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Why Trump’s ‘gross mishandling’ of classified info should alarm U.S. allies
By Sean Boynton Global News
Posted June 10, 2023 10:00 am
2:07
Trump indictment alleges America’s deepest secrets were carelessly stored at Mar-a-Lago estate
WATCH: Trump indictment alleges America’s deepest secrets were carelessly stored at Mar-a-Lago estate
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In December 2021, according to U.S. prosecutors, an aide to former U.S. president Donald Trump found himself looking at something he had no clearance to see.
Spilled on the floor of a storage room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and estate — a room easily accessible from the pool patio, and near a liquor supply closet and other high-traffic areas — were allegedly the contents of several boxes of documents Trump had brought to Florida from Washington at the end of his presidency.
The boxes had been moved into the storage room from other parts of the club, including a ballroom and bathroom, at Trump’s direction the previous summer, according to a federal indictment that was unsealed Friday.
That indictment says one of the documents on the floor was marked “SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY” — a classification marking that indicated the information could only be viewed by intelligence agencies within the Five Eyes alliance of Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
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The aide, Walt Nauta, took two pictures of the mess with his phone and texted another employee of Trump, with the Five Eyes-only document in full view, the indictment states.
“I opened the door and found this…” Nauta is quoted as having texted.
“Oh no oh no,” the employee texted back.
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment allegedly taken by Walt Nauta, a then-aide to former U.S. president Donald Trump, shows spilled materials on the floor of a storage room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, including what prosecutors say is a classified document meant only for Five Eyes intelligence agencies. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
Trump’s alleged withholding of that document is one of the 37 federal criminal charges he’s now facing, accusing him of illegally retaining classified government documents after leaving the White House and then conspiring to obstruct a federal probe of the matter.
Nauta, who worked for Trump at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, faces six counts in the case for allegedly helping to hide some of the sought-after materials and making false statements to investigators.
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The indictment presents a series of stunning examples of how Trump appears to have handled classified intelligence both in Florida and at his Bedminster estate in New Jersey, where prosecutors say he also took some of the materials despite being the subject of an FBI subpoena.
Taken together, the news has raised fears that Trump’s alleged behaviour could pose a threat not just to the United States, but to its allies as well.
“(This is a) gross mishandling not just of U.S. intelligence, but of allied, coordinated intelligence, which suggests that this is going to make allies much more reticent to share,” said Christian Leuprecht, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Queen’s University professor who specializes in defence and security and has extensively documented the Five Eyes alliance.
3:58
Trump indictment ‘hugely significant’ says legal expert
According to the indictment, Trump openly discussed a “plan of attack” against another country that a military official had drawn up, telling a writer that the “highly confidential” information could not be declassified as he was no longer president.
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“See, as president I could have declassified it,” Trump is quoted as saying during the exchange, which prosecutors say was recorded. “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”
An unnamed Trump staffer is then quoted as saying, while laughing, “Now we have a problem.”
In another incident detailed in the indictment, Trump allegedly showed a member of his political action committee a classified map of a different country where a military operation was underway. Trump allegedly told the person he should not be showing the map and “to not get too close.”
Documents kept by Trump also allegedly included information on U.S. and foreign countries’ defence and weapons capabilities, U.S. nuclear programs, U.S. vulnerabilities to potential military attacks, and plans for possible retaliation in response to foreign attacks, according to the indictment.
Photographs included in the indictment show several file boxes allegedly containing classified materials on the open stage of a ballroom at Mar-a-Lago during the first two months of Trump’s post-presidency, and later in a bathroom and shower next to a toilet.
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment shows file boxes allegedly containing classified materials stored on the stage of a ballroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment shows file boxes allegedly containing classified materials stored in a bathroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
The indictment alleges Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to stall or undermine efforts to return the materials. At one point, according to notes from his attorneys, Trump told his legal team, “I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes,” and asked if it would be better “if we just told them we don’t have anything here.”
