Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Of all the weak, fake anti-Trump stories, this one really takes the cake.  Trump apparently tore up documents and threw them away in the WH trash instead of putting them in a burn bag.  Wow.  Do you think the janitor at the WH takes that trash out to the curb?  Thereby endangering national security. HA HA HA.   All the trash from the WH is secured.  Old Joe doesn't even know he is in the WH.  Do you think he puts any documents in the burn bag?  He even has a fake WH set to play president.  It is sad.  Someone at the National Archives is a hardcore deep state liberal.  Grasping for their 15 minutes of fame.  This will be proven to be another fake story that goes nowhere like "find the fraud."  There will be a retraction in small print months from now when they think no one is paying attention.

Typical response from the right which is to dismiss Trump's crimes and try to downplay it. It's been going on for several years.

The National archives received ripped up documents and Trump's own staff had to tape them together.

He then took sensitive documents to Mar a Lago which is against the law. The National archives has contacted the DOJ to request a probe into this illegality.     

The Washington Post is now reporting that some of the classified documents Donald Trump took from the White House were marked “Top Secret.”

This is illegal, and he must be held accountable. Trump claims he is still in contact with his BFF Kimmy in  North Korea. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if this anti American traitor criminal was sharing "Top Secret" information with him.   

Of course Americans care about Donnie's crimes. The overwhelming majority of Americans defeated him in 2020 for that very reason.

[Rick Plant]

Trump took documents from White House clearly marked as 'classified': Washington Post



The Washington Post is reporting that some of the documents former President Donald Trump removed from the White House were clearly marked as classified, with even getting the highly sensitive "top secret" label.

Two sources tell the Post that "while it was unclear how many classified documents were among those received by the Archives, some bore markings that the information was extremely sensitive and would be limited to a small group of officials with authority to view such highly classified information."

As president, Trump had the power to order declassification of any intelligence he desired. However, it's less clear whether that gave him the power to smuggle out classified documents marked "top secret" to keep at his residence when he is no longer president.

"The existence of clearly marked classified documents in the trove — which has not previously been reported — is likely to intensify the legal pressure that Trump or his staffers could face, and raises new questions about why the materials were taken out of the White House," notes the Post.

The Post's sources claim that the classified labels on the documents were discovered by the National Archives and Records Administration, and their presence was a major factor in the agency's decision to refer the matter to the United States Department of Justice.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/10/trump-records-classified/

[Richard Smith]

Typical response from the right which is to dismiss Trump's crimes and try to downplay it. It's been going on for several years.

The National archives received ripped up documents and Trump's own staff had to tape them together.

He then took sensitive documents to Mar a Lago which is against the law. The National archives has contacted the DOJ to request a probe into this illegality.     

The Washington Post is now reporting that some of the classified documents Donald Trump took from the White House were marked “Top Secret.”

This is illegal, and he must be held accountable. Trump claims he is still in contact with his BFF Kimmy in  North Korea. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if this anti American traitor criminal was sharing "Top Secret" information with him.   

Of course Americans care about Donnie's crimes. The overwhelming majority of Americans defeated him in 2020 for that very reason.

Simply false.  If you don't understand the legal standard, maybe read Comey's explanation as to why Hillary's use of a personal server was not a violation of the law.  It's not even clear what is meant by "sensitive" documents.  There are presidential libraries full of such documents.  This is just another deep stater trying to be famous.  Nothing will come of it.  There will be retractions in small print months from now as there have been for other anti-Trump conspiracy falsehoods perpetuated by the leftist Wash. Post and NY Times ("find the fraud" - LOL)  If only some investigator would apply this level of detail to Hunter and the "Big Guy" who knows what they might find? 

[Rick Plant]

Simply false.  If you don't understand the legal standard, maybe read Comey's explanation as to why Hillary's use of a personal server was not a violation of the law.  It's not even clear what is meant by "sensitive" documents.  There are presidential libraries full of such documents.  This is just another deep stater trying to be famous.  Nothing will come of it.  There will be retractions in small print months from now as there have been for other anti-Trump conspiracy falsehoods perpetuated by the leftist Wash. Post and NY Times ("find the fraud" - LOL)  If only some investigator would apply this level of detail to Hunter and the "Big Guy" who knows what they might find?

No, it is not false.

