Thread by @AshaRangappa_

THREAD. Because the FBI search concerned classified docs, this is a national security investigation. That can help explain why DOJ was willing to move on this, and to do so regardless of what may be going on with the 1/6 investigation

2. First, assuming that this involves mishandling or unauthorized removal of classified information, their presence at Mar-a-Lago is ipso-facto evidence — in other words, the substance of the documents are not what the FBI is interested in; it’s whether they are there, period

3. Also, on this point, I have to wonder whether the FBI has a source in MAL, to confirm the presence and location of docs. Staff? Secret Service? I can’t imagine them taking a chance to search a former president’s home and coming up empty handed (😬)

4. More importantly, having unsecured classified documents at MAL presents an ongoing national security threat — especially given the amount of traffic going through there. No doubt foreign governments are sending intel agents there, see, e.g. nytimes.com/2019/11/25/us/…

5. We don’t know what the docs are about, but to the extent that they can compromise sources or methods then getting into the wrong hands is a big problem (and perhaps the Biden admin sees evidence that they have). So getting them out and inventorying is urgent

6. The point is that this is an urgent, ongoing nat se threat and counterintelligence threat that DOJ can’t ignore. It’s really no different than the ostensible security risk presented by Butter Emails; it’s just that hers were digital and here they are paper

7. And it’s worth remembering that in HRC’s case, DOJ did not prosecute bc they found that while she may have been negligent or even reckless, her mishandling was not intentional. All I can say is that classified docs don’t go from the WH to Mar-a-Lago without someone wanting it