House GOP probing whether National Archives conspired with Democrats in Trump records dispute

[mystery-ak]

House GOP probing whether National Archives conspired with Democrats in Trump records dispute

Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan say they have suspicions there was collusion between NARA and congressional Democrats.

By John Solomon

Updated: October 14, 2022 - 11:04pm

Two powerful House Republicans demanded Friday that the National Archives and Records Administration disclose whether the history-preserving agency collaborated with Democrats to encourage an FBI investigation into Donald Trump's presidential records.

Rep. James Comer, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, request a tranche of documents be turned over to them in a letter to acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall, saying they have suspicions there was collusion between her agency and congressional Democrats in the effort to get the FBI to investigate allegations Trump possessed records with classified markings on them.

"Committee Republicans have learned that NARA's actions initiated the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal investigation against the former president the same day committee Democrats inquired about whether a referral to DOJ had been made," the two lawmakers wrote.

The two Republicans demanded access to NARA documents that would help them determine "whether and to what extent Congressional Democrats influenced and coordinated" with the National Archives to prompt the probe, which led to the unprecedented FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Among the evidence being sought are "all documents and communications between or among employees or agents of NARA and DOJ referring or relating to the Trump Administration's control, transfer, storage, or other handling of documents subject to the Presidential Records Act."

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https://justthenews.com/government/congress/house-gop-opens-probe-whether-national-archives-conspired-democrats-trump

[Hoodat]

I thought it was already clear cut that they did.  The National Archives, the Justice Department, and the Jan 6 Committee are all working together.

[DefiantMassRINO]

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be happy to speak about Trump's illegal removal of classified, sensitive Government documents, which were not being stored in General Services Administration (GSA) approved safes in "secure" locations.  How it was justified notifying the FBI because Trump's lawyers submitted perjured affidavits claiming all the documents had been returned.

To make it worse, why doesn't the GOP hold these hearings in public, on live, prime-time television so Career-Conditional professional Federal employees can detail the litany of laws, rules, and regulations Trump violated for stealing classified, sensitive Government property.

Have the GSA testify that that the storage facilities in Mar-A-Lago were not the GSA-approved safes required by law, policy, or regulation.

These professional, Career-Conditional employees will delight in embarassing the lightweight, feeble minded, wet noodle GOP Congressmen and Senators.

Oh, and they'll be thrilled to detail how GOP Congressmen and Senators were attempting to obstruct Justice by intimidtaing NARA and GSA employees from doing their jobs.

This is not a fight Trump can win.  He can use it as a distraction from his seditious conspiracy scandal, but that's all it can buy him.

[Hoodat]

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will be happy to speak about Trump's illegal removal of classified, sensitive Government documents, which were not being stored in General Services Administration (GSA) approved safes in "secure" locations. 

Nice try, but this was not cited in the warrant.  But the fact that they would be happy to speak about it proves that they are indeed colluding with the FBI and the Jan 6 Committee.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Of course NARA is colluding with FBI ... they are both Departments of the Executive Branch trying to recover stolen US Government property from the former President.

What was Donny Boy going to do with all those stolen classified, sensitive documents?  Was he going to sell them to the highest bidder?  Or, was he just going to leave them lying about in Mar-A-Lago so foreign agents would be able to find them.

January 6th Committee is a separate matter.  The one who has done the most colluding is the former President.

[aligncare]

@DefiantMassRINO

You seem certain about your beliefs. What makes you so sure of yourself?

You know of course there’s a history here to consider.  With Mar-a-Lago we have the culmination of a long, tedious, 7-year swarm of accusations and claims that walls were closing in on Trump. Everything was thrown at him.  From urging the 25th amendment apply to Trump, to charges of treason. We’ve all seen the bogus attacks before. It’s no secret his political enemies have broken every protocol, custom, boundary, law and regulation in their quest to “get Trump”.

As evidence that Mar-a-Lago is just another bogus charge, I offer a question.  Tell me why no raid on Obama? When he left office he took 30 million pages of documents, many classified, and stored them them in a downtown Chicago warehouse—not a GSA approved safe.

[Hoodat]

Of course NARA is colluding with FBI ... they are both Departments of the Executive Branch trying to recover stolen US Government property from the former President.

Stolen?  How so?  Please provide details of this act of stealing.  Did Trump sneak out of the White House at night and load up the back of his Escalade with stolen property?  Or is it more likely that the GSA loaded up all the material and shipped it to Florida JUST AS EVERY NEWS OUTLET HAS ALREADY REPORTED ALONG WITH VIDEO RECORDINGS CONFIRMING IT?  Even on PMSNBC.

What was Donny Boy going to do with all those stolen classified, sensitive documents?

Most likely, he was going to move them right back into the White House when he became President again.  The real question here is what was the FBI going to do with the thousands of unstolen, non-classified, non-sensitive documents, photos, newspaper clippings, articles of clothing, passports, etc., that they stole from Trump's residence?