Trump, right wingers, and the entire media made Clinton's emails "the issue" of the 2016 campaign. It dominated the media 24/7 and there was no reason for it to be. The GOP House held bogus hearings and investigations while Trump and his cult chanted to "Lock her up" at every hate rally. There was absolutely nothing wrong done by Clinton, but the GOP and the media made her into a villain and a criminal based on bogus conspiracies. Comey overstepped his bounds announcing a bogus investigation 3 days before the election which impacted the race. Then on early Monday morning the day before the election, he put out a 3 paragraph statement that nobody heard about stating they found no wrong doing. Meanwhile, the real criminal, Donald Trump was under an FBI investigation for his Russia connections for months and Comey never said one word about it. So, he protected Criminal Donald and damaged Clinton for political purposes.     

Classified and TOP SECRET documents are not allowed to be removed from the White House and taken to Mar a lago. That is illegal as is destroying Presidential Records and documents as he was caught doing as well. Donnie was caught red handed because the National archives requested the DOJ to investigate this criminal activity.

And no surprise, you dismiss and ignore another crime committed by Criminal Donald.         

[Rick Plant]

'Absolutely fair game' to demand Trump's personal phone records: former DOJ official



Appearing on CNN on Friday morning, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General and U.S. Attorney Harry Litman suggested reports that there was a large gap in White House call logs on Jan. 6 should compel the House committee investigating the insurrection to get Donald Trump's personal phone records as well as those belonging to his inner circle.

According to a report from the New York Times, questions are being raised about the lack of White House phone traffic during the "critical hours when investigators know that he [Trump] was making them" following the president appearing at the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington D.C.

With the NYT adding, "Investigators have not uncovered evidence that any official records were tampered with or deleted, and it is well known that Mr. Trump routinely used his personal cellphone, and those of his aides, to talk with other aides, congressional allies and outside confidants, bypassing the normal channels of presidential communication," former prosecutor Litman was asked by CNN's Bianna Golodryga what is next for the committee.

"There had been concerns and warnings given how unorthodox the former president's behavior was and he regularly used his cell phone or other people's cell phones that this scenario could very well play out and here we are," the CNN host prompted. "So what are the openings for the committee members in terms of trying to get access to phone records? Will they opt for subpoenaing some of these people whose phones the president may have used?"

"Yeah, it is a great question, and you say unorthodox and that's certainly true," the attorney replied. "But, you know, cavalier and contemptuous of the American people would be another way to put it, and also maniacal about trying to keep any record from being created."

"We know at this period, in particular, he's insisting on meetings in the residence with only a small circle," he elaborated. "What can they do now and as you say, we know these calls were made? Well, they can subpoena the records of close associates for the cell -- that would be the same kind of thing and it would show if they went to his phone. Of course he's also known sometimes to use aides' personal cell phones and they could, there is no reason not, no special doctrine that would keep them from subpoenaing his actual personal cell phone records. It would just be a little bit more of a fight, he would push back on some, you know, on a presidential basis, but absolutely fair game."

Watch below:

[Rick Plant]

Right wing terrorism.

"We’re looking for mom vans too!' Right-wing extremists recruiting parents for chaotic trucker convoys

White nationalists and anti-vaxxers are cooking up a protest in the U.S. similar to one that has wrought havoc in Canada.

Right-wing activists have effectively shut down Ottawa's downtown and the U.S.-Canada border with big-rig trucks to protest COVID-19 safety measures, and American conservative media outlets have celebrated the demonstration -- which some want to copy, reported Mother Jones.

“You don’t have to be a trucker,” said Denis Aguilar, founder of the anti-vaccine Freedom Angels Foundation and the far-right women’s group Mamalitia. “We’re looking for mom vans, too!”

Emboldened activists in the U.S. are planning convoys on Telegram, including one set for March 1 in Washington, D.C., and are hoping to enlist families and children for moral support.

“Have some music and get involved with your community,” Aguilar posted on TikTok. “Truckers make the world go round, and if anyone is going to put a stop to these mandates, it’s them — just watch what Canada’s doing.”

Mother Jones obtained Telegram posts from groups in Southern California planning chaotic demonstrations to pressure the government to drop public health mandates, and these activists are citing the Ottawa demonstration as an inspiration.

“It’s critical that we understand why the Canadian protest is so effective, so we can do the same in the United States,” wrote the leader of one Los Angeles group. “It was not the convoy itself, but the occupation of Ottawa and the resultant economic and psychological effects on the Canadian government that is effective.”

“We Americans need to grow out of our tendency to prioritize 'performative protest' and flashy stunts for social media clout," that person added, "and instead focus on the systems and institutions responsible for our oppression and how to best disrupt them.”

