Monkey Show
By agreeing to appointing a ‘semi-retired’ Federal Judge to determine which documents seized from Mar-a-Lago pose a national security risk, Judge Cannon is playing roulette with America’s security.
On Sept. 15, Judge Aileen Cannon of the 2nd District Court for South Florida delivered a 10-page decision in ‘United States vs. Trump.’
The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, declined to lift any part of an order she issued last week that barred the department (DOJ, ed.) from using the documents, including about 100 marked classified, in its investigation until the arbiter, known as a special master, had completed a review. (1)
Who would review 11,000 documents and determine which were protected by privilege before November 30? That’s 75 odd days away, or counting business days, approximately 200 documents per day.
Who would subject America’s security for 75 odd days to the scruples of a ‘Special Master,’ while potential intelligence ‘assets’ are frozen? And this while a partisan effort to subvert a mid-term election is underway?
After the ‘Special Master’ makes his determination, it is reviewed by Judge Cannon which could take more time, pushing the case into the new year. After Judge Cannon’s review then the documents are shown to Trump’s attorneys who presumably have obtained security clearance. Pending appeal to the Supreme Court and its scheduling, the case as well the intelligence risk could continue well into 2023, less than a year before the Republican Presidential Primary. Recall that these documents were removed from the National Archives and presumably were stored for nearly sixteen months while Trump attorneys and attorneys for the National Archives negotiated their possession.
The Special Master will review first the 100 documents, stamped “Top Secret.” Correction: After his security clearance for these and other DNI documents is cleared.
Sept. 15 on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump stipulated he ‘declassified’ the 100 documents and therefore the documents are not admissible as evidence of violating the Espionage Act. (2)
Thank you, Grand Monkey for clarifying.
Who classified what is not the issue. Rather, how did the documents get in Trump’s hands and why did the Trump legal team conceal that not all but some of the documents had been turned over to the DOJ per an affidavit Trump’s lawyers signed back in May?
In today's decision, America got a glimpse of how Judge Cannon approached the conundrum of ‘declassified government documents.’
…she went on, the government had not suggested there was any “identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from” Mr. Trump’s retention of the materials. Instead, she added, “the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.” (3)
Consider that America doesn’t need foreign interests meddling in its elections.
Thank you but we can and will accomplish the job ourselves.
Consider that America is at war and even the courts can’t intervene to protect America’s intelligence.
It seems unfair that whereas Trump can spread falsehood and spill ink to distract, Garland and company are constrained from investigating wrongdoing.
What’s more important, Trump’s reputation or national security?
Judge Aileen Cannon has answered that question.
Can the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals? The Supreme Court?
September 16
Notes
1-Charles Savage, Alan Feuer, and Glenn Thrush, “Judge Keeps Block on Inquiry Into Mar-a-Lago Files and Names Special Master”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/us/trump-documents-special-master.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
2-MSNBC “Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell,” Sept. 15
3-Savage, ibid.
ReplyForward
