Ryan Goodman Profile picture
Former Special Counsel @DeptofDefense. Co-editor-in-chief @just_security. Chaired Professor NYU Law. Former Chaired Professor Harvard Law. Co-director @RCLS_NYU

Sep 29, 2022, 12 tweets

We compiled every DOJ doc, Trump legal brief, DJT social media post and news report for this.

Tracker: Evidence of Trump's Knowledge, Involvement in Retaining #MarALago Docs

The bulleted list of key findings is alone strong evidence for a prosecution.👇
justsecurity.org/83034/tracker-…

2. Exhibit one

Trump staff tell FBI "Trump was a pack rat who had been personally overseeing his collection of White House records since even before leaving Washington and had been reluctant to return anything."

via @jdawsey1 @CarolLeonnig @JaxAlemany @PostRoz

3. Exhibit two

Former Trump WH lawyer Herschmann warned Trump late 2021 he "could face legal liability if he did not return government materials he had taken with him when he left office"..."particularly any classified material."

Trump's response: "noncommittal"

via @maggieNYT

4. Exhibit three

"Trump went through the boxes himself in late 2021"

via @maggieNYT @jodikantor @adamgoldmanNYT Ben Protess

5. Exhibit four

In returning some documents to National Archives in January 2022, "Trump had overseen the packing process himself with great secrecy, declining to show some items even to top aides."

via @washingtonpost and @PostRoz

6. Exhibit five

"'It’s not theirs; it’s mine,’ several advisers say Mr. Trump told them.”

via @maggieNYT

"He reacted with a familiar mix of obstinance and outrage, causing some in his orbit to fear he was essentially daring the FBI to come after him."

via @jdawsey1 et al

7. Exhibit six

Trump's attorney told DOJ "Trump had authorized him" to allow DOJ to see storage room (after DOJ asked) "but they were explicitly prohibited from opening any of the approximately fifty to fifty-five boxes that they observed."

via DOJ filing

8. Exhibit seven

Trump's cooperating with Archives, FBI broke down after Tom Fitton began advising he was wrong to return documents in January and should not give up any additional records.

Trump asked Fitton to brief his attorneys.

via @GabbyOrr_ @KristenhCNN @evanperez

9. Exhibit eight

Trump's self-incriminating admissions on Truth Social

Several of them.👇

10. Exhibit nine

"What we are talking about here, in the main, are Presidential records in the hands of the 45th President."

via Trump attorney Christopher Kise*

*Yes, those are the words of Trump's own lawyer before a federal court.

11. Exhibit ten

Enormous quantity, explosive content (e.g., intel on foreign country's military nuclear program), location of documents with classified markings (including intermingled with personal belongings).

Here's a comprehensive accounting.👇
justsecurity.org/83034/tracker-…

12. Exhibit eleven

National Archives, Department of Justice Chief of Counterintelligence, and Congress repeatedly place Trump on notice of illegality in retaining the documents.

Repeatedly.

<end>
justsecurity.org/83034/tracker-…

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