Many of the individuals involved in these plans have posted blatantly racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic content as they plot their disruptions, even as they encourage parents to enlist their children and slip convoy messages into classroom Valentine's Day treats.

“I showed my boys the video of the trucker who shared the card and cookies donated by a family and they want to do the same,” one member wrote. “Please let me know how I can get them to the truckers.”

Extremist groups have been using vaccine and masking mandates, as well as fears of critical race theory, to draw parents into their orbit, and the organizing groups have exploded in membership from hundreds to tens of thousands as the Ottawa demonstration rages.

“These people are PTA presidents, moms, everyday families,” said one source who monitors the organizing groups. “And they are working together with white nationalists.”

https://www.rawstory.com/trucker-convoy/


Ontario judge grants injunction against Ambassador Bridge protesters: Ontario officials to fine, jail blockade protesters as automakers cut production

An Ontario judge granted an injunction Friday against protesters who have been blocking the Ambassador Bridge for five days, potentially opening a path to ending the international standoff.

The ruling is set to go into effect at 7 p.m. Friday night, just hours after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that "everything is on the table" to dissolve the blockade and restart traffic across the vital North American shipping route.

For now, Trudeau said officials will rely on local law enforcement to deal with protestors, who have shut down traffic at the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing over a vaccine requirement for truckers entering the country.

“Using military forces against civilian populations in Canada, or in any other democracy, is something to avoid having to do at all costs,” Trudeau said. He added that the government is "a long way from having to call in the military" but that there will be “real consequences” for those involved in the blockade.

“We're taking every precaution to keep people safe. But the absolute safest way for this to end is for everyone to return to your communities now."

In the meantime, provincial and municipal leaders announced new steps Friday to resume the flow of traffic across the border. Ontario officials plan to enact temporary orders that will fine protesters blocking the Ambassador Bridge up to $100,000 and sentence them to up to a year in jail, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. They will also consider taking away the personal or commercial drivers licenses of anyone who defies the orders.

The orders will clarify that blocking the movement of "goods, people and services across critical infrastructure" is illegal, Ford said, including border crossings, airports, bridges, highways and railways.

"To those trying to force a political agenda through disruption, intimidation and chaos, my message to you is this: Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of hundreds of thousands of workers to earn their living."

Ford begged the protesters to leave and declared a state of emergency. He said an Ontario Court granted his administration's request to freeze funds flowing to the protesters and the police have provided additional resources to backup law enforcement in Ottawa and Windsor.

Meanwhile, hospitals in Windsor confirmed they are on standby should police "or another emergency response agency" initiate "a Code Orange, which is called in the rare case of a disaster or mass casualty situation," the Windsor Star reported.

And an automotive supply group and the City of Windsor went to court Friday over the bridge blockade caused by groups protesting the country's COVID-19 restrictions, arguing the protests break multiple laws and an injunction is necessary to enhance enforcement.

The United States also has a vaccine requirement for freight truckers delivering goods across the border.

The Ambassador Bridge has been blocked to traffic since Monday evening, when a protest at the Capitol in Ottawa moved to other cities across the country and to the trade thoroughfare connecting Canada to Detroit.

Officials continued to reroute commercial traffic to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, where they say nine commercial lanes are open, and to the Windsor tunnel for smaller passenger traffic.

The Michigan Department of Transportation tweeted at 4 p.m. that wait times at Blue Water heading into the U.S. and heading into Canada were less than 15 minutes for passenger and commercial vehicles. Wait times heading into Canada from the U.S. were less than 15 minutes for cars and more than 90 minutes for commercial vehicles. In previous days during the Ambassador Bridge blockade, truckers waited hours at Blue Water.

Windsor Police said Friday that the bridge remained blocked throughout the day as negotiations continued with the protesters, who have remained peaceful. But the blockade has caused major economic strain for automakers and other manufacturers already struggling with supply chain woes.

The Ambassador Bridge is the conduit of 25% of all trade between the two countries and is of particular importance to the North American auto industry. Around 10,000 commercial vehicles cross the bridge every day with $325 million of goods, the Michigan Treasury Department estimated Friday. Around $50 million of that are auto parts.

