Donald Trump arrives at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Photo by Reuters
There is a mountain of papers on his desk. The walls are covered with framed magazine covers and all kinds of memorabilia. A huge Shaquille O’Neal sneaker sits alongside football helmets, boxing belts, and other sporting goods scattered around the Trump Tower office.
Long before he got into politics, Donald Trump loved collecting objects. It is a lifelong habit that, together with your carelessness, his tendency to ignore the rules and his chaotic departure from the White House after refusing to accept their electoral defeat, they have led an investigation that poses extraordinary political and legal challenges.
The recent search at his home in Mar-a-Lago for documents from his years in the White House was an unprecedented move against a former president who is widely expected to run for president again.
The authorities they did not disclose what exactly was contained in the boxes that were takenBut the FBI said it recovered a number of documents, including some that could cause “exceptionally serious” damage to US interests if made public.
secure them with tape
It is unclear why Trump refused to hand over the documents confiscated despite repeated requests to do so. But his tendency to ignore the Presidential Archives Act, which dictates how those archives are to be managed, is well documented during his tenure as president.
He used to tear up documents which later had to be registered together. The official documents that are normally delivered to the National Archives were mixed with his personal belongings in the presidential residence. tweeted confidential information, which journalists and opponents could see. It was also found in the bathrooms of the White House.
John Bolton, who was Trump’s third national security adviser, said he heard prior to his arrival that “there was some concern in the air about how you handled the information. Over time, I understood why. ”
The decision to bring confidential documents to Mar-a-Lago, a crowded property that hosts weddings, political events, charity events and other activities, it fits into an old scheme of ignoring secrets which can affect national security. Former aides said Trump was dismissive of confidential information.
For example, at a dinner with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a patio in Mar-a-Lago, diners were able to view and photograph documents Trump and Shinzo saw during North Korean missile tests.
On one occasion Trump passed to Russian officials Highly confidential information from Israeli sources on the organization of the Islamic State. In another, he tweeted a high-resolution satellite image of an apparent explosion at an Iranian space center, which intelligence personnel said was highly sensitive. Trump insisted he had “a clear right” to share it.
conan the dog
Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump was “sloppy” in handling confidential or sensitive information and that “he didn’t seem to care” the reasons why you shouldn’t share it.
He recalled an incident involving Conan, an armed forces dog who was hailed as a hero for his role in a raid that killed Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He said that prior to the dog’s arrival at the White House, staff were told that the dog could not be photographed as this could endanger those who work with him. But Trump has decided he wants to show it to the press.
“He wanted publicity,” Grisham said. “It’s an example of how little he cares about putting lives in danger. It was like he was a cute toy he shows friends about him to impress them.”
Bolton said that during his time with Trump, he and others tried to explain to him what was at stake and the risks associated with the disclosure of sources and methods.
“I don’t think any of this interested him. He didn’t seem to realize how sensitive these things were, how dangerous they were to some of our people and the risks he could expose them to,” he said. innocent photo, it can be a goldmine for foreign intelligence services”.
“Over and over again I said to him, ‘This is very delicate, very delicate.’ He would say ‘I know’. And then he would go and do it again.”
Bolton said Trump liked to keep important documents.
“Sometimes he would ask to keep something and (his collaborators) would tell him ‘it’s something very delicate’. And he stayed with them anyway”.
Trump’s refusal to accept his electoral defeat caused the transition was chaotic. When he finally decided to leave the White House, there wasn’t much time to pack up and get out in order.
Bolton says he doesn’t think Trump took confidential documents for nefarious purposes. I guess he considered them. “souvenir”, like so many things he has collected in the course of his life.
“ I suspect he liked certain things and wanted to keep them, ” she said. “ Some days he liked to take fries out. Others wanted to take the documents. He collects everything. ”
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Source: Clarin
