by Massimo Gaggi
Republicans remember the case of Hillary Clinton, who used her personal email as Secretary of State but was able to run against Trump in 2016
What were the FBI agents looking for in Mar-a-Lago? Evidence that Trump planned to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, or simply official White House documents that the former president illegally stole from federal archives and collected from his private residence? The officers mainly focused on the documents in a safe. Back in January, Trump sent back 15 boxes of documents he had brought to Florida after leaving office to avoid legal trouble.
Charges against Trump for violating the constitution remain a possibility, but some legal experts also suggest that without charging him with a coup attempt, the former president could lose the chance to run again for the House of Representatives, of which Bianca is guilty commits a less serious but definitely criminal offense: stealing, concealing, or destroying federal documents. In fact, a little-known provision of the Federal Code, Section 2071 of Title 18, states that anyone who willfully and illegally conceals, removes, mutilates, falsifies, or destroys federal documents commits an offense punishable by three years in prison and a ban from the public offices.
Various former Trump employees have spoken of his habit of destroying documents intended to be kept in the archives. A book by journalist Maggie Haberman in the United States details Trump’s habit of tearing up documents and then throwing them down the toilet until they’re gobbled up. Photos of presidential toilets have even been released in recent days with pieces of documents showing on the back of the toilet.
Would that be enough to disqualify Trump? The very dubious thing. Politically, the ex-president is already using the FBI’s advance to present himself as the Democrats’ persecute. There is no legal guarantee that such a regulation is applicable to a presidential election. For example, when it was Trump in 2016 who called for the disqualification of Hillary Clinton, who was accused of hiding many emails when she was secretary of state, that didn’t stop the former first lady from running.
A conviction, however, could strengthen the tide of Republicans who, also shaken by revelations about the former president’s responsibilities in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Congress, would rather leave The Donald to play in Mar-a-Golf. Lago and ushering in the era of Trumpism without Trump.
Aug 9, 2022 (Modified Aug 9, 2022 | 11:23 am)
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