It's drawn the attention of both nation's highest officeholders. Trudeau and President Joe Biden spoke about the standoff Friday. The prime minister promised quick action in enforcing the law and the president thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States, said White House White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

"The Biden Administration has continued its work overnight and engaged in productive conversations with our Canadian counterparts over the last 24 hours to bring the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge and other ports of entry to a swift and peaceful end," a White House official told The Detroit News Friday. "We feel confident that at the municipal, provincial and federal level, Canada appreciates the urgency required to take action."

Auto impact

As the standoff entered its fifth day, automakers reported additional production impacts — the latest in a series of shocks delivered by the collateral effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Toyota Motor North America said Friday that it's now having periodic downtime at its engine plants in West Virginia and Alabama: “Due to a number of supply chain, severe weather and COVID related challenges, Toyota continues to face shortages affecting production at our North American plants," Toyota spokesperson Kelly Stefanich said in a statement.

Toyota plants in Canada and Kentucky had previously been impacted. The Japanese automaker said it expects disruptions to continue through the weekend, "and we'll continue to make adjustments as needed." It does not expect the situation to result in employment impacts at this time.

Workers at General Motors Co.'s CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, home of the Chevrolet Equinox, were sent home early Friday as a result of parts shortages. But GM's U.S. plants that had seen production cuts due to the blockade earlier this week are back up and running.

The Detroit automaker on Thursday canceled the first and second shifts at its Lansing Delta Township Plant, where the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs are made. GM confirmed Friday that production of heavy-duty trucks at Flint Assembly Plant was interrupted as a result of parts shortages. However, many employees are completing training requirements so they are still working.

Ford Motor Co. spokeswoman Kelli Felker said Friday its plants in Oakville and Windsor are running at “reduced capacity” and its Ohio Assembly Plant is down “as a result of a parts shortage associated with this situation.” The Ford Oakville plant builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus, Windsor builds engines and Ohio Assembly makes medium and super trucks.

“The interruption on the Detroit/Windsor bridge hurts customers, auto workers, suppliers, communities and companies on both sides of the border that are already two years into parts shortages resulting from the global semiconductor issue, COVID and more,” she said.

Stellantis NV also had to adjust production schedules Thursday because of the situation at the border. Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s plant in Alliston, Ontario, suspended manufacturing on one production line Wednesday evening. The automaker also will temporarily suspend manufacturing on one production line on the Friday day shift there.

"Stellantis continues to make production adjustments as necessary due to parts shortages caused by the closure of the Detroit/Windsor bridge," spokesperson Jodi Tinson. "Although the situation remains incredibly fluid, our teams are working around the clock to keep parts flowing into the plants to mitigate further disruptions."

John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation which represents most major automakers building vehicles in the U.S., said the group will "continue to work with policymakers and stakeholders in the U.S. and Canada to advocate for a swift and safe resolution on behalf of our employees, consumers and communities.”

Move to end blockade

The City of Windsor on Thursday sought an injunction, which would give the police more power to end the blockade that has snarled international trade between Canada and the U.S. since Monday, resulting in manufacturing production cuts on both sides of the border.

Now led by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, attorneys seeking to shut down the protest argued the protesters are breaking multiple municipal laws.

Mike Wills, the lawyer for the APMA, also said that the economic impact of the blockade is significant: The auto sector contributed around $12.5 billion to the Canadian GDP in 2020, he said, and vehicles are the second-largest Canadian export by value at $42.9 billion.

More than 90% of that was exported to the U.S., and American auto states like Michigan buy around $50 million worth of auto parts every day from Canadian companies, he said.

"No (auto plants are) sitting on thousands of parts so they can operate for weeks and weeks," Wills said. "A shutdown of a day or two is catastrophic for continued operations, and it's proving to be catastrophic."

Attorneys defending the blockage argued that some disruption is a natural and protected side effect of protests and that there's no need for an injunction if police already have the power to intervene.

"Courts in this country have held that demonstrations and picketing, by their very nature, are supposed to cause some degree of nuisance," said attorney Antoine D'Ailly. "That is part and parcel of the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of assembly here."

The judge issued the injunction Friday afternoon, saying that while people have the right to protest, their blockade of the bridge has resulted in the denial of freedom to others.

Dana Wolfe, 36, of Windsor said he showed up Friday to protest "government tyranny" in Canada. He said he works as a maintenance electrician at an automotive plant, but declined to identify his employer. Wolfe — a father and stepfather of three children — pointed to mask mandates, especially in schools, as something he's against.

"The middle class in this country believes that the political elite don't really care about us," he said. "They care more about people that can work on Zoom."

