My understanding - I am not a lawyer - is that it doesn’t matter if the documents were classified, declassified, never classified. President Trump was told to return them, he didn’t, and he hid them. Isn’t that what the case is about?
“The 49-page indictment filed by special counsel Jack Smith includes the following criminal charges:
Willful retention of national defense information
Conspiracy to obstruct justice
Withholding of a document or record
Corruptly concealing a document or record
Concealing a document in a federal investigation
Scheme to conceal
False statements and representations”
Bringing up secret or classification is only to hurt President Trump in the election by painting him as careless or worse.
But if he declares them personal presidential records, that’s the end of that.
“My understanding - I am not a lawyer - is that it doesn’t matter if the documents were classified, declassified, never classified. President Trump was told to return them...”
Perhaps you can tell us WHO “told Trump to return documents” and WHO would have the authority to demand a President/ex President to turn over documents legally in his possession.
So if you are the manager of a company and the receptionist tells you to do something do you need to do it?
The National archivists are the equivalent of librarians and they have no right to demand anything.
Told by whom? The National Archives? The National Archives now out ranks the President? I don’t think so.
How much jail time did Sandy Berger do?
Telling a former President to do something is not a lawful command.
He didn’t hide anything. They were there, known by the Secret Service and the government.