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Past Classified Documents Cases Show Trump’s Legal Risks

December 23, 2022 · 7:48 am ET · Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “No U.S. president has ever been charged with a crime, and experts say any classified-documents prosecution involving a former commander in chief would be more complicated and fraught than the average case. But they also say past cases illustrate the potential legal exposure facing Donald Trump, who is under investigation for keeping thousands of government papers, some highly sensitive and more than 300 marked classified, at his Florida residence and popular private club.”

“The criteria for prosecuting people who improperly handle classified documents are clear: Prosecutors must prove a person deliberately flouted rules for how to store the material securely, while knowing it was classified or secret national defense information. They do not need to establish evidence that the person tried to sell the classified material or shared it with others.”

Meanwhile, Punchbowl News reports special counsel Jack Smith has irked leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee by blocking access to information related to the probe of Trump’s handling of classified documents.

Crime and Punishment

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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