Sunday Document Dump

Feels obstruction-y.

“after the subpoena was delivered, Trump looked through the contents of some of the boxes of documents in his home, apparently out of a desire to keep certain things in his possession”

Gift link: https://t.co/uEktJZCdXl https://t.co/Ykuz69OisO pic.twitter.com/Ap25VctU5v

— Pete Strzok (@petestrzok) April 2, 2023

We start with Peter Strzok's guest link to the WaPo article. Enjoy (if it still works).  Then we jump to David Cay Johnston for a little "state of mind" insight:

"Donald has no history of that will allow him to process what's going on," said David Cay Johnston. "He has gotten away with crimes and wrongdoing, everything from plying 12, 13, and 14-year-old children to gamble in his casinos, by giving them liquor and limousines and rooms in his, and being involved up to his eyeballs with a major international cocaine trafficker for which he did major favors — to getting away with lying under oath in some proceedings. So, here, Donald is very aware that he is at risk. He simply doesn't know how to process that. So, he is scared you are seeing his fear and his growing fear in the things he's posting to Truth Social and the comments he's making in public."

And then back to the WaPo article:

"In the classified documents case, federal investigators have gathered new and significant evidence that after the subpoena was delivered, Trump looked through the contents of some of the boxes of documents in his home, apparently out of a desire to keep certain things in his… https://t.co/7joCkrMPw4

— George Conway🌻 (@gtconway3d) April 2, 2023

Trump has been very public about his "right" to take documents under the PRA (he's wrong) and many have said he sees them as "souvenirs" or, more darkly, valuable material on some black market.  As Mr. Johnston lays out, Trump knows alot about black markets.

And if the possibility of 4 indictments isn't enough to make you want to keep Trump out from behind the Presidential podium again, consider this new information about what he did when he was there:

What is unusual, however, is for the feds to both insist that they’re all over the investigation, only to have it watered down at the insistence of political appointees and then drop it entirely, as SDNY did in summer 2019. 2/

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) April 2, 2023

That’s not to let either Manhattan DA fully off the hook for the failure to indict Trump for a years-old scandal until last week, but the combination of DOJ’s interference both with SDNY and DANY and COVID’s impact on courts account for a healthy chunk of that time. FIN

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) April 2, 2023

There are two things that are genuinely new in this WaPo piece (tho it seems to reflect what they obviously expected to get from Corcoran).

1) That they got Molly Michael's emails.

Michael is the one who ordered another aide to copy Trump's schedules.https://t.co/obeZXf18d4 pic.twitter.com/YRx0SAHMki

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 2, 2023

emptywheel has a bit more:

In my post laying out the 6 ways Trump and his people had covered up the cover up of the hush payments, I INCLUDED Billy Barr's efforts to reverse Michael Cohen's prosecution for it. https://t.co/V13brYtMND

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 2, 2023

Incidentally, that case showed up in Bragg's response to Jimmy Jordan the other day, mostly in passing, but the citation was one Jordan should look at closely.https://t.co/KA6P2semVP pic.twitter.com/i8oEazwOMe

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 2, 2023

There's a reason Jordan didn't tell Bartiromo this morning that he was going to subpoena Bragg (he just said "Everything's on the table.").  It's because he knows even if he can get the subpoena issued and the DOJ to try to enforce it, the Courts will [s]quash it like a cockroach.  This footnote is one more reason why; and why political girl was so right about Jordan and the GOP.

Also, remember what 18 USC 793e is: Basically refusing to give back classified docs.

They would never charged it against a former President unless they had outright refusal. You wouldn't see that charged w/o proof of obstruction; proof of obstruction = 793e.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 2, 2023

This is what the press likes to call "heating up."

To quote @scottjshapiro: “Is this bad? Because it looks bad.” https://t.co/kYaYgrIfle pic.twitter.com/zVXkr1xv22

— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) April 2, 2023

Yeah; this is bad. And Trump will literally never know what it him. A reminder: there are a lot of people in prison who say they are innocent. Trump will be in good company. The major question will be: does he keep his Secret Service protection? Questions, questions, questions....

“Has the lab come back on those stains on the files?”

“Looks like residue of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, Chief.” https://t.co/qmYQSS2deK

— Schooley (@Rschooley) April 2, 2023