In the post-Access Hollywood, post-Stormy Daniels, post-Covid/bleach/supply chain ("nobody ever heard of 'supply change' before that"!), problems (medical and paper products-wise), and in a world where the former President is charged with withholding military secrets, nuclear secrets, and probably still having documents he won't/can't surrender (because he sold them/traded them)....It’s not great; it’s not helpful; and under ordinary circumstances it would be devastating. But he’s running against a criminal psychopath. 🤷🏻♂️
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) February 8, 2024
These are ordinary circumstances. In 400 pages the special counsel justifies his unwillingness to bring charges against Biden, but the real problem there is laxity of systems of control for such documents. None of which were DOE nuclear secrets, or even information about current allies (Israel, among others. Trump is still divulging classified information about their military capabilities/strategies). Most of it was information on the Afghan war. Not good he had it at home; but again, "home" was not a resort with unfettered access by unknown persons where the boxes were stacked in publicly accessible spaces like auditoriums and bathrooms.
Most notably, no one realized those documents were missing; not even Biden. National Archives not only knew Trump took documents, Trump refused to give them back; and he actively tried to hide them. It's still not clear that all the documents have been recovered.
There is a very real issue, too, regardless of responsibility of former Presidents and VPresidents, of control over classified documents. The question is not only: why did Biden still have classified documents from being VPOTUS and a Senator? It's also: why did he negligently get away with it for so long? Which custodians of records were equally negligent about where classified information was?
That one bothers me more than Biden's lack of criminal culpability (the special counsel says bringing charges would be too hard to prove intent/culpability beyond a reasonable doubt).
Change the facts, change the outcome.
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