You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Government Corruption
'Trump spy chief on classified documents: 'Virtually impossible to prosecute'
2022-08-13
[Washington Examiner] Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe argued that it is "virtually impossible" to prosecute his onetime boss, former President Donald Trump, for alleged mishandling of classified material.

While chiding the FBI for "acting as the muscle" of the Democrats, the Trump-era spy chief hearkened back to Hillary Clinton's email situation and surmised that Trump possessed the "ultimate declassification authority," shielding him from liability.

"I thought, surely this is not about classified documents and the president being in possession of those. It has to be more than that because the Department of Justice and the FBI have already set a standard that makes it virtually impossible to prosecute a case like that," Ratcliffe told Fox Business's Larry Kudlow, who is another former Trump administration official.

Although no president has ever been prosecuted for mishandling classified material, some experts dispute the notion that one could suddenly deem something declassified and argue that the president must instead follow a formal process.

"I’ve seen thousands of declassified documents. They’re all marked ’declassified’ with the date they were declassified," Richard Immerman, assistant deputy director of national intelligence in the Obama administration, told NBC News.

During a Monday raid, FBI agents carried out a search warrant of Trump's lavish Mar-a-Lago resort and reportedly retrieved some 20 boxes of material while seeking documents with details about nuclear weapons.

A warrant released to the public Friday revealed that authorities were looking for material retained in violation of three federal laws, including the Espionage Act.
Related:
John Ratcliffe: 2022-08-11 They Were After The Ratcliffe Docs Trump Declassified Regarding DOJ/FBI Targeting Of Trump 2016-2020
John Ratcliffe: 2021-11-09 Former intel chief expects many more indictments in Durham probe
John Ratcliffe: 2021-10-16 Former Director Of National Intelligence Issues Warning Over Biden Buying Chinese Drones For Feds
Posted by:Besoeker

#8  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Dron66046   2022-08-13 13:28  

#7  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2022-08-13 13:07  

#6  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-08-13 09:05  

#5  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: NN2N1   2022-08-13 07:40  

#4  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Phons Omert2327   2022-08-13 04:56  

#3  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Anon1   2022-08-13 03:52  

#2  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Anon1   2022-08-13 03:46  

#1  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-08-13 03:41  

00:00