“You Don’t Know Anything About the Boxes”

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Yesterday ABC reported that Trump wrote to-do lists for an assistant on White House documents marked classified. The assistant was Molly Michael, who told investigators that Trump wrote directions to her on notecards that had been prepared for Trump to brief him on matters of international relations. The notecards had classification markings; Trump considered them scrap paper.

The notecards with classification markings were at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate when FBI agents searched the property on Aug. 8, 2022 — but the materials were not taken by the FBI, according to sources familiar with what Michael told investigators.

When Michael, who was not present for the search, returned to Mar-a-Lago the next day to clean up her office space, she found the documents underneath a drawer organizer and helped transfer them to the FBI that same day, sources told ABC News.

The sources said Michael also told federal investigators that last year she grew increasingly concerned with how Trump handled recurring requests from the National Archives for the return of all government documents being kept in boxes at Mar-a-Lago — and she felt that Trump’s claims about it at the time would be easy to disprove, according to the sources.

Sources said that after Trump heard the FBI wanted to interview Michael last year, Trump allegedly told her, “You don’t know anything about the boxes.”

ABC continued, “It’s unclear exactly what he meant by that.” No, it isn’t. we all know what he meant. I bet Ms. Michael knew what he meant, too. But she’s apparently too smart to waste her life defending Donald Trump.

Michael became Trump’s executive assistant in the White House in 2018 and continued to work for him when he left office. She resigned last year, in the wake of Trump’s alleged refusal to comply with federal requests, ABC News said.

Trump’s, shall we say, undisciplined work habits always remind me that he never held a real job in his life.

Former DOJ lawyer Jeffrey Clark is not, apparently, as smart. By all accounts he completely botched his bid to remove his RICO case from state court to federal court. I don’t think a decision has been made yet, but per David Kurtz at Talking Points Memo:

A federal judge in Atlanta seemed deeply skeptical that former Trump DOJ lackey Jeff Clark is entitled to removal of his RICO case from state court – and Clark didn’t give him much to work with. Highlights from yesterday’s removal hearing:

* Clark didn’t appear in person and did not testify, making it very difficult to meet the legal standard of proof for removal.

*The judge refused to admit a sworn declaration from Clark because he wasn’t there to be cross examined by prosecutors.

*The judge also rejected a sworn declaration on Clark’s behalf by Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese.

Meanwhile, DA Fani Willis called former Trump DOJ Civil Division Chief Jody Hunt to testify that Clark’s actions were outside the bounds of that role.

Clark faced a tougher slog to begin with than Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows did in his so far losing effort for removal, but Clark did little to help himself.

Note that Clark has a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center (1995), yet seems unaquainted with law.  And Ed Meese is 91 years old now, for the record.

Around the House: I keep seeing headlines with words like “infighting,” “open warfare,” “GOP Implodes Spectacularly,” “rebellion,” and “up in flames.” How long before we get to “shots ring out” and “blood in the aisles”?

17 thoughts on ““You Don’t Know Anything About the Boxes””

  1. What I'm waiting for is Kevin to come begging Hakkim Jeffries for help. You know, the Democratic leader he spurned when Kevin agreed to the bogus impeachment.

    It's going to happen now, or after enough pain has been inflicted on the country. The extremists are taking their cues from Trump, who wants to crash the country. "Only I can fix it". Brace for impact.

  3. Regarding the FL federal documents case… it provides the greatest opportunity for Trump to delay because of the volume of classified materials. Eventually, it's gonna go before a jury and if half of what I've read about the evidence is true, Trump is toast. He's toast on taking the documents. He's toast on refusing to return the documents and what will put him away for years is the obstruction.

    Cannon will drag it out for Trump and IMP, when Trump is convicted, Cannon will ignore federal sentencing guidelines and give Trump a pass. But I only recently heard that the sentence, if it's out of the bounds of sentencing guidelines. is an appealable item – not just for the defense, but for the prosecution. (I think Cannon might rationalize in paper, a light sentence because Trump has to serve separate sentences for the federal J6 case and for the Georgia case.) That won't fly with the appellate court. 

    The question I have with the FL federal case is whether Jack Smith can and will ask to have Cannon removed.  

    Clark was screwed when Meadows failed. Meadows has the stronger argument that as Trump's Chief of Staff, he had to bird-dog anything on the big guy's desk. And Trump didn't understand or care to learn the restrictions of the Hatch Act. Meadows tried to say that he wasn't doing more than coordinating phone calls and appointments (and he perjured himself in the process) but the argument carried some water. Not enough for the judge. Meadows lost.

    Clark did not work for Trump. His supervisors told Clark to stay in the chain of command and NOT do meetings directly with Trump. Clark ignored those instructions and got Trump to appoint him to be Acting A/G. None of that was remotely in Clark's job description. He couldn't possibly testify that it was. Had Meadows won, Clark was gonna try to ride those coattails.  

    Do you like grits, Clark. The cuisine in Georgia prisons is different than in federal prison.

    Moonbat – I think you are right that Kevin will have to go to Jeffries. The shutdown looks inevitable AND the House has passed almost nothing. So the Senate versions of a budget are the legislation that a compromise committee from the House and Senate will have to reconcile. The versions of legislation that the bomb-throwers in the Freedom Caucus wanted will have very little weight.

