Trump

[Paigntonian]

A former president calls the current president 'an enemy of the state'. Extraordinary use of language and, sadly, an awful example of the debasement of US politics. For at least one person on this site I would only add that this is almost a Weimar Republic moment. Extremist, lying, self-obsessed nutter against the status quo, however flawed the current government may be.

[Untitled]

Trump’s reasoning is bogus… he’d be committing a crime even if he had declassified them

[1ozzy]

According to some here innocence abounds.

[Spicerack]

Every President takes files when they leave the Whitehouse.
The Clintons took half the fixtures and fittings as well and had to hand them back.

[Ellipsis]

> Every President takes files when they leave the Whitehouse.

What, top secret files?

AFAIK, not every president (allegedly) declassifies top secret files then takes them at the end of their presidency.

And, still, the question is why.

[tomus42]

As regards why, Hymie's clip at 13.12 from Trump's former crony is probably pretty close to the truth.

[Peter Pedant]

Bimey people have got into the consitutional law position on this

It was all done after Nixon - the President didnt own his er own papers -
He has been flushing the papers down the bog apparently
( taken them without an audit trace see)

The DoJ cant say, " we know this judgie baby because we have a mole in the camp"

[Peter Pedant]

I like the crony Jan 6th who said
The president wont speak and now we all go to prison...

[Ellipsis]

> As regards why, Hymie's clip at 13.12 from Trump's former crony is probably pretty close to the truth.

Maybe, but I'd like to hear Trump's version which is unlikely to be like his former crony's. All Trump has done is say that he was allowed to have those files, effectively agreeing that he had them. He has not said why he wanted them which, given that they were top secret before he (maybe) declassified them and (effectively agreed that) he took them, is a big concern. As PP points out, it smacks of Watergate and destroying evidence, but really, if he hasn't managed to destroy it in 18 months, what is his reason for having it?

[tomus42]

Yes, he hasn't given a reason. I don't suppose he ever will, given that there can't possibly be a valid one.

[Spungle]

The geriatric in the White House is worse than useless, and the soon he shuffles off the better. As for Trump, his record in office speaks for itself: unprecedented economic boom, energy independence, no invasions on foreign countries, and someone who spoke up for America at every opportunity. All this currently being trashed by a fogey puppet who can't even read from his teleprompter.