Was he going to sell them to the highest bidder?

Gee, I don't know.  What do you think newspaper clippings would go for on ebay?

January 6th Committee is a separate matter.  The one who has done the most colluding is the former President.

Colluding?  This ought to be good.  Who is Trump colluding with?

[DefiantMassRINO]

Trump's possesion of those documents outside an approved, secure facility is inappropriate, irresponsible, and careless, if not a crime.

When a document has a classification marking on it, there are policies, procedures, and rules, if not laws, on their handling and storage.

Trump is owed due process to determine if what he did rises to the level of a crime.

Those documents are property of the United States Government, not the former President.

I am not comfortable with the rhetorical argument that a President can summarily declassify sensitive materials on a whim.

Our system is one of checks and balances, in which no single person has absolute authority.

The United States Constitution is a repudiation of the Divine Right of Kings and European monarchies of the time.  Defenders of the Former President have argued that the Presidency is an absolute Executive.  This is dangerous.  The United States has been backsliding towards an Imperial Presidency because Congress has subordinated itself to the Executive Branch.  Executive Orders and Supreme Court Precedents are not appropriate substitutes for proper legislation.

It was a mistake for Jim Comey to not prosecute Hillary Clinton.  His mistake set the unfortunate precedent that high-ranking members of the Executive  Branch are not subject to the policies, procedures, rules, and laws governing the handling and storage of Sensitive materials, like all other Government personnel and approved contractors.

There is insufficient evidence to escalate the charge of a crime to Treason, or anything else at that level.

The former President simply mishandled classified materials and took unauthorized possession of Government Property.
,
What the Former President did, and how he mishandled Government Property was wrong.  Whether it rises to a level beyond violations of Administrative Law, policies, procedures, and rules is beyond my ability to judge.

But again, what was the Former President's motivations for unauthorized possession of Classified and Sensitive Government Property?

If it is determined by the Courts, that the President has the summary, absolute authority to declassify sensitive Government materials, without following a prescribed declassification process, our American Experiment is over and a failure.

[Hoodat]

Trump's possesion of those documents outside an approved, secure facility is inappropriate, irresponsible, and careless, if not a crime.

Wait.  Earlier you were certain that Trump committed a crime.  Now you're not sure?  What changed?

When a document has a classification marking on it, there are policies, procedures, and rules, if not laws, on their handling and storage.

Correct.  And not one of the three codes listed in the warrant cites those laws.

Trump is owed due process to determine if what he did rises to the level of a crime.

Again, what did Trump do?

Those documents are property of the United States Government, not the former President.

Au contraire.  They were all part of his personal effects in the White House and were not borrowed or taken from any other department.  Which is why the GSA packed them all up and shipped them to Florida.

I am not comfortable with the rhetorical argument that a President can summarily declassify sensitive materials on a whim.

Are you comfortable with a Supreme Court decision?

Department of the Navy v. Egan

. . . The President, after all, is the "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States." U.S.Const., Art. II, § 2. His authority to classify and control access to information bearing on national security and to determine whether an individual is sufficiently trustworthy to occupy a position in the Executive Branch that will give that person access to such information flows primarily from this constitutional investment of power in the President, and exists quite apart from any explicit congressional grant. . .

I believe Article II Section 2 of the US Constitution trumps your rhetorical comfortability.

The United States Constitution is a repudiation of the Divine Right of Kings and European monarchies of the time.  Defenders of the Former President have argued that the Presidency is an absolute Executive.  This is dangerous.  The United States has been backsliding towards an Imperial Presidency because Congress has subordinated itself to the Executive Branch.  Executive Orders and Supreme Court Precedents are not appropriate substitutes for proper legislation.

See Article II, Section 2 above.

The former President simply mishandled classified materials and took unauthorized possession of Government Property.

What the Former President did, and how he mishandled Government Property was wrong.

I am guessing that you never bothered to read the warrant.  Because mishandling government property was never cited.  Also, the GSA packs up your stuff and ships it to Florida where other GSA employees unload it into your private residence, all in your absence.  So how is that taking unauthorized possession of government property?

But again, what was the Former President's motivations for unauthorized possession of Classified and Sensitive Government Property?

Finally, the point of the warrant.  So what do you think his motivation here was?  He was already engaged in negotiations with the National Archives.  He had already increased the security of the area where the documents were stored as requested.  And for this, he was subjected to a warrant listing treasonous motive where agents helped themselves to whatever they wanted without a full account of everything taken.

So I ask you, what cause do you or anyone else have that suggests Trump had some sort of treasonous motive in holding personal documents that were placed in his possession by the GSA?

If it is determined by the Courts, that the President has the summary, absolute authority to declassify sensitive Government materials, without following a prescribed declassification process, our American Experiment is over and a failure.

It's been that way since Reagan was in office.  Where have you been for the last 34 years?