36 Comments

Ah, the trap's been baited magnificently, because when Trump does reply (as he's required to do-truthfully-under the penalty of law,)

1. He'll be confirming that the FBI did not plant the evidence-and he lied about it publicly;

2. That he wasn't supposed to have this stuff in the first place-he should just have returned it all when asked to.

3. Whoever helped him move that stuff is also in big shit. The materials, after all, did not fly themselves down.

4. Anyone who touched, moved or even looked at the classified documents is in big shit, too. They're classified documents for a reason. Not everyone is supposed to see them.

But what I'd really like to know (along with everyone else who's ever heard of the case) is where the materials in those 'classified' folders went, or if the FBI found them in the other assorted mishmash of rat trap clutter, because if they're missing from that mess, that's a big, big problem that Donald Trump will have to deal with in the future because that's a national security problem, and he has to answer for it.

I don't need to know what they were-nobody does. But we do need to know where they went.

He'd better pray the feds find them in that mess-because stealing government secrets is punishable by life in prison and that's why Edward Snowden has refused to return to the United States-he recently even was granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin.

I guess Snowden would rather live in our biggest opponent's land than in a federal prison. Trump doesn't want to do that, either-but I don't think Putin likes him that much and Trump knows it.

I've baited and caught numerous mice in my house-they all make the same stupid mistake, too-they trust the smell of peanut butter emanating from that really strange looking contraption. They figure it won't hurt to check it out.

It costs them their lives to do that. Trump's gonna go in like one of those damn mice, nose first.

Clank!

One more mouse gone-the biggest rat of all!

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DAMN!!! How I hope you’re correct!!! CLANK is such a satisfying sound.

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Like the sound of a prison cell door clanking shut on the rest of his life.

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He is too big a coward to take the Goering solution, one can only hope.

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I don't think he's dumb enough to have stated definitively that they planted evidence. I recall him saying something like "they could have planted evidence, who knows" which is much different. And also , there doesn't appear to be a process in place for the president to declassify anything other than by his own determination, spoken or not. This appears to be another attempt to drag down perception of Trump and maga among independents minds ahead of mid-terms. There's no good way of explaining why the FBI would have laid out all the classified documents on the floor for a photo op, then given them straight to the press. That seems like pretty clear bias. But I think everyone is already so desensitized to Trump bashing that the fatigue has people desiring more enlightened, less vindictive voices. After all , American society is supposed to be progressive enough to prioritize peace of mind , forgiveness, and wishing well even for our enemies. Media made hatred the standard, they could just as easily normalize constructive behavior.

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The FBI laid out all the documents on the floor as a way of identifying them. Trump is perfectly capable of lying and has stated before that the FBI is corrupt and capable of 'planting evidence.' There is a process of declassifying documents that is well in place, and there is no way in hell that anyone including Donald Trump can declassify documents by just thinking about it.

Your apologizing for Donald Trump is in the wrong place for the wrong reasons. We do not appreciate people who steal our own governments documents for any reason-and that Trump himself does not understand that is a big problem for the rest of us who do not wish to have him think he can waltz into the Oval office any time to grab sensitive and classified documents for his own use.

Donald Trump has used the media himself to whip up hatred that has had an incendiary effect, and we saw what it did on January 6, 2021.

We're paying a heavy price for having had this man in office.

We don't need another apologist telling us how we hurt Donald Trump's feelings. He has done far too much damage for apologies.

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They laid out the documents for identificatoin... ok. Then took photo's of them.... odd, they weren't photos in the exact location the documents were found , which would be understandable. They couldn't wait until they got back to headquarters to lay things out and take photographs? Why go to the trouble of arranging them at Mar-a-lago unless it's for a quick photo op to have something to give to the press, to push the narrative they are all after? Coincidence that the photo is also one that would be the easiest to jump to conclusions about potential wrongdoing? I doubt it. They could be totally inconsequential for all we know. Part of not being biased is resisting and challenging one's own desired conclusion. Something that many seem to have forgotten. The last thing we need are information bubbles of formerly reasonable people getting high on each other's farts and trying to seek validation of imaginary narratives crafted by powerdrunk journalists who care less and less about what actually happened, while they get money and accolades for hyperbolizing "orange man bad".

