There was one of those moments of crystal clarity on Nicole Wallace’s Deadline: White House Show today, and I want to thank Neal Katyal for literally cutting through the Trump Gordian Knot Of Lies that Mike Schmidt of the New York Times was spinning when it comes to those government documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The latest revelation that Trump is on a recording admitting that he has a CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT on invading Iran has just confused poor old Mike Schmidt. It appears that Schmidt is tangled up in so many Trumpian lies that he essentially stated, “We do not know if Trump really had that document because Trump lies all the time. And without that document, how does the DOJ indict Trump?” Katyal called BS on Schmidt’s Trumpian Knot dilemma, and he pulled out a sword to cut that Trumpian Knot of Lies. There is a mountain of evidence against Trump, and according to Katyal on Trump’s legal defense, “Trump is too dumb to play dumb.”
That’s a quote, by the way.
There was this long discourse by Schmidt about that CNN report of an audiotape with Trump stating he had a classified document on invading Iran, but Trump couldn’t show it to the person he was talking with because it was “classified.” It is at this point that Schmidt goes in with the line that Trump is a well known boaster and liar. Therefore, how does anyone know that Trump had a REAL CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT on American plans to invade Iran! Without the government having that document, it makes it oh so hard for the DOJ to prosecute Trump because you cannot bring charges against a guy who is lying his ass off. Where is the proof that Trump had that specific document?
Oh what a tangled web we weave...blah, blah, blah.
Neal Katyal was up next, and he specifically said that he had to disagree with Schmidt. It didn’t matter whether or not the DOJ has found that document on American invasion plans for Iran. The audiotape demolishes Trump’s defense that he used a Jedi Mind Trick Declassification. Trump knows that you are NOT to show classified documents to any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Then, Katyal took out his legal sword and slashed the hell out of Schmidt’s Trumpian Knot of Lies. The documents went missing from the National Archives, and they turned up at Trump’s pad in FL. Trump refused to give ALL of the documents back to the government when hit with a subpoena. And Trump has admitted to having the documents.
All of those moves by Trump and the audiotape made Katyal state that “Trump is too dumb to play dumb!” A smarter person would have played dumb about those classified documents. He would have said, “I didn’t know those were there in the storage room! Someone else must have packed them up. Here you go FBI!”
Instead, we have Trump admitting that he took the documents because they are his. Besides, he just thought, “These are no longer classified!” and “POOF!” The documents are no longer classified.
And one more time for slow learner Mike Schmidt: the DOJ does not need to have that specific document to prove that Trump is guilty of obstruction. Trump stating on an audiotape that he knows the difference between classified and declassifed documents is another admission of his criminal intent and frame of mind. All those other classified documents at his private digs show Trump committed theft and obstruction.
The reason I am belaboring this incident is that I have watched the media twist themselves into knots giving Trump benefit of the doubt on the stolen documents. The latest twist is a warped defense that Trump is such a liar and fabulist that you cannot believe anything he says. In other words, Trump is just your average bullshitter, and we do not prosecute your average bullshitter for all the lies he/she tells. And the audiotape of Trump admitting having a classified document is just more tall tales!
Trump is not just a guy sitting on the porch of an old country store spinning tales that everyone knows is not true. He is a guy caught with stolen goods who is claiming that all the stolen stuff belongs to him. How fucking hard is that to understand?