Trump has 'few defenses at his disposal' in docs case: Guardian reporter
Donald Trump seemed confident about his prospects at his speech in Georgia on Saturday, but that bullish attitude might be displaced, according to a report from the Guardian.
Although the former president claims there was no crime committed in connection with the federal indictment he faces for purportedly mishandling classified documents, the evidence seems overwhelming and meticulously organized, Guardian reporter Hugo Lowell said on Saturday.
"By laying out Donald Trump’s own admissions and incriminating eyewitness accounts from his employees, the indictment unsealed on Friday provided compelling evidence that could be exceedingly difficult for the former president to overcome and avoid a conviction," the reporter wrote. "Trump will have the opportunity to rebut the allegations outlined by the special counsel Jack Smith when the case goes to trial, but the sheer strength and volume of evidence presented in the indictment about Trump’s knowledge and intent leaves few defenses at his disposal."
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Lowell's analysis shows that, regarding the Espionage Act claim, Trump has an upward battle because of "the highly sensitive nature of the material at issue." That information includes "documents on US nuclear programs, potential US military vulnerabilities, and plans for US retaliation in the event of an attack," according to the news outlet.
"For violations of the Espionage Act, Trump was charged under section 793e of title 18 of the criminal code, which references the retention of 'national defense information' – defined as materials that could damage the national security of the United States," Lowell reported. "The documents Trump retained appeared to exceed that threshold. In multiple instances in the indictment, some of the documents that Trump is said to have retained were so sensitive that prosecutors were forced to redact even the classification markings that described the secret programs."
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