Wolfe said he wasn't concerned about the blockade's impact on auto plants: "I believe that a couple days laid off, a week laid off, two weeks laid off, isn't a really big deal when you're looking at the big scheme of things here. I think freedom and freedom of choice is a lot more important, and to stop government tyranny is a lot more important than missing a week of work."

Eyes on Windsor

The protests have drawn the attention of policymakers at the state and national level in the United States. Biden and Trudeau had a call Friday, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who said they discussed the ongoing blockade of key bridges and crossings between the United States and Canada, including Detroit-Windsor.

The prime minister promised quick action in enforcing the law, and the president thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States, Psaki said.

Trudeau said during a press conference Friday that he and Biden “both agree that for the security of the people and the economy, these blockades cannot continue."

Trudeau said “everything is on the table” to stop the border blockades. But Trudeau, out of concern of violence, wouldn’t provide specifics on what’s under consideration. He said the focus is on using police forces before the military gets involved.

“Using military forces against civilian populations in Canada, or in any other democracy, is something to avoid having to do at all costs,” he said, but noted there will be “real consequences” for those involved in the blockade.

“We're taking every precaution to keep people safe. But the absolute safest way for this to end is for everyone to return to your communities now,” he said. “If you're still participating in illegal blockades, you're hurting your neighbors.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has called on Canadian authorities to resolve the dispute at the border crossing and offered heavy equipment, security and other resources to assist in ending the blockade. And the Biden administration has urged Trudeau’s government to use its federal powers to end the blockade.

More than a quarter of all trade between the U.S. and Canada moves over the Ambassador Bridge. Since Monday, a group of protesters known as the Freedom Convoy has prevented travel into Canada, forcing drivers to reroute to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, resulting in delays for commercial travelers.

Whitmer appeared on WXYZ-TV (Ch. 7) and CNN Friday morning, where she reiterated her call to Canadian officials to "take all appropriate steps" to reopen traffic at the border.

She said the blockade has contributed to "hundreds of millions of dollars a day" being lost and said she's been "burning up the phone line" talking with the White House, the Canadian ambassador, other Canadian officials and the congressional delegation to end the blockage.

"We have got to push to resolve this and it has to be swift," she said. "Of course, we want it to be safely done as well. But it has to happen. We cannot let another minute go by unnecessarily because this border is too important to our economy, to our homeland security, and as we grow our economy, it's a crucial moment.”

The Michigan Department of Treasury estimates that 10,000 commercial vehicles cross the bridge each day, carrying $325 million of goods, approximately $50 million from automotive parts. Nearly 30% of the annual trade between Michigan and Canada comes across the Ambassador Bridge.

Some Michigan Republicans said they support the protesters, who are challenging the vaccine requirement and other COVID restrictions. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, a Republican who is running to unseat Whitmer as governor, criticized Whitmer and Biden Friday for "demonizing the truckers."

"I stand with the truckers," Craig said. "I support all working people who are standing up for personal freedom. "What we are seeing is a tremendous lack of leadership from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Joe Biden and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer."

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, whose district is home to the Blue Water Bridge where traffic is being re-routed, wrote on Twitter: "Vaccine mandates are going to cripple our supply chain. The Democrats can blame freedom loving truck drivers, but the real blame is on the vaccine requirements at the border."

Her office said Friday she plans to send a letter to the Biden Administration demanding they remove the U.S. vaccine requirement for truckers.

© The Detroit News

[Rick Plant]

Trump is a loser and even his cult has realized it as more Republicans throw him under the bus.

'No nostalgia for the Trump years' as fans abandon him and his influence wanes



According to a column from U.S. News and World Report, Donald Trump's star is quickly setting as more and more of his most rabid fans begin to move on and GOP lawmakers are starting to question whether he helps or hinders their election prospects.

Using a combination of current polling numbers -- that show voters increasingly don't want the former president to make a third presidential run -- and comments from GOP campaign consultants, U.S. News writer Susan Milligan suggested Trump is rapidly becoming yesterday's news.

Trump's numbers among some of his most ardent fans are taking a big hit -- even though he is not making any day-to-day policy decision that could affect their lives.

"The numbers are not looking good right now for Donald Trump, whose iron grip over the Republican Party appears to be weakening. And while the former president still has substantial influence with party brass – witnessed by the Republican National Committee censuring two lawmakers participating in the investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection – Trump's power is not what it once was, experts and pollsters say," she wrote.