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First of all, (and I know this from first hand experience) there is a working routine of photographing evidence 'in situ' which is standard in almost any criminal investigation. That way the chain of evidence is preserved while still fresh.

It's pretty damned hard to not assume that the file folders that say 'classified' are not exactly what they say they are.

You're trying to muddy the waters with vague suspicions and lots of wordy nonsense-which is exactly what we DON'T need any more of.

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Lucian: Allow me pne small suggested change on another superb report from a fellow scribe and working Ed. Not a mousetrap but a RATTRAP!

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I'm wondering if or when the FBI will search Trump's other properties for stolen documents or other items that don't belong to him. Presidents are not supposed to keep gifts they receive from leaders of foreign governments, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if the narcissist orange baby did exactly that.

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Love letters from Russian pee girls?

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I'm easily aggravated by stupid remarks, so do me a favor and don't respond to my comments this way. I feel like I'm on Facebook, not an intelligent blog.

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Mr. Trump refuses to believe that he is the architect of his destruction.

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"North Korean dictator mash notes" 😂😂😂

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This is an interesting comment: "Trump himself had access to his Mar a Lago office, along with a very short list of close aides,...." Rhetorical questions since I don't know that you have answers: Is there, in fact, a list? And was access restricted to just a limited number of specific individuals?

Certainly, Trump himself could have escorted in any guests he wanted to impress; who knows which of them he may have shown off to with those empty classified folders or maybe even documents themselves. Or gave some away as souvenirs.....

This Forbes article enumerates some of them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2022/09/02/trump-hosted-all-these-people-in-his-mar-a-lago-office-where-hed-stashed-government-secrets/?sh=67bd176427d6

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I think the FBI needs to assume the worst-case scenario -- that anyone who entered Jabba-the-Rump's office could have had access to classified documents. Each and every one of them should be questioned under oath as to what they saw. Naturally, you can expect scumbags like Stone, Flynn, Boebert, etc., to lie and say they were only there for a good time with their Dear Leader. In fact, I'd be willing to bet a large sum of $$$ that Jabba made it a point to show off some of that stuff to his short-term Nat'l Security Advisor (Flynn).

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Why I want Flynn to pay!

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Can we assume chain of custody records for specific docs that went to Trump and were not returned? Is there a number on the empty folders that relates to contents? If so, much more to learn. If not, where am I, 1950? We have computers for this shit now

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Replying to my own comment time stamped 6:47, my Sunbury, Pa library in 1960’s kept pretty good records to know if a book was not returned. Are these docs handled less carefully, or are the missing contents known?

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Think of a SKU that tells a grocer what each item is.

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Thank you for keeping us updated on this... Looking forward to some indictments!!!

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The bum has avoided justice his whole life, Karma will solve this dilemma.

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Michael Cohen thought Trump could use them as barter: “Promise not to prosecute me and I’ll turn over the documents.”

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No way, fortunately.

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All appropriate digits twisted.

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"Snap"

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I hope that’s the sound of the rat trap closing on TFG.

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We’ll see. So far it appears orangehead will get away with it.

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Unless they can prove he used those documents, or intended to use them, for nefarious purposes, he probably will.

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Sadly. Just stealing the documents is a crime.

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🤯😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 YES.

I have said right from the beginning that he will get away with everything and emerge unscathed, his popularity with his worshipers undiminished.

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founding

Thanks IV, on the spot.

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Thank you thank you thank you!! These summaries are so helpful to follow the " proceedings".

Hoisted on his own petard ( the Grand Master heh heh)...what could be more fitting?

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Ah, the old familiar pattern again and again...deny anything was taken, then admit but it was sent back, but okay, not all of it, but in the raid the FBI planted those files, and oh please get me a Special Master, but damn did it have to be a man who actually knew something of the law, and let's makes this about classification which I can do from my brain alone, but, oh wait, the original warrant did not have anything to do with classification so....!!!! IF ANY OF OUR CHILDREN ACTED THIS WAY WHEN CAUGHT AS A MEANS TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY, WE WOULD EXCORIATE THEM!

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