US experts have warned VG that a row over secret documents seized from Donald Trump’s home is deepening political division and could lead to violence in the United States.
On the night of August 9, the FBI conducted an attack Breaking into one of the most famous homes in the world.
“These are tough times for our country when my sweet home in Mar-a-Lago is now besieged, inspected and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Donald Trump wrote on his TruthSocial website, while still in progress.
The ex-president’s luxury property in Florida has been searched after a long-running dispute between Trump and the US National Archives over documents Trump took from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.
The FBI found a total of 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified documents, and this week a small collection was submitted by the Department of Justice.
Documents marked SECRET and TOP SECRET were found along with old journals in which Trump was mentioned.
Investigators said that some of the documents may threaten the security of the kingdom.
Others are seemingly innocuous, like a welcome letter that outgoing President Barack Obama left in 2016 for Trump.
Trump claims that he himself insulted the documents when he was still president, so it is not a crime.
If Trump Poetry He committed a crime, which could eventually be charged with espionage.
– witch hunting
Trump describes the whole affair as a witch hunt, to prevent him from running for re-election in 2024. He has not confirmed his candidacy, but experts feel confident he will.
But the investigation against Trump is now straining GOP unity:
Senator Roy Blunt is one of many Republicans who think so Trump should have handed over the documents long agoand avoid another suit.
But Trump loyalists, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, warn that an investigation could lead to that Violent riots in support of Trump.
On Sunday night, Trump again criticized the search – watch the video:
How dangerous is that?
VG asked three American professors and policy experts to assess whether the issue is affecting Trump’s political project:
The results so far are very serious. Returning the documents to the National Archives, Landmann says, was a long process.
The expert notes that even if the content was different, parts of it could put US officials at risk if they ended up in the wrong hands.
The actual details are unknown, but there is a deep concern about the security classification of the documents, Landmann says.
It had to be returned
Professor Todd Bildt points out that simply possessing documents in a private home is a potential crime in and of itself.
– If it was any other citizen we would expect an indictment of espionage. But the attorney general will likely refuse, because it would appear as if it was politically motivated, Bildt says.
Professor Craig Agranoff says he will wait for more information before assessing the seriousness of the content.
– It’s still too early to say how serious this really is. What the case has actually done, Agranov says, is strengthening existing divisions within the Republican Party.
Get support
– There is a wide range among Republican politicians. Some see the seriousness as anxiety grows. Others warn that Trump’s impeachment will lead to street riots, notes Professor Todd Landman.
Todd Bildt, who goes by his namesake, believes most Republican voters support Trump on the matter, and points to new polls in which Trump has seen a rebound.
Many Republicans are tired of hearing Trump’s allegations of election fraud in 2020. This case puts him in a new light. Bildt says he has to play the victim, and other Republican politicians can portray themselves by supporting him.
All experts point out that the case is so politically charged that they consider it unlikely to lead to Trump’s conviction and imprisonment.
It cannot be ruled out, but we are far from it now, says Agranov.
Landman warns of a period of heightened political tension as the investigation continues.
The next few months will be very divisive, and this could lead to an increase in politically motivated violence, he says.
Other cases against Trump
Other legal disputes in which Trump is involved occur at the federal level, at the state level and include criminal cases and civil legal disputes.
In addition to the state of the documents, these are the most important issues, he believes The New York Times:
- Elections in Georgia: When it became clear that Trump had lost the archetypal Republican state in 2020, he called Republican Secretary of State Brad Ravensberger and instructed him to “find 11,780” votes so the outcome could be changed. Now the so-called grand jury will decide whether Trump committed a crime.
- January 6 investigation: When the election of Joe Biden as the new president of Congress was due to be announced on January 6, 2021, she attacked an angry mob of Trump supporters. One Ongoing hearing He revealed that Trump knew more than he admitted. The hearing has no jurisdiction, but is held in parallel with the Department of Justice investigating Trump’s role.
- New York State investigation: New York State Attorney General Letitia James has a civil investigation into the Trump family’s business to determine whether the value of his hotels, golf courses and other properties has been inflated to give him suitable loans under false pretenses. A case may not result in a criminal conviction, but it may result in a hefty fine.
- Manhattan Criminal Investigation: In October, a much-discussed case involving two directors at Trump’s company was brought to court. A former CEO has pleaded guilty to fifteen crimes, including tax evasion, and will testify. Trump himself has not been indicted here, but a related ongoing investigation into possible fraud by lenders continues.
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