10/17/2025, 4:10:18 PM · by E. Pluribus Unum · 10 replies
Real Clear Politics ^ | October 17, 2025 | Ian Schwartz
Given that indictments, arrests, investigations and prosecutions were underway in Trump's first term, the bloom of sealed indictments we were seeing, and have been periodically updating, those are likely from cases containing classified information which went to trial, completed, and will either remain sealed or will be declassifed later. So the stupendous numbers of indictments were proof it was habbening....
I asked AI if sealed indictments for cases involving classified information could remain sealed after the case goes to trial. The basic answer is ‘yes’ if it is necessary to protect national security. The fact that there are a stupendous number of sealed indictments sitting in PACER includes a stunning number of takedowns during Trump's first term.
~~~AI QUERY AND REPLY
MY REQUEST TO AI: According to federal law, DOJ Policy: Justice Manual § 9-6.100 requires public filings unless "extraordinary circumstances" exist, with declassification reviews. Would this allow indictments involving classified information to remain sealed to the public?
~~~AI REPLY
Under the Justice Manual § 9-6.100, which governs the handling of classified information in federal prosecutions, the general principle is that public filings should be made unless “extraordinary circumstances” justify sealing. In the context of indictments involving classified information, this provision allows for the possibility of sealing certain filings or portions of them if the release of such information could jeopardize national security, interfere with ongoing investigations, or violate other confidentiality requirements.
Key Points:
- Public Filings: As a rule, documents in federal cases, including indictments, are filed publicly to maintain transparency in the judicial process.
- Extraordinary Circumstances: If classified information is part of the indictment, or if its release could endanger national security or the integrity of an investigation, the DOJ may request that the indictment be sealed or that certain parts of it remain unfiled in the public domain. This could qualify as an "extraordinary circumstance."
- Declassification Reviews: For cases involving classified information, the DOJ is required to conduct a declassification review to ensure that any public filings do not contain sensitive material that should not be disclosed. In cases where declassification is not possible, or where the disclosure of such information could cause harm, sealing might be permitted.
Would This Apply to Indictments?
Yes, indictments involving classified information could remain sealed to the public under these guidelines, particularly if the public release of the information poses a significant risk. For instance:
- If the indictment contains specific details that would expose intelligence sources or methods.
- If making the indictment public would interfere with an ongoing national security investigation.
However, the DOJ would typically seek a balance between transparency and the need to protect classified material. Courts would evaluate whether the sealing is warranted based on the harm that could result from public disclosure.
Precedent & Practice:
In practice, there have been cases where portions of indictments or other filings were sealed due to national security concerns, such as in cases involving espionage, terrorism, or other sensitive matters. The key is the potential harm that public exposure of certain information could cause.
So, yes, classified information in indictments could remain sealed if the DOJ deems it necessary due to extraordinary circumstances and after a declassification review.
~~~END OF AI REPLY
If all this has been done, why did Trump have another courtroom built at GITMO, and a SCIF room, and wire the courtrooms so that trials could be broadcast?
Excerpt from Wikipedia re Mueller's investigation of Trump (we were a banana republic long before I realized it). Note that Warner's first sneer occurred the day before President Trump's Executive Order Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption.
I wonder if Sen Warner and others started had warning and started fanning constitutional crisis fears to distract public attention from the President's EO the next day?
"Senator Mark Warner, the Ranking Member of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in a speech on December 20, 2017, before the Senate, warned of a constitutional crisis if the President fired Mueller.[91]
On June 22, 2018, Warner hosted a fundraising party for 100 guests and was quoted there saying, "If you get me one more glass of wine, I'll tell you stuff only Bob Mueller and I know. If you think you've seen wild stuff so far, buckle up. It's going to be a wild couple of months."[92]
ransomnote: By that date, we'd had 3 Q drops with 'buckle up'. Could be just the local lingo, but I do wonder.