    Kevin seems to know that a prolonged shutdown will be blamed on the GOP. He's trying to avoid it. Kevin may think there's a chance that the GOP will keep the House in '24 and he might keep his job. The only way to re-open government will be a compromise negotiated with Jeffries and Jeffries will have three aces showing. He doesn't have to give up a damn thing. My guess is that Jeffries will refuse to negotiate down the Senate version of the budget. 

     It's worth looking at the dynamics. Kevin has no strategy. He's trying to hang on as Speaker one day at a time. It's desperate. How do I survive for one more day?  McCarthy can be removed if all the Democrats and as few as four Republicans align to do it. That same group could elect ANYONE in the country to be Speaker after removing McCarthy. That new Speaker could bring a vote to the floor to end the shutdown. Or Kevin could make the deal with Democrats to end the shutdown, keep his job and become the most reviled politician since Benedict Arnold. 

    The Republicans in the House who won by a narrow majority stand to lose by a narrow majority after a prolonged shutdown. Voters expect Congress to find solutions and a shutdown that the GOP gets the blame for puts a very predictable group at risk. That same group could come off as heroes if they tell the Freedom Caucus to get out of the way so the government can govern. (If the Democrats let these few take credit and allow them to possibly be rewarded for bipartisan leadership, the Trumpian choke-hold on the GOP might be broken. These few – half dozen – Republicans with an independent Speaker and the backing of the Democrats could move legislation completely past the GOP establishment. 

    I'm not saying this WILL happen. Nothing like it ever has. It's totally within the rules of the US Constitution and (I think) the rules of Congress.

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  5. For the life of me I can't understand how Nauta and de Oliviera continue to stand with Trump. It seems to me that the writing is on the wall and their best hope is to roll over and take their lumps straight up. They have a better chance of getting a favorable outcome if they put some distance between Trump and themselves.

     The chances of Trump returning in glory and giving them a pardon is diminishing rapidly. They should heed the wisest advice yet spoken in this entire Trump saga. The words of Michael Cohen…"You're going to be where I am now if you continue to follow Donald Trump." A word to the wise is sufficient?

    It's one thing to be a convicted felon, but to be a stooge in acquring that felonhood makes it that much worse.

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  6. Where is some strategy? GQP is holding its first "hearing impeachment" tomorrow; I ask again where is the democratic response? Someone other than the kook? Where is Liz Warren, Any Klobachar, hell where is Kamala Harris. What the fuck are these people up to? Biden's and the democratic Senate, House, Comm shop is a complete failure, I can't watch much longer. They seem to be waiting for some sort of self imposed implosion by the GQP. That happened years ago but knowone noticed. Come on now.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eneRB5z1XM

     

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  7. So the choice is between Republican chaos, extremism, book banning, criminal indictments, and Jan. 6 insurrection 

    VS. 

    Biden:

    – record job growth, 5 million more jobs than pre-COVID

    – record low black & Latino unemployment

    – record infrastructure & manufacturing jobs

    – record clean energy investment

    – lowest inflation in developed world

    – high working class wage growth

    – China and Putin losing

     

    Pretty easy choice. 

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  9. Illusions happen on a daily basis to everyone. Human perception has consistent errors that are well studied by a branch of psychology dealing with perception.  One of the common illusions is that a tall glass is perceived to contain more volume than a shorter one of the same capacity.  It is probably not a crime to order the tall glasses if your boss tells you to, even if the bosses know they are trying to deceive the customer into thinking they are getting more for their money.  Now when the boss tells you to deny seeing highly confidential information or even the boxes you know contain it, that is a different matter.  It is one thing to be a good loyal employee and another thing to be an accomplice in a crime.  In the first case the boss is using an illusion that already exists, the latter case, you are being told to create the illusion.  It is no secret tall glasses are used because they give the illusion of more.  At this point it should be no secret to anyone that Trump gives the illusion of a great many things.  Only those who too readily opt to suspend disbelief see a good deal.  Way too many are willing accomplices.

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  10. If the entire quote was "You don't know anything about the boxes, capiche?", I wonder if that would help ABC understand its meaning.

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  11. So I was working at Home Depot yesterday in self-checkout. I'm a cashier. A guy about to checkout had the Coke refrigerator open to consider the choices. I'd  moved  closer to where he was which was a vantage point for two checkout stations and he called out, "Hey, Honey."  He looked up and instead of his wife, there's a bearded 70-year-old man in an orange apron. His jaw dropped as I replied, "Yes, dear." 

    He busted out laughing and I semi-apologized for the joke. (Hey, I'm in Florida and not everyone has a sense of humor.)  His wife came up as he was wiping away tears of mirth and he explained to her and SHE thought it was hilarious. 

    It occurred to me that some of us (myself included too much of the time) are taking life way to seriously when we should be enjoying our humanity. 

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  13. It's clear that the current administration lacks the decisiveness and strong leadership that we had with Trump. The country needs someone who isn't afraid to take bold actions and prioritize America's interests first. The political correctness and indecisiveness we're seeing now are just dragging us backward. We need a clean out of the country’s gutters

    • . The country needs someone who isn't afraid to take bold actions and prioritize America's interests first.

      Well, that would exclude Trump. The only interests he prioritized were his own self interests. Open your eyes, it's clear as day that Trump is nothing more than a psychopathic bag of shit.

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