REAL crooks, like the Biden crime family!!

jshm2 · Answer

He's a moron, so of course it's all going to catch up to him eventually. The funnier thing is the fact he still has "supporters!"  These people truly will follow this geezer to hell.

asphaltrhymes · Answer

I think it'll be a lot of media coverage for a while and for a long time into 2024. I'd rather Chris Christie or Sarah Palin or even Nikki for the Republican nomination, or, sigh, Mike Pence as nominee. 👍👍👍👀👀

Jazzy54 · Answer

He should be treated like any other citizen who breaks the law.

najekim · Answer

Literal witch hunt. Past presidents had done just as bad, if not worse, but the opposite party left them alone after they got out of office. The Democrats have shown they're deathly afraid of The Donald. Still won't vote for him though. And no, I refuse to vote for Biden as well.

shortster · Answer

Are they going to indict Biden or Pence next? No? Then it seems more like a witch hunt and less like justice. Besides the government has too many classified documents to begin with. All classified documents should lose their classified status within 5 years of their creation, unless they contain current spies or espionage methods. And those documents should be declassified when they are retired.

exitseven · Answer

This is a distraction. Th real story is the document James Comer just got from the FBI which details a 5 million dollar payoff that Biden got from Ukraine when he was VP. You will not hear a peep about this on the fake news.

Anonymous · Answer

When he took the docs he was POTUS. As POTUS he has full authority to declassify. On a recorded call he said he had classified documents, an apparent admission that he failed to do so. Had he simply done so and made it clear, there would have been no possibility of a crime here. Even if acquitted or tossed out, this should demonstrate his inability to properly exercise the powers of the office.

Anonymous · Answer

You have to laugh.

chicken_nugget24 · Answer

He is a criminal, it doesn't matter what political party you support, a criminal is a criminal

Juxtapose · Answer

It's all lies and a weaponization of the DOJ by the Biden admin to hamper his political opponent. This is disgusting and I hope Trump fucks them all up, wins and pisses off the deep state.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Oh, that poor little man. Once again betrayed by the treacherous collaboration of Deep State, 2000 mules and CNN fake news. Where is his GoFundMe campaign?

supercutebutt · Answer

LOCK HIM UP! :)

genericname85 · Answer

it's just a smear campeign. liberal media loves to paint him like a criminal and a racist. when all the horrible things they accuse him of, Biden actually did for real.

KetoJames · Answer

That we have a two tier justice system and everyone with a brain should hate that.

Anonymous · Answer

Since he got a judge he appointed, he has a decent chance of her letting him off the hook. She should of course recuse herself but that would require some integrity.

strateguy632 · Answer

politicaly motivated same as putin opponents

Surely · Answer

As long as the Biden crime family gets their day in criminal courts. Since Joey says that the law applies to everyone!

CallmeTheKnight · Answer

All these indictments and No actions…. How many times are they gonna indict a man thats did a whole lot less than the rest of them?

tfan1 · Answer

They are after him because he knows all of their dirty laundry. And soon it’s all going to be hung out to dry 👍🙂

Pterodon · Answer

It’s only to keep him from running. They’re afraid of him

Anonymous · Answer

He’s being indicted on a lot of different charges. He was charged with a crime in New York too.

PLAYBOYGOTCOINS · Answer

I THINK IS BULLSHIT WHY ELECT HIM AS PRESIDENT THEN TREAT HIM LIKE A DAMN CRIMINAL WHEN ITS OVER TRUMP IS THE REALEST PRESIDENT WE HAD AND I FUCKS WITH HIM THE LONG WAY

SingleGuy101 · Answer

I think that it is a sign of how deep corruption is in the United States.

runnerboy · Answer

It is about time and it will be good to see him behind bars

JesseP1nk · Answer

It is just political. Why do i think that? Noone cared about those "charges" before he said he is gonna run for president.

Anonymous · Answer

He should have kept the nuclear codes in the garage like Jo Jo the Clown.

Guardian45 · Answer

I hope he swings from the highest tree in the land!

Anonymous · Answer

So I think Trump is a complete douchebag, but it's pretty clear that this is all a witchhunt, so I don't really think much of the indictment.

Nigjt · Answer

That very stupid ASSHOLE should get lock up for at lest 50 year's. God Bless

GoingDownSouth · Answer

bogus.. they wouldn't give 2 sh! ts if he wasn't running again. But now they want to bury him because they know he will win again.

LeftHappy · Answer

I think it's a battle of the crazy white people which plays out (for some reason) among white people everywhere!

Jmmmfi4 · Answer

None of my business. Got nothing to do with me.

JustinTheGreat · Answer

Just throw the man in prison already lol

Anonymous · Answer

He is a crazy old man. His wife worked illegally before and he is against immigration. It doesn’t make any sense

Gobluebigtenchamps · Answer

Bout time someone charged him

Literalbillionaire17 · Answer

Good

KrakenAttackin · Answer

I think the left is shit scared of Trump.

BLP11520 · Answer

It’s bs Hillary did worse and Joe Biden?

robocop666 · Answer

whats he been proven guilty of?

Actor3 · Answer

Shoot or hang him as he is a traior to Americs

Joshuabenitez · Answer

Put him in jail.

gothbxtch · Answer

thrilled!

Hannajenky · Answer

It’s about time

Grond21 · Answer

It's a witch hunt

grega239 · Answer

Witch hunt

OddBeMe · Answer

#bouttime

Anonymous · Answer

Wrong

What do you think of former President Donald Trump being indicted on federal charges?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

What do you think of former President Donald Trump being indicted on federal charges?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.