ALAN DERSHOWITZ's stunning verdict on Donald Trump's indictment: The ex-president's brag to a writer was 'worst sentence he's ever uttered' and every time he opens his mouth he increases his chances of going to prison

Daily Mail ^

[FarCenter]

The sensational federal indictment Donald Trump faces has stunned one of the former president's most famous supporters, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz.

Trump faces 31 counts over claims he illegally-stored highly classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago country club. Jaw-dropping details of the charges against Trump were outlined Friday - and he faces a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. Trump will appear before a Miami court on Tuesday.

Dershowitz describes himself as a liberal Democrat, although he has previously spoken out against what he sees as the unfair persecution of Trump.

And in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, he said the new charges Trump faces are exceptionally serious. The author also warned that the former president's usual strategy of going on the attack could land him in even deeper trouble.

[Pajamajan]

Alan Dershowitz alleged to be listed on the Epstein Island flight logs said this?

🤔

[Auntie Dem]

The photo of alleged “spillage” you posted was a photo staged by the corrupt FBI, Trump did not leave documents like that. You appear to believe everything put out by the corrupt FBI and corrupt media. Are you Ray Epps?

[CA Conservative]

Can you please provide a citation, because I just read the PRA and I could not find any clause as you describe.

[CA Conservative]

He did claim they were secret, and secret is a classification. I guess there is some speculation the prosecutors may not have the documents in question, which should make this whole thing moot. But if they do have the documents and they are marked “secret” or “top secret”, it will be hard for Team Trump to make the argument you are suggesting.

[Fledermaus]

Top secret nuclear plans? See a therapist.

[FreeReign]

No. Trump said they were “a secret”.

[CA Conservative]

Read the indictment, especially the quotes from the transcript. The actual quote from Trump was, “This is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information.” It was later that he reiterated, “This is a secret.”

[linMcHlp]

That photo in my reply 165, is from a New York Post article on the case.

Another photo is in the indictment, page 14.

[frnewsjunkie]

If you cant see and don’t like Trump, you are one of those the media feed their sorry commie lies to.

[Maris Crane]

Alan IS and ALWAYS WILL BE:

A SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT.

He pretends to be fair and reasonable in order to get face time on Newsmax...but, the man is DEVIOUS.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[libertylover]

Thanks. I didn’t know that. But it still pales in comparison with keeping thousands of Secret and Top-secret documents on an illegal and unsecure server for any foe to take, and one would have to be very naive to think our foes didn’t take them.

[P-Marlowe]

still dont understand why he simply just didnt return what they wanted....sorry, but he did this one to himself. Guy is brain dead at times.

Because, by nature of the fact that he took possession of those documents while he was the President of the United States, every one of those documents were his to do with as he pleased.

Constitutionally, he was and is under no obligation to give them to anyone else.

You do believe in the Constitution, don’t you?

[P-Marlowe]

The actual quote from Trump was, “This is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information.” It was later that he reiterated, “This is a secret.”

So what? If it was a piece of paper or just something he remembered, it’s still in his possession. Are they going to indict him because he retained secret information in his brain?

This is the stupidest indictment ever written.

[basalt]

his PERSONAL papers, yes..but not TOP SECRET NATIONAL DEFENSE documents. Theres some very troubling things about what he had. How did he get and keep the TOP SECRET DEFENSE material??...why on Earth does he even want that stuff, and why is he fighting so hard to keep it. This is getting effin weird.

[basalt]

Then why did they prosecute David Petreaus over it??....man, you people are gettin scary.

[CA Conservative]

You really need to read the whole indictment in context. First off, it turns out Trump is not being charged with sharing classified information. Apparently the audio transcript was included to show how carelessly Trump handled classified data, and probably to establish mens rea, that he knew the information he was sharing was classified and that knew he did not have the authority to declassify it at the time he was sharing it. As far as it just being in his mind, that is contradicted by the transcript. In the transcript, while discussing the document Trump says to the writer “this is XXXX’s plan, read it” and later says, “I’ll show you an example”. Later in the conversation, he and a staffer were discussing a way to get it declassified, apparently so the writer could use it, then said “See, as president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

[P-Marlowe]

Then why did they prosecute David Petreaus over it??....man, you people are gettin scary.

Petreaus was never the President of the United States.

Have you read the Constitution?

Article 2 section 1

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America

That is a single person.

Trump cannot be charged with mishandling any documents that came into his possession while he was the President. Those are his by nature of his being the executive branch. He was and is free to do with those documents as he pleased. That includes destroying them or taking them home and putting them in a sock drawer.

He could be charged with Treason if he sold secrets to an enemy, but hiding them in the bathroom is not a crime.

Even if this were a crime, which it could be if he were only the Vice President, this is a no-harm, no foul situation. The democrats want Trump to spend the rest of his life in jail over a crime which Trump, by nature of his office at the time he came into possession of those documents, could not possibly commit.

You’re pretty scary.

[P-Marlowe]

Trump is not being charged with sharing classified information

Exactly. So whether he had formally declassified them by executive order, or informally declassified them by taking them home is irrelevant. They were in his possession while he was president, so they remain his personal property.

Trump’s head is filled with secrets and classified information. He didn’t need the documents to be in a position to mishandle classified information.

I dare say that everyone on Washington has leaked classified information to a reporter. That’s why there are no secrets in Washington. To pretend that anything is a secret in Washington is to be incredibly naïve.

[P-Marlowe]

True or False? America is safer with those documents in Tump’s bathroom than if he had left them all in the White House for Biden to control?

[CA Conservative]

“ They were in his possession while he was president, so they remain his personal property.”

Not necessarily. The PRA differentiates between presidential records and personal records. Personal records are the property of the president; presidential records belong to the country and are to be in the care, custody and control of the NARA. However, any disputes between the president and the NARA over whether a record is personal or presidential is a civil matter, not a criminal one. I don’t see how the espionage charges survive. The conspiracy, obstruction and false statements charges could be a different issue.