It’s quite obvious to anyone that the investigation of Trump over classified documents is a political witch hunt. We’ve long established the weak justification for the raid on Mar-a-Lago, which Joe Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland approved. Adding fuel to the fire was the way law enforcement casually displayed the classified information on the floor in a picture released to the media.
The media often ignores the fact that the documents were kept in a secure room in the Secret Service-protected Mar-a-Lago… compared to the conspicuously unprotected and unsecured nature of the classified documents Joe Biden kept in his private office at the Penn Biden Center or in his garage at his Delaware home — where his embattled son Hunter Biden was living for a time.
Trump has been the target of a seemingly endless string of baseless attacks. From the Russian collusion allegations to the ridiculous impeachments, the radical left has thrown everything it can at him. Last year, the Biden Administration took the unprecedented move of raiding his Mar-a-Lago home amidst a dispute over classified documents. Like the indictment in New York over bogus charges earlier this year, the raid galvanized his supporters, who rallied behind him. It was the perfect narrative: Trump, a huge disruptor of the establishment, is being targeted by the establishment to stop him from becoming president again.
The Department of Justice has just decided not to charge Mike Pence for possessing classified documents, but it seems very likely Trump won’t be spared, and he might just legitimately share some of the blame for this. And if you really think the Biden Justice Department will throw the book at Joe for his careless possession of classified documents, you got another thing coming.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Trump, it’s that he’s his own worst enemy. As much as I applaud what he did for our country, his fragile ego and temperament are often problematic. His recent attack on Kayleigh McEnany is a great example — and the backlash has been fairly significant. While he has plenty of loyalists who are backing him up, plenty of his supporters say he took things too far. At least one Republican recanted his endorsement of Trump over the attack, and I suspect more will follow.
Earlier this week, CNN reported federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a meeting that took place in the summer of 2021. In this recording, Trump can be heard acknowledging that he kept a classified Pentagon document regarding a potential attack on Iran. The sources familiar with the investigation reveal that Trump’s comments in the recording imply his desire to share the information. However, he appears to be aware of the limitations on his authority to declassify records after his presidency.
On one hand, it’s obvious Trump understood that the information couldn’t be shared. On the other hand, it contradicts his claim that he had declassified everything he took to Mar-a-Lago. The charges against Trump may be bogus, but, assuming the description of the recording is accurate, Trump, by his own mouth, undermined his key defense claim in this case.
Trump’s multitude of legal trouble undoubtedly impedes his ability to effectively campaign for president. His Republican opponents may not use them because of the partisan nature behind them, but, should Trump win the nomination, Joe Biden most certainly will, and regardless of the partisan nature of these cases, it will sway the ever-so-important independent voters away from him in November 2024. These attacks may be part of a huge conspiracy to keep Trump out of office — in fact, I don’t doubt they are — but when you have Trump on tape talking about how he knew he had classified documents that were still classified, it looks bad — if not criminal.
What’s happening to Trump may not be fair, but he has a knack for making situations worse for him, and GOP voters need to weigh everything as they decide whether or not to gamble the 2024 election on him.