By Sean Boynton Global News
Posted June 10, 2023 10:00 am
2:07
Trump indictment alleges America’s deepest secrets were carelessly stored at Mar-a-Lago estate
WATCH: Trump indictment alleges America’s deepest secrets were carelessly stored at Mar-a-Lago estate
LEAVE A COMMENT
SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK
SHARE THIS ITEM VIA WHATSAPP
SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL
SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS
DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE
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In December 2021, according to U.S. prosecutors, an aide to former U.S. president Donald Trump found himself looking at something he had no clearance to see.
Spilled on the floor of a storage room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and estate — a room easily accessible from the pool patio, and near a liquor supply closet and other high-traffic areas — were allegedly the contents of several boxes of documents Trump had brought to Florida from Washington at the end of his presidency.
The boxes had been moved into the storage room from other parts of the club, including a ballroom and bathroom, at Trump’s direction the previous summer, according to a federal indictment that was unsealed Friday.
That indictment says one of the documents on the floor was marked “SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY” — a classification marking that indicated the information could only be viewed by intelligence agencies within the Five Eyes alliance of Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
The aide, Walt Nauta, took two pictures of the mess with his phone and texted another employee of Trump, with the Five Eyes-only document in full view, the indictment states.
“I opened the door and found this…” Nauta is quoted as having texted.
“Oh no oh no,” the employee texted back.
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment allegedly taken by Walt Nauta, a then-aide to former U.S. president Donald Trump, shows spilled materials on the floor of a storage room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, including what prosecutors say is a classified document meant only for Five Eyes intelligence agencies. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
Trump’s alleged withholding of that document is one of the 37 federal criminal charges he’s now facing, accusing him of illegally retaining classified government documents after leaving the White House and then conspiring to obstruct a federal probe of the matter.
Nauta, who worked for Trump at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, faces six counts in the case for allegedly helping to hide some of the sought-after materials and making false statements to investigators.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
The indictment presents a series of stunning examples of how Trump appears to have handled classified intelligence both in Florida and at his Bedminster estate in New Jersey, where prosecutors say he also took some of the materials despite being the subject of an FBI subpoena.
Taken together, the news has raised fears that Trump’s alleged behaviour could pose a threat not just to the United States, but to its allies as well.
“(This is a) gross mishandling not just of U.S. intelligence, but of allied, coordinated intelligence, which suggests that this is going to make allies much more reticent to share,” said Christian Leuprecht, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Queen’s University professor who specializes in defence and security and has extensively documented the Five Eyes alliance.
3:58
Trump indictment ‘hugely significant’ says legal expert
According to the indictment, Trump openly discussed a “plan of attack” against another country that a military official had drawn up, telling a writer that the “highly confidential” information could not be declassified as he was no longer president.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
“See, as president I could have declassified it,” Trump is quoted as saying during the exchange, which prosecutors say was recorded. “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”
An unnamed Trump staffer is then quoted as saying, while laughing, “Now we have a problem.”
In another incident detailed in the indictment, Trump allegedly showed a member of his political action committee a classified map of a different country where a military operation was underway. Trump allegedly told the person he should not be showing the map and “to not get too close.”
Documents kept by Trump also allegedly included information on U.S. and foreign countries’ defence and weapons capabilities, U.S. nuclear programs, U.S. vulnerabilities to potential military attacks, and plans for possible retaliation in response to foreign attacks, according to the indictment.
Photographs included in the indictment show several file boxes allegedly containing classified materials on the open stage of a ballroom at Mar-a-Lago during the first two months of Trump’s post-presidency, and later in a bathroom and shower next to a toilet.
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment shows file boxes allegedly containing classified materials stored on the stage of a ballroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
A photo included in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment shows file boxes allegedly containing classified materials stored in a bathroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The photo is presented as evidence against Trump and his alleged mishandling and withholding of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. U.S. Department of Justice
The indictment alleges Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to stall or undermine efforts to return the materials. At one point, according to notes from his attorneys, Trump told his legal team, “I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes,” and asked if it would be better “if we just told them we don’t have anything here.”
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