“Now we Have a Problem.” “Isn’t that Interesting?” The Trump Indictment
“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone. ”
I spent almost 40 years in the United States military, 17 1/2 in the Army and its reserve components where I rose to rank Major before reducing in rank to go back on active duty in the Navy from which I retired as a Commander in December 2020.
I held a Secret clearance for my entire career, until I let it expire after I left active duty. While on active duty I had chances to acquire a Top Secret/SCI clearance, but I saw no need for it, as I was not in command of anything or serving on a major staff. I knew plenty of peers that eagerly sought them even though they had no real need apart from the vanity of saying that they had one. If I had ever served were one was required I would have obtained one. If I ever go back to teaching at the Joint Forces Staff College or another military institution I will get my Secret clearance restored.
However, in my military service I dealt with much secret information and things that were probably Top Secret, just because of the units or ships with which I was serving. But during that time I never took classified material home or failed to return it to an authorized SCIF or storage facility. Nor did I tell or share with anyone who did not have the appropriate clearance, and likewise the need to know, any any classified knowledge. Nor did I know anyone who did such things. If there was inadvertent “spillage” of classified information in the commands in which I served, there was an immediate investigation and corrective action was taken. This was serious business and if leaked, the information that I knew could have caused damage to national security, and loss of life.
Throughout my career I saw the results of others who leaked or sold classified materials to other nations, and even enemie . Their. nam ar mostly infamous, the only one I would consider a patriot woul be Daniel Ellsberg who leaked portions of a report commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara which revealed how U.S. officials had known for years that the war in Vietnam was lost but persevered in committing more troops and losing more Americans in a war that had divided the nation. People like Aldrich Ames, Robert Hansen, Alger Hiss, Ana Montes, John Walker, and many more caused great harm.
However, none of the people who stole, sold, or revealed secrets were the President of the United States.
Ever since I first heard of the Mar El Lago classified documents case I was incensed, even outraged. The President had knowingly taken documents from the White House, but when the National Archives asked for their return, he not only did not return them but sought ways to hide them, or even destroy them when confronted by his lawyer, Evan Corcoran, who would not follow Trump’s demands.
When I read the indictment with the 37 felony counts I was stunned. I expected the indictment to be bad, I expected to be shocked by at least some of what I saw, but when I saw the extent of the former President’s involvement, the recordings of him sharing war plans and maps with people who had no business seeing them and bragging like a 10 year-old who stole a a Playboy magazine from a liquor store and knowing that he shouldn’t have it, had to show it to his friends. He was bragging about it and telling the people that they were secret.
Likewise he tried to get his lawyers to be complicit in his criminal actions.
Then there were the places that they were found; offices, storage closets, a rest room, and not of one of them secured.
In response to the cacophony of the Trump and the cult Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, a hard assed prosecutor of war criminals, made a brief comment to announce the indictment, the heart of was really the most important:
“Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice. And our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone. Applying those laws. Collecting facts. That’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
The full text of the indictment is here:
https://www.scribd.com/document/651864905/US-v-Trump-Nauta-23-80101
Anyway. I’m not a lawyer, but my background in military law taught me to always look at the facts and to advise my commanders to look at that first.
Facts are facts and they matter. You are not seeing this from anyone in the Republican Party or the Right Wing Media. Instead they are rallying around him, telling people that he is being persecuted, that this is unjust, and that Trump is a martyr.
If you want Trump held accountable and brought to justice and want to be prepared to deal with the lies and obfuscation of Trump, the GOP, and the Right Wing Propaganda machine you need to read and digest the entire indictment.
If by chance you are Trump supporter and just happened to stumble on this, take the time to read it. Take the time to ask hard questions about why former President Trump first took the documents? Why did he lie about having them, not just to the Justice Department, but to his own defense lawyers as well? Why did he store them in unsecured locations not approved for the storage of classified documents? Why would he show these documents to people with no security clearances or need to know? And finally, in the year and a half Trump had possession of these documents, did he share any with hostile powers?
I will close this with the words of Judge Dan Haygood played by Spencer Tracy in the film Judgement at Nuremberg. They are words that I often reflect upon, well before Trump came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower to announce his candidacy.
“A country isn’t a rock. It’s not an extension of one’s self. It’s what it stands for. It’s what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult!”
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Well said, Padre. I am appalled and disgusted by the support Trump is receiving from the Republican Party, particularly members of Congress whose job it is to act in the best interest of this nation and its people. Instead, they are supporting a crook who, by his actions, makes Richard Nixon look like an angel! Methinks it's going to be a long, hot summer in more ways than one, but I hope that at the end of the day, truth and justice win out.
Catching up with my substack reading...I am now pursuing this timely post.
I have been watching clips of Nuremberg Trials and also the dramatic version which highlights significant parallels which are timeless, and certainly question the failings of humanity.
I am hoping that you will increase the font size on your posts so we can read from our iphones.
But you have your reasons, so at this point we have to read your poignant writing on the desk top.
In 1976 my husband and I were fortunate to be studying at Jerusalem University while he was in St John's Law School in the States, and I was carrying out first child in utero. Gideon Hausner, a former Attorney General in Israel, and lead prosecuting attorney at the trial of Adolph Eichmanm in Jerusalem in 1961, was a guest lecturer. Questions about the capture of Eichmann in Argentina were raised and Hausner declined to answer as this was classified information. Simple as that!
We were also guest law students at Ramla, the maximum security prisoner that housed those civilians who were found guilty of terrorism and murder. As visiting law students we were escorted around the prison We were able to speak with prisoners directly, in a fenced off compound. They were friendly, not menacing, and gleefully inquired about Serhan-Serhan (the murderer of Robert Kennedy)! In answer to their question about his chances of being released, we somberly said: "Probably not."
In a room with no bars we spoke with an engineer who had found guilty of selling classified documents to Syria. Since he seemed so civil and reformed, one of the law students asked if the Israeli authorities would release him before his sentence was complete. His candid response surprised us..
The convicted spy responded: That would be stupid, he said, since I was caught with classified documents in my home!
In 1972 we eagerly followed the demise of Richard Nixon ,, and now in our twilight years, we are anticipating that justice will run its course in this latest chapter of US Presidents Behaving Badly. But there's always an element of surprise. We remembered when the Watergate fiasco unraveled, the revelation of the White House Tapes, and the Congressional Hearings. We knew about Nixon's "dirty tricks", but were quite surprised by the extent of his malfeasance.
Now we consider the lack of ethics of the man who would reign in splendor over the ruins of these Divided States where civil rights are dissolving before our eyes. We consider our deceased parents who lived through horrific times that were difficult too articulate to their children, and we are relieved that they don't have to live through this setback in human evolution. And we shudder to think what our grandchild will inherit, despite the fact they live in Toronto and Australia!