It baffles me why Democrats and the media are ignoring the most devastating act of Espionage in US history, by a long shot. The timeline of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago “mishandling of classified documents” is a series of inexplicably indifferent decisions to protect our national interest.
To recap: two weeks after failing in his attempt coup to overturn his election loss, the ever-revengeful Trump was allowed to cart off over 80 boxes containing HUNDREDS of classified records that he never returned to their many respective SCIFs. The FBI failed to even ASK to look through the boxes, just to see if any red bordered folders might be in there. Then, National Archives, NARA, took four months to finally ask Trump about all those missing government records. (By then, of course, the damage had most likely already been done; the world’s spies already knew MAL was a buffet line of US national secrets and that Trump didn’t mind sharing, especially to please Russia, the OPEC nations, and China.)
Following the Indictment: Trump stalled for a year, January 2022, to send only 15 boxes to NARA, after personally searching through each box, deciding what he would send and what he would keep. NARA, realizing he hadn’t returned all records, then contacted the FBI, who then opened their investigation in Feb. 2022.
Another 4 months go by, Trump lying to the FBI and his own lawyers, until he turned over a few more documents to the FBI on June 6, with Christina Bobb falsely signing an affidavit claiming she had conducted a thorough search. This is the time when 10-15 boxes were loaded onto his plane for New Jersey, presumably to his Bedminster club, as FBI agents showed up. Finally, the August 8, 2022 raid recovered almost all remaining records...but by no means all of them.
So...to recap: at least 337 Top Secret and Secret records, normally stored in many the most heavily guarded SCIFs in the country, were left sitting at Trump’s open clubhouse - in a bathroom, on a ballroom stage, his office, and a storeroom. Is there ANY doubt that Russia, and likely EVERY other spy agency on Earth, has that intel? Mr. and Mrs. “Smith” just had to reserve a room, flash some cash, and at night, visit the storeroom stashes. To say nothing of any compromised employees among the hundreds that were employed, or even guests to MAL events.
Moreover, the FBI apparently hasn’t even bothered to make sure they recovered all classified records in Trump’s possession:
-Two locked, secret rooms at MAL were not even searched,
-Trump flew 10-15 boxes to Bedminster, loaded out the back as the FBI was walking in the front,
-There were multiple empty folders, the contents of which may be permanently unknown,
-The 10-inch binder of the Mueller / Steele contacts, sources and assets, is missing. Hutchinson said she last saw it with Mark Meadows as they were leaving on Dec. 20 (the CIA noticed that many of US’s European assets and sources are going missing, which started soon after one of Trump’s private meetings with Putin)
NARA and the FBI understandably gave Trump every chance to just return the records and avoid the national embarrassment of the former President being charged. As we watch daily, we know Trump would NEVER handle things discreetly or do the right thing for the good of the national interest.
But as for the FBI, DOJ, the Biden Administration, and Intelligence Committee Democrats: Is the reason none of them are discussing the damage Trump caused to our national security...is because the damage is SO devastating, SO complete, that if the truth was ever known, no country or foreign official would EVER trust us, or work with US Intelligence ever again? We MUST assume that every agent and source in those documents has been compromised. Did Trump expose our ENTIRE covert intelligence network? And was the reason just petty revenge for America making him a loser? “Not re-elect ME? I’ll show you, America! Accusing me of working for Russia and taking foreign money? (I did, but I’m Trump!) This will teach you!”
As for getting answers: The now indefinitely stalled “MAL documents” trial would not give us these answers anyway. We voters have a right to know the extent of the damage he caused and threat he poses. Someone should inform America, optics be damned, that If Trump is re-elected, his retribution will be a fire sale on US secrets.