Disclaimer: This article may contain the viewpoint and opinion of the author.
The saga of the Mar-A-Lago raid rages on. It has certainly been hotly debated, with many on the Left, predictably, saying that it’s a long time coming.
Of course, there are many on the Right that have repudiated the FBI Raid.
Chief among them are Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Paul Gossar, among others. It seems there is some sort of a new development every day.
It is a developing story after all. It has been a topic that probably has taken priority over everything else in the national discussion. Certainly, it is the major political topic to be discussed. Well, today is no exception.
It is now being reported by DC Enquirer that:
Following the raid on former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida estate Mar-A-Lago by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), there have been more questions than answers, however, the head of the Republican Party provided answers on Friday regarding classified information.
A statement read on Fox News from Trump’s office yesterday argued that he had a “standing order” while he was president that allowed him to take sensitive information from the White House to ensure that he could continue his work outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“As we can all relate to, everyone ends up having to bring home their work from time to time. American presidents are no different,” the statement began.
“President Trump in order to prepare the work the next day often took documents including classified documents to the residence,” the statement continued, adding, “He had a standing order that documents removed from the Oval Office and taken to the residence were deemed to be declassified the moment he removed them.”
Statement from Trump Office: As we can all relate to, everyone ends up having to bring home their work from time to time… He had a standing order that documents removed from the Oval Office taken to the residence were deemed to be declassified.. pic.twitter.com/pnTjRnOqif
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 13, 2022
“The power to classify and declassify documents rests solely with the president of the United States,” Trump’s office explained, concluding, “The idea that some paper-pushing bureaucrat with classification authority delegated by the president needs to approve the declassification is absurd.”
During the raid on Mar-A-Lago, the FBI discovered 11 boxes of classified material, some of which were marked “TS/SCI” which stands for “Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information,” in the residence, according to CNN.
Former Trump administration official Kash Patel has claimed that Trump declassified the files shortly before leaving office but that the classified markings had not been removed, according to Business Insider.
The FBI warrant, unsealed on Friday, outlined that the FBI was in search of classified documents which could fall under obstruction of justice charges or the Espionage Act — a 1917 law created shortly after the United States entered World War I, intended to prohibit interference with military operations or recruitment.
“All physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 793, 2071, or 1519, including the following: a.
Any physical documents with classification markings, along with any containers/boxes (including any other contents) in which such documents are located, as well as any other containers/boxes that are collectively stored or found together with the aforementioned documents and containers/boxes;” the warrant read.
So, with the official warrant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been unsealed. Also, the issue of what is classified and what might be declassified is going to be the subject of intense and continuing scrutiny and debate.
These are fairly startling developments. Even more startling that the revelations have seemed to present themselves in a one-two punch. There will undoubtedly be more, and perhaps even greater, developments in the story as it proceeds and as with all other political topics, it has been predictably divisive.
