What is Donald Trump doing now? Donald Trump’s attorneys in the classified documents case gave a doozy of an excuse for the president’s alleged misconduct with the secret papers back in February.
On February 10, Trump’s lawyers handed over one empty folder to the Department of Justice that had “Classified Evening Summary” written on it.
The explanation for this submission is that Donald Trump used the folder to cover the light on a telephone landline in his bedroom that kept him up at night.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Did Donald Trump Really Do That?
This explanation is doubtful and even comical. It shows that Trump may not be taking the situation seriously.
Even one of Trump’s attorneys, Timothy Parlatore, said this discovery was “one of the more humorous aspects of this whole thing” and that “there is nothing illegal about it.”
The Documents Are “Cool” to Keep
Trump called similar materials in the past a “cool keepsake” and said that their presence around Mar-a-Lago was inadvertent with no criminal intention.
Laptop Is Given to Investigators
Another submission was noteworthy. The Associated Press reported months back that the Trump legal team also handed over a laptop that was owned by a presidential staffer. It is not clear what types of material are stored on this computer.
The Guardian said that the aide for one of Trump’s political action committees may have scanned in the hard copies of classified documents to make them electronic PDF copies.
These files are believed to be presidential schedules that might have been itineraries for trips to sensitive areas of the world such as Afghanistan.
The Folder Is Not Really Classified
Trump’s lawyers had also stated that the “Classified Evening Summary” folder was not stamped “Secret” or “Top Secret” and was without the formal classified designation. The folders were inadvertently mixed in with unclassified material, they said. Both sides of the legal issue are becoming more contentious as investigators believe Trump is stonewalling on the documents and his legal team thinks they are being cooperative.
This Has Lasted Almost Two Years
The saga has been going on since May 2021 when the National Archives and Records Administration first requested that Trump turn in missing classified documents. Twelve months later Trump was issued a subpoena. Then in June, the Trump camp said it was not in possession of any secret papers.
On August 8, using a search warrant from the Attorney General Merrick Garland, the FBI searched Trump’s residence Mar-a-Lago. Investigators found 103 classified documents during that search.
In December, a separate company hired by Trump to conduct a search looked into a storage center in West Palm Beach. This firm found at least two documents that they handed over to the FBI.
What Is Really Going On Here?
It is difficult to decipher this classified document scandal. Does Trump have any more secret material? His main attorney finds the situation humorous. They may have used a computer to scan documents. Why would a staffer do that? Especially if they were schedules?
The only thing I can think of is that Trump’s staff wants to help the former president write his memoirs in the future and having some classified material would help Trump remember what he did from day to day.
It’s Not a Way to Endear Himself to the DOJ
The special counsel and the Department of Justice are likely becoming increasingly frustrated with Trump. This whole saga is dragging on. One of the folders was used as a lampshade? This is hard to believe and it shows that Trump’s attorneys are likely toying with investigators.
This will only make things more adversarial. On the other hand, President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence have allowed the FBI to search their homes.
Perhaps the entire Trump legal strategy is to lengthen the process and disclose documents slowly, so the matter stays out of the public eye.
But you are going to see dogged reporting on this scandal as journalists, especially those on the left, smell a weakness that could result in criminal charges being brought against Trump.
They won’t buy excuses that classified folders were used to cover lights on phones.
BONUS: The Fall of Joe Biden Has Started
BONUS: Donald Trump Looks At His End
Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
Rick L. Son
February 13, 2023 at 7:23 pm
NEVER COUNT THE DONALD OUT!!!!
Walker
February 14, 2023 at 5:23 am
Can Trump really be this stupid?
This question has been asked many times and always gets answered with yes. That is unless you are a Trumpie. Then he is still smarter than you, so of course you say no.
RD
February 14, 2023 at 7:07 am
He’s always been stupid!!!!!!!!
Ed Stewart
February 14, 2023 at 11:49 am
must be pretty stupid alone with the lawyer who doesn’t understand that the classified folders mean they are classified
richard
February 16, 2023 at 3:50 pm
trump done like over cooktrukey that he is
richard
February 16, 2023 at 3:51 pm
his problem are just starting it about get much worse believe me
Bo Reed
February 16, 2023 at 10:46 pm
Trump when compared to Biden it’s like a no brainer. That is because Biden has failed to show us he is interested in a cognitive test.He has showed the American people just how out of touch he really is.He lets a balloon from the CCP fly the entire US before having it shot down was a dumb. Why would you use an armed missile when using a nonexplosive rocket would have gave a lot more evidence to look at. Does it matter to President Biden that three hundred Americans are dying from the Chinese drug coming into our neighborhoods. How about the murders rape assaults robberies and THE REVOLVING DOOR JUSTIC SYSTEM HE HAS PROMOTED?
Thomas
February 17, 2023 at 12:29 pm
His actions regarding the documents are right in line for Trump. He is possessive AND acts and believes that he is above the laws.
Ed .
February 18, 2023 at 9:52 am
…”all” this says is that 2024 is “the time” for a new generation of leaders. Bashing Biden and Trump and Harris is…shallow thinking.
Time for is all to think deeper…end ‘the way we’ve always done it’.
Donald J Plump
May 14, 2023 at 9:05 am
The orange bozo is a great Patriot dodged the draft five times. The orange bozo is a true Christian who is on his third wife that he’s cheated on. The orange bozo is a great businessman who would inherited a fortune and went bankrupt several times. He couldn’t even run a casino in New Jersey except into the ground. The orange bozo is a stable genius except that he won’t let anyone see his grades from school. He even thought the dementia test was some sort of IQ test. What an imbecile. The orange bozo claims to be a conservative, although he pissed away more money than any other president ever. Another odd thing is that most of his supporters are uneducated trailer trash, but he gave the tax breaks to the 1% and corporations. Remind me again why corporations making record profits need tax breaks and government welfare?
EarthGrowl
May 14, 2023 at 9:43 am
Trump is dangerous because he is poorly educated on matters outside of real estate and tax fraud and has convinced himself he doesn’t need well qualified experts to help him do his job. This is the definition of incompetence.
Trump literally told Generals that he knew more about fighting a war than they did.
We have all seen Republicans pull strings to sway a close election in their favor. Bush vs Gore. If Trump had been even slightly competent He would still be president.
Nobody cares about Biden’s memory because Biden is a decision maker. That’s it. I feel 100x more confident in Biden’s admin because the country is being ran by highly educated experts.
Trump is an incompetent buffoon (he paid someone to take his SAT!) who thinks he knows everything but proves time and time again that he has the educational level of a 6th grader. Inject Bleach! Airplanes during the revolutionary war!
Everyone out there who thinks Trump is great but they, themselves, are high school drop outs or C students. This is why education is important! You fail to recognize mediocrity.
A man who could not graduate from college on his own and obviously stopped learning in 6th grade should never be president of an advanced civilization.
Skyring
May 14, 2023 at 1:40 pm
Sun Tzu’s classic The Art of War was based on intel. Know the enemy and you know how to win.
There’s a very good reason why classified documents need to be handled correctly and that’s to keep the opposing team in the dark.
Sure, everyone makes the occasional mistake but you acknowledge it, take the rap on the knuckles, don’t do it again.
To treat matters of national security as a joke, well that goes beyond incompetence. Anyone seriously thinking of giving America another four years of chaos in the high command should book themselves in for treatment.
Edward W.
May 16, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Trump is an idiot