2023-06-11 16:11:47
(New York) Personal “notes” or declassified documents: relatives of Donald Trump assured Sunday that the former president was within his rights by carrying packages of archives when he left the White House, sketching his defense strategy while denouncing political prosecutions.
“He has every right to hold classified documents that he had declassified,” assured Fox News one of his lawyers, Alina Habba, two days before his appearance in federal court in Miami.
“These are notes, things he has the right to take,” she added, brushing aside the idea that her client might plead guilty.
“The President’s ability to classify and control access to national security information derives from the Constitution. […] He said he declassified this material, he can put it wherever he wants, he can treat it however he wants,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a close ally, told CNN. .
An already weakened defense
The argument, already put forward by Donald Trump, is undermined in the indictment revealed Thursday. The former real estate magnate is targeted by 37 charges for having, when he left the White House, took away thousands of documents, some of which were confidential when he should have entrusted them to the National Archives, and for subsequently refusing to return most of it despite requests from the federal police (FBI).
Thus, the indictment reveals that in July 2021, on a golf club belonging to him in New Jersey, Donald Trump showed four people without secret defense clearance “a plan of attack” that he had prepared the Department of Defense when he was president.
“As president, I might have declassified them […] now I can’t, but it’s still secrets,” he said on an audio recording cited by the court document.
Also according to the indictment, the confidential documents “included information on the defense capabilities of the United States and foreign countries”, “on the American nuclear programs” and “on the potential vulnerabilities in the event of a attack on the United States and its allies.
“It’s a pretty detailed indictment. And it is overwhelming, “said Donald Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, on Fox News, now critical of the former president following having been one of his allies.
“The idea that the president has total authority to decree that any document is personal is ridiculous,” Barr said.
A country divided
The day following rallies where Donald Trump denounced a “witch hunt”, his allies redoubled their arguments on this theme.
“They try one thing, then they try another, and they keep going following him,” said Jim Jordan, repeating that the prosecution was orchestrated by the Biden camp, while the indictment was filed. passed by a grand jury of citizens in Florida.
The former head of state is notably targeted by charges for “illegal retention of information relating to national security”, “obstruction of justice” and “false testimony”.
According to an >/Ipsos poll released on Sunday, 47% of a sample of 910 Americans polled Friday and Saturday believe the charges in this case are “politically motivated,” versus 37% who don’t. But at the same time, 61% of respondents believe that these lawsuits are “very serious” (42%) or “fairly serious” (19%). Among Republicans, 38% think so too.
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