"No nostalgia for the Trump years is a good way of putting it," admitted Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, with the report adding that one of his key constituencies seems to be turning on him.

"White male voters without a college degree overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2020, with exit polls showing the Republicans taking that voter group by a 70% to 28% margin. But YouGov's poll found that half of that group see Trump in a favorable light now, with 46% of them disapproving of Trump," the report states before adding, "Further, rank-and-file Republicans are moving away from a more direct identification with Trump himself. An NBC poll found that 56% of GOPers describe themselves as supporters of the Republican Party, with 36% saying they are supporters of Trump. That's a reversal from late 2020, when 54% described themselves as supporters of Trump and 38% supporters of the GOP."

According to one campaign consultant who broke with the Republican Party over Trump, the former president is losing the hearts and minds of GOP lawmakers.

"He doesn't get to speak ex cathedra anymore, where everyone just drops to their knees and believes in him," explained Mac Stipanovich. "He gets booed by his audience. [Florida Republican Gov. Ron] DeSantis did everything but moon him, and he's going to get away with it."

Stipanovich added that the midterm election -- and how Trump-endorsed candidates do -- will be a good indicator of how much power the former president wields.

"If his endorsed candidates just sweep, that strengthens his hand," he stated. "If there's a mixed result in the primaries between Trump-endorsed candidates and the eventual nominee, that will weaken his hand."


'Epic stupidity': Mark Meadows slammed for latest defense of Trump's alleged destruction of White House records

In his column for the Washington Post, Greg Sargent called out former Donald Trump chief of Staff Mark Meadows for attempting to dismiss reports that his former boss destroyed official White House documents.

As Sargent notes, Meadows went to the conservative network Newsmax where he was asked about the accusations levied against Trump, and then proceeded to compare the allegations to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ripping up one of the former president's State of the Union speeches on national TV.

Pulling no punches, the columnists lambasted the "epic stupidity" of the former lawmaker's glib remark.

"You will recall that what speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ripped up in Feb. 2020 was a copy of President Trump’s State of the Union address, after he had already delivered most of it to the nation. Pelosi’s act in no sense denied the public information, whereas withholding presidential documents very well might, and might also break the Presidential Records Act, a law," he wrote before noting that, worse still, the Newsmax host didn't "bat an eye" or push back at the obvious absurdity of the answer.

"Viewers of this interview only learned that Pelosi ripped up some kind of document in some vaguely nefarious way — and that the media gave her a pass for it. Learning what that document actually was might have challenged that impression," he explained. "Because mainstream media properly represent all sides of a story, Republicans can inject all manner of unsupported claims to muddy the waters around Trump’s transgressions, and around their own hypocritical treatment of them."

According to the columnist, the mainstream press is complicit in letting the Republicans get away with lying or creating spin to help Trump and that Meadows is getting away with it.

"Meadows’ nonsense about Pelosi provided a diversionary moment of low comedy," he summed up before warning, "But the underlying dynamic it reveals is a major problem that risks skewing public understanding. And there’s no sign Democrats have an answer to it."

You can read more here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/11/mark-meadows-newsmax-trump-toilet-documents/


‘Our jaws hit the floor’: Former Trump official recalls him waving classified docs in the air to brag

Former President Donald Trump was "mind-numblingly incompetent" when it came to protecting classified documents and information, according to Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Taylor appeared on MSNBC on Friday afternoon to discuss a New York Times report about Republicans who attacked Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server, but have remained silent about Trump taking government records — some of which reportedly were marked "top secret" — to his private residence.

"It's not just hypocrisy, it's that Donald Trump himself was mind-numblingly incompetent to the protection of classified information," Taylor said. "So it's not just that he criticized Clinton and then did something similar. He did something vastly worse on multiple occasions, so much so that we were scared — legitimately scared — to take sensitive classified information into the Oval Office and tell the president of the United States about it. That's how bad it was. We would talk about it before we would go in when we got certain briefs — can we talk to the president about this? — because there was a worry he would leak information to the public, to foreign adversaries."

As an example, Taylor cited an occasion when Trump was giving reporters a background interview in the Oval Office.

"He had classified information on his desk, and he grabbed it and held it up and waved it in the air to brag about how he gets really important information," Taylor said. "I mean, our jaws hit the floor. There was also a photographer in the room. Fortunately, we found out they didn't capture the highly sensitive classified information that Donald Trump grabbed with his fist and waved in the air. But that's how reckless this man was with that type of information."

Watch below: