Staff Reports
On Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it had finalized an indictment against Donald Trump, charging him with various offenses, including obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Trump has maintained that he did nothing wrong, as he had declassified all of the materials that he took.
According to the Department of Justice, it has evidence that shows that former President George W. Bush kept classified information that he was not authorized to declassify. In a recording obtained by CNN, Trump can be heard saying that he was given classified information by the military, but he claimed that he could no longer declassify it.
Although I believe that the case against the former president is politically motivated, it does not look good for him as he admitted that the classified information was still on his computer.
It is possible that Trump's lawyers might argue that the audio recording could not provide a definitive proof of whether or not he showed the classified information to those around him. However, the wildcard in this situation is Mark Meadows, who was Trump's former chief of staff.
Rumors have been circulating that Meadows is considering pleading guilty in exchange for his testimony. His lawyer denied these claims, but when asked if he had received an immunity deal, he remained silent. It is clear that Meadows could be the main reason why the Department of Justice obtained the recording.
WHERE IS THE TRANSCRIPT?
Redstate:
"Transcript Released of the Tape that the DOJ Claims Is an Admission of Guilt by Donald Trump"Insider:
"Trump admitted on tape keeping a secret document that was never declassified, CNN reports, citing audio transcript"CNN:
"Exclusive:…— bratNvet (@bratNvet) June 9, 2023
If Meadows testifies, it could lead to an increase in the conspiracy count as it would prove that Trump showed the classified information to him.
The Department of Justice is expected to focus on obstruction, as it has stated that Trump's statement to the grand jury was a lie. Although it is possible that Trump could be charged with other offenses, it is still alarming to see how the Biden administration has used the department to target political opponents.
Source: Red State
