Making sense of the FBI/DOJ raid on Mar-A-Lago is only possible outside the Deep State-controlled mediums that seek to use the Espionage Act to portray Donald Trump as, at a minimum sloppy, but likely even criminally dangerous with national security secrets.
This, they hope, makes him ineligible to run for president in 2024. But the trap they set for his alleged violation of the Espionage Act, they may have stepped into themselves.
Nothing Trump had at Mar-A-Lago was still classified. In October of 2020, he declassified everything pertaining to Russiagate and all Hillary Clinton documents (including her 33,000 deleted emails). And in December and on January 17 and 19, 2021, more large batches at the end of his administration, matters relating to the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation (X 22 Report, 2849b, Aug. 15, 2022, 42:00). These should already be out but are likely part of the 40% he declassified that is being suppressed. Trump announced his declassifications on Twitter.
As president, he was the only person authorized to declassify during his presidency. Forty percent of what he declassified was not made public, primarily because the National Archives refuses to do so. He retained some documents he had declassified, as has every president preceding
him, as personal or executive privileged documents or copies thereof. These may or may not have had declassified stamped on them because staff may not have gotten to them yet.
Trump was never subpoenaed directly. "A federal grand jury issued a subpoena to the Records Custodian ... of the Office of Donald Trump for any records 'marked' classified." They did not issue a subpoena to Trump" because "they wanted to avoid Trump connecting the subpoena with 1) his personal privilege on grounds as past POTUS, 2) his First Amendment rights (selective prosecution concern), and 3) his Fifth Amendment right not to be a witness against himself. The Records Custodian "provided the documents in the custody of the entity subpoenaed and certified under oath he had done so" (X22 Report, Ep. 2864b, Sept. 1, 2022, 29:00).
Why the raid? The FBI was looking for something they did not find -- Trump's safe was cracked but found empty, Melania Trump's closet riffled through and boxes of documents removed. It is believed by many that Trump knew they were coming and taunted them with 48 empty folders left behind with classification markings on them but otherwise empty (X22 Report, Ep. 2866b, Sept. 4, 2022, 37:00). The FBI was obviously unhappy.
The warrant was not specific enough to know what they were looking for. Several things are likely possibilities -- perhaps all. These include anything useful to their claim of Trump insurrection or treason from Jan. 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, obviously a four-year "fishing expedition." Such had been the same for the January 6th House Select Committee of hate Trump members. Others suggest that they were searching for the 40% that had not been made public, primarily because of National Archive opposition, presumed to be so damaging to the Deep State. These could be reclassified by Biden to bury Deep State crimes.
Another is that the Deep State wants a civil war to cover forever a variety of crimes now coming to light. Injustice to Trump, they plot, could get the MAGA crowd into the streets in his defense as it did into the Capitol on January 6th to help Mike Pence do the right thing. Certainly, Joe Biden's recent public address was viewed by most as an attack on MAGA people, defining them as enemies of democracy. Trump followers are not likely to fall for this trap again.
Democrats have to know that Biden is the most unpopular president in U.S. history. Paranoia of a Trump return must be behind their censorship and criminalization of patriotism as threats to democracy. This is evidenced by Biden attracting an audience of less than 200 meeting in a small gym and Trump of 10,000 and more in a stadium in the same week. There has to be a reason the Deep State is so obsessed with Donald Trump 18 months after he left office. The people are decidedly with him. Obviously, the Deep State is obsessed with knowing his plans going forward, thus the FBI/Biden raid on Mar-A-Logo.
Certainly, the Deep State is now staging the narrative for Trump's indictment -- classified documents in his possession. They allegedly scattered them on the floor, took photos for their Deep State media outlets of supposed classified documents, effectively republishing the secret documents. Aren't they then violating the Espionage Act, the same thing they accuse Trump of doing, having them in their possession -- reviewing them? These agents are caught. They have no high-level clearance to see this stuff (X22 Report, Ep. 2863b, August 31, 2022, 42:14).
But Mar-A-Lago benefited Trump. The Deep State made Trump a victim. Most can now see this. The RNC wrote the FBI a thank you note in response to the raid. Mar-A-Lago awakened more people to the dictatorial Biden presidency than anything.
If indicted, it allows Trump to enter as a court filing and as evidence the 40% declassified documents that the Deep State refused to process after Trump's declassification. It exposes them. Otherwise, it is buried again. This includes Hillary Clinton's hammered and bleach-washed -- classified -- emails. She may yet go to prison. In forcing the Deep State to come after him, even breaking into his home and personal safe, he will then use this documentation in court, turning the espionage case on him back on them. Even more so if FBI agents planted classified documents in his home during the siege. They, not Trump, would be guilty of violating the Espionage Act (X 22 Report, Ep 2860b, Aug 29, 2022, 45:25). Trump has the FBI and Deep State where he wants for maximum exposure.
Harold W. Pease, Ph.D., is an expert on the United States Constitution and a syndicated columnist. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for more than 30 years. To read more of his weekly articles, visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.