Trump being investigated for Espionage Act violation, unsealed FBI warrant shows

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump being investigated for Espionage Act violation, unsealed FBI warrant shows
Washington Examiner, Aug 12, 2022

Former President Donald Trump is being investigated for a potential Espionage Act violation and possible obstruction of justice, according to the unsealed warrant for the unprecedented FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago home.

The search warrant unsealed Friday afternoon cited 18 U.S. Code 793 (part of the Espionage Act) related to “gathering, transmitting, or losing defense information.”

Despite its name, many of the law’s provisions don’t relate specifically to espionage.

The warrant also pointed to 18 U.S. Code 2071 on “concealment, removal, or mutilation generally” and 18 U.S. Code 1519 on “destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy.” The latter relates to potential obstruction of justice.

Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the warrant to be unsealed after the Justice Department told the court that Trump wasn't objecting to it being made public.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said: “The Biden administration is in obvious damage control after their botched raid where they seized the President’s picture books, a ‘hand written note,’ and declassified documents.” He called it “outrageous.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that he “personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.” He also announced that the Justice Department requested permission from the federal court to unseal the court-approved search warrant that authorized its raid.


More:  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/trump-investigated-espionage-act-violation-unsealed-fbi-warrant

[Right_in_Virginia]

Garland demanded the seizure of literally any record Trump ever saw, read, or created over the entire 4-year term of his presidency: "Any government and/or Presidential Records created between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021."

This fishing expedition is so insane that under the federal legal definition of "Presidential Records," a McDonald's menu that Trump scrawled his lunch order on during a meeting in the Oval would be included (44 U.S.C. 2201).

The FBI raided Trump's house for that. INSANE. https://t.co/WP4ULjXS8f pic.twitter.com/A2zMLws370— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 12, 2022

[Right_in_Virginia]

Under "Attachment B" of the FBI raid document, Garland demanded the seizure of literally any record Trump ever saw, read, or created over the entire 4-year term of his presidency: "Any government and/or Presidential Records created between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021."— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 12, 2022

[Right_in_Virginia]

Jack Posobiec
@JackPosobiec

The warrant shows the Biden DOJ is investigating Trump for removal or destruction of records, obstruction of an investigation, and violating the Espionage Act

A grand jury has been empaneled in DC

3:48 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter Web App

[rustynail]

One can almost hear the walls closing in.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Cernovich
@Cernovich

Trump warrant shows why deep state lied about nuclear secrets. This thing was a disgrace. A raid for Trump’s handwritten notes? WTF.

4:50 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

[Bigun]

Jack Posobiec
@JackPosobiec

The warrant shows the Biden DOJ is investigating Trump for removal or destruction of records, obstruction of an investigation, and violating the Espionage Act

A grand jury has been empaneled in DC

3:48 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter Web App

As the old saying goes: "You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride!"  They are hell bent on having pictures of Trump in cuffs and they will.  I believe the voting public is going to see right through that however.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Election Wizard
@ElectionWiz

Tell me without telling me the Trump raid was a fishing expedition.



4:08 PM · Aug 12, 2022  Twitter for iPhone

[Hoodat]

18 U.S. Code § 793 - Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information

Read it for yourself.  This one should have been laughed out of court.  They are implying that Donald Trump had the intent of injuring the United States.  The ONLY driving force for this to be include in the warrant is the Jan 6 commission.  And if that is the case, we have a serious issue with Congress using the FBI for political purposes.

[Hoodat]

Jack Posobiec
@JackPosobiec

The warrant shows the Biden DOJ is investigating Trump for removal or destruction of records, obstruction of an investigation, and violating the Espionage Act

A grand jury has been empaneled in DC

Uh, nope.  That's not how it works.  The grand jury must be empaneled in Florida since that is the scene of the alleged crime.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Jack Posobiec
@ackPosobiec

We STILL DO NOT HAVE THE AFFIDAVIT

3:49 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter Web App

[Right_in_Virginia]

Sean Davis
@seanmdav

Attempted media narrative: We had to recover stolen nuclear information!

Reality: The Feds stormed Trump's house based on a warrant commanding them to seize literally any piece of paper Trump might have accidentally sneezed on while president. Unreal.


