The Unusual Espionage Act Case Against a Drone Photographer
In seemingly the first case of its kind, the US Justice Department has charged a Chinese national with using a drone to photograph a Virginia shipyard where the US Navy was assembling nuclear submarines.
4 months after the #FBI raided #MarALago, Trump’s attys discovered 4 docs marked #classified in his personal bedroom.
That revelation was among several cited by US District Judge Beryl Howell in a newly unsealed 2023 opinion that found prosecutors had presented compelling #evidence that #Trump#knowingly stashed #NationalSecurity docs in his home & then tried to conceal them when the #DOJ tried to retrieve them.
Throughout the opinion, Howell — who was chief judge of the Washington, DC federal district court at the time — described w/varying degrees of incredulity how 4 documents w/ classification markings could have been discovered in #Trump’s private quarters months after prosecutors had subpoenaed them & the #FBI conducted its own exhaustive search of the property.
Related: Chief Judge Boasberg denied#Trump “body man” #WaltNauta’s request to transfer some #GrandJury materials from DC to #Florida, says #Nauta failed to make specific case.
“Separately, to the extent the #SpecialCounsel demands an anticipatory finalization of #JuryInstructions prior to #trial, prior to a charge conference, & prior to the presentation of trial defenses & evidence, the Court declines that demand as unprecedented & unjust….“
Trump argues that as a fmr president he has #immunity, & that the case is politically motivated, while #SpecialCounsel#JackSmith …has some choice language for those claims: “woefully short of the requirements … no evidence whatsoever … frivolous … so lacking in merit … no support in constitutional text, separation of powers principles, history, or logic.”
#JackSmith’s team is due to face off w/ #Trump’s lawyers on Thurs in Judge #AileenCannon’s #Florida courtroom over 2 of Trump’s dismissal motions. Expect, at a minimum, several days of hearings before the #trial, giving more opportunity to see how Cannon, a relatively new & inexperienced judge, is handling this high-profile matter.
Judge #AileenCannon says two #amicus briefs filed by Trump-aligned lawyers "may be of considerable help" to her on Trump's motions to dismiss (biased much??)
1 says NARA referral to DOJ was deficient
1 says Jack Smith appointment was invalid
#Legal analyst Allison Gill agreed, "Might be in preparation for her [#AileenCannon] ruling on unsealing the #witness list & #testimony. #JackSmith said he would appeal to the #11thCircuit if she didn’t overturn her own unsealing order."
#Trump’s attys filed 7 motions late Thurs aimed at derailing the case, in which he is charged w/ willfully retaining #classified info after he left office & obstructing a federal investigation into his possession of those secrets.
The motions include a contention that he’s #immune from prosecution because he made the decision to send the highly sensitive docs to #MarALago while he was still president.
Breaking: Head fascist Meltdown Live!
Liable for sexual assault, charged with 91 felonies, Donald Trump just suffered a frightening show of cognitive decline at his #NewHampshire rally and blamed Nikki Haley for January 6th.A confused Trump repeated Haley's name multiple times in a row as the crowd fell silent.
Via @emptywheel who included the Bathroom Filled with Boxes of Docs photo:
Again, I don't know how to make it more clear for credulous journalists parroting GOP bullshit. This is the foreign policy approach of the leader of the Republican Party. Republicans want the guy who literally GAVE AWAY Israeli intelligence back in office.
Flaunting secret war plans to attack Iran goes way beyond the #PresidentialRecordsAct
Just remember-every Republican that continues to defend him?
Is NOT a patriot or loyal to US & deserves removal from office then prosecution as a co-conspirator in violating the #EspionageAct
Trump and his clowns want to confuse people and believe his lies and delusions about what is going on. Here's a simple, understandable explanation of what is and isn't going on:...
SIMPLE, UNDERSTANDABLE EXPLANATION OF THE TRUMP DOCUMENTS INDICTMENT (youtu.be)
Trump and his clowns want to confuse people and believe his lies and delusions about what is going on. Here's a simple, understandable explanation of what is and isn't going on:...