Clueless

Lawyers are giggling at Trump's motion, and how poorly it was done, but note that it is receiving respectful coverage from the press. Reporters are writing up Trump's allegations and requests because they appeared in a legal filing; what Trump alleged and what he wants is "news."

— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) August 23, 2022

And where is that getting him?

It's an important ruse, because one thing Trump is complaining about is that a lawyer who may be implicated in obstruction was not permitted to go obstruct the FBI some more.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) August 23, 2022

Besides, this is a legal pleading, and the DOJ gets to respond in kind. This is not some one-sided Twitter war.

In addition, as I always point out when Trump trots out executive privilege, this is a *separation of powers* principle. It’s about protecting the executive branch from intrusion from other branches. You can’t assert EP to protect the executive branch from [checks notes]…itself

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 23, 2022

Here is letter. In addition to going back and forth throughout 2021 for Trump to return docs, NARA wrote to him on or about:

April 12, 2022
April 29, 2022
May 9, 2022
May 22, 2022
Subpoena served on June 3, 2022

There was a lot of asking nicely before SW https://t.co/6mWCxCZnZX

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 23, 2022

Besides:

It’s also telling that, even though this letter really hurts the Trump version of events, it wasn’t released by the Biden Administration or NARA. It was released by Trump’s own team—both a self-inflicted wound and further proof of how the government has been playing by the rules.

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) August 23, 2022

Trump thought he’d be clever and start this fight by announcing the search of MAL (DOJ didn’t do that, Trump did). Then he had to keep it in the news, so he filed this mess. And DOJ gets to file a response, which will also be “news.”

Trump has no clue how to fight a criminal case.