3:35 PM · Aug 12, 2022  Twitter Web App

[Right_in_Virginia]

Benny Johnson
@BennyJohnson

So — Did they just lie about the Nukes thing?

4:51 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

[Right_in_Virginia]

Jim Comey in 2016: "Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case"  (Video)

https://mobile.twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1558187495942246400

[mystery-ak]

READ: DOJ’s warrant against Trump
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/3598688-read-dojs-warrant-against-trump/

[Right_in_Virginia]

What Trump warrant really reveals: they were hiding what they were really looking for in wildly overbroad descriptions of documents to be seized.— Robert Barnes (@barnes_law) August 12, 2022

[Right_in_Virginia]

Raheem Kassam
@RaheemKassam

THE WARRANT IS HORSE SHIT.

I’ve seen it.

Judge should be disbarred.

They took PHOTO BOOKS.

2:50 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

[Kamaji]

What is the basis for the claim that the Espionage Act was violated?

[Right_in_Virginia]

Newt Gingrich
@newtgingrich
·2h

This is nuts! National review “Recovered items that were improperly taken to Mar-a-Lago include a cocktail napkin, a birthday dinner menu, “—a cocktail napkin? Has the FBI lost its mind?

[mystery-ak]

I wish he would stop posting on TruthSocial and call a news conference....answer questions...he's good at this...

[mystery-ak]

Ashley Muñoz 🇺🇸
@AshleyMunoz45
·
Aug 11
UPDATE:🚨It has been revealed that Donald Trump was housing a private server @ Mar-a-Lago & hired a close associate to wipe it clean with computer software.The FBI also found gov’t phones which were smashed to prevent evidence from being discovered.

JK! That was Hillary Clinton.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Ben Pershing
@benpershing

FBI agents took around 20 boxes of items, binders of photos, a handwritten note and the executive grant of clemency for Mr. Trump’s ally Roger Stone, a list of items removed from the property shows. Also included in the list was information about the “President of France”

1:18 PM · Aug 12, 2022·Twitter Web App

[Right_in_Virginia]

What is the basis for the claim that the Espionage Act was violated?

The Affidavit is still sealed.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I wish he would stop posting on TruthSocial and call a news conference....answer questions...he's good at this...

It's time for the DOJ and FBI to answer questions   ---- not Trump.

[Hoodat]

Here it is section by section:

18 U.S. Code § 793 - Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information

(a)Whoever, for the purpose of obtaining information respecting the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information is to be used to the injury of the United States, or to the advantage of any foreign nation, goes upon, enters, flies over, or otherwise obtains information concerning any vessel, aircraft, work of defense, navy yard, naval station, submarine base, fueling station, fort . . ., or in progress of construction . . ., or any place in which any vessel, aircraft, arms . . ., or any prohibited place so designated by the President by proclamation in time of war or in case of national emergency .  .  .

This clearly does not apply.


(b)Whoever, for the purpose aforesaid, and with like intent or reason to believe, copies, takes, makes, or obtains, or attempts to copy, take, make, or obtain, any sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, document, writing, or note of anything connected with the national defense

That's going to be a stretch for the President of the United States to sneak around making copies of things he's already been given.


(c)Whoever, for the purpose aforesaid, receives or obtains or agrees or attempts to receive or obtain from any person, or from any source whatever, any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note, of anything connected with the national defense, knowing or having reason to believe, at the time he receives or obtains, or agrees or attempts to receive or obtain it, that it has been or will be obtained, taken, made, or disposed of by any person contrary to the provisions of this chapter; or

This would require a co-conspirator.


(d)Whoever, lawfully having possession of, access to, control over, or being entrusted with any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, . . . , or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it on demand to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it

This here is what they are going for.  The Archives have requested records which they claim Trump has failed to deliver.  The problem though is intent.  They would have to prove that this is Defense information that Trump knew he could use for treasonous purposes, and for that reason failed to turn that information over to the Archives/ NY Court / Congress.  It is complete bullshit, but then so is everything else about this fiasco.


(e)Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, .  .  . , or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it; or

Trump had authorization to everything in his possession.

There are three more sections, but my patience is shot.