Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner reacted with astonishment to new reports that Interior Department officials are destroying records of President Donald Trump's controversial construction projects before the new Congress can look at them.
Speaking on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast, Kirschner said several whistleblowers have come forward, though he didn’t identify them or their allegations in detail. He said officials fear coming congressional oversight. He added that Judge Ana Reyes is about to appoint a special master to examine the administration’s statements about the renovation of a Washington golf course.
“Here we go again,” Kirschner said, comparing the allegations to document destruction during Watergate and the Iran-Contra affair.
Kirschner argued that shredding is unlikely to work today because nearly every government record leaves an electronic trail. He said forensic experts can restore deleted emails and texts, and that prosecutors can then use both the recovered material and the attempt to delete it. He called that an “evidentiary twofer” showing consciousness of guilt.
Asked whether destroying records is illegal when no one has ordered them preserved, Kirschner said it’s “a hard yes,” citing federal records law, though he said he wasn’t sure of the statute’s exact name. He said obstructing a criminal or congressional probe can carry up to 20 years.
Kirschner said he doubts Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Justice Department will investigate, and argued impeachment should be on the table for Blanche. He pointed to John Mitchell, Richard Nixon’s attorney general, who went to prison over the Watergate cover-up.
The transcript includes no response from the Interior Department, the Justice Department or the White House.