![]() ![]() (Trump aide Walt Nauta faces six counts in the case, including several obstruction- and concealment-related charges. The indictment alleges intentional misconduct, accusing Trump of directing an aide to remove boxes containing classified documents from a storage area so that his own lawyers could not find documents required to comply with a grand jury subpoena. The defense information included highly sensitive military secrets such as “United States nuclear programs” and “potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack,” according to the indictment. Opinion: I wrote the declassification rules, and they leave Trump largely defenseless AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/FILE US President Donald Trump speaks during a retreat with Republican lawmakers at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, January 6, 2018. For starters, 31 of the 37 felony counts that Trump faces are for willful retention of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act. In contrast, allegations of repeated intentional conduct are at the heart of the case against Trump. Lest we forget, in July 2015, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into Clinton as it examined whether the former secretary of state’s use of a private email server violated any laws concerning the storage of classified information.Īfter an investigation lasting nearly a year, then-FBI Director James Comey announced that he would not recommend filing any criminal charges against Clinton, who was the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee at the time.Ĭomey stated that in looking at previous Department of Justice investigations concerning “mishandling or removal of classified information” there was always some combination of the following: “clearly intentional and willful mishandling of classified information or vast quantities of materials exposed in such a way as to support an inference of intentional misconduct or indications of disloyalty to the United States or efforts to obstruct justice.”Ĭomey concluded, “We do not see those things here,” although he criticized Clinton for being “extremely careless” in the handling of sensitive, classified information. They are not in the same universe, namely because the 49-page indictment alleges Trump’s behavior was deliberate and intentional in resisting government efforts to retrieve classified documents after the material was taken to Mar-a-Lago. Opinion: Why time is of the essence in the case against Trump (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images ![]() On Friday, former President Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury on 37 felony counts in Special Counsel Jack Smith's classified documents probe. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Georgia state GOP convention at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on Jin Columbus, Georgia. ![]() True, some Republican officials have tried to rewrite the January 6 insurrection as being a “normal tourist visit.” But just as we should reject that attempt, we should dismiss any effort to equate what Trump is accused of doing with Clinton’s conduct.ĬOLUMBUS, GEORGIA - JUNE 10: Former U.S. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina offered a similar defense Sunday on ABC News by invoking Clinton’s emails.īut comparing Trump’s actions to Clinton’s is akin to comparing a peaceful protest to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, stated Friday, “Hillary had the emails,” adding, “Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president?” And Trump ally GOP Sen. These Republicans are defending the twice-impeached former president by pointing to Hillary Clinton not being charged over her handling of classified information while using a private email server when she was secretary of state.įor example, Florida Gov. ![]()
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