- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
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The argument that Trump is being unfairly singled out for conduct of which every president or presidential candidate is guilty has a long pedigree. I remember talking to my dad about Nixon ages ago. He knew Nixon was guilty, but he grew up in a region of the nation where people had largely supported Nixon, and were reluctant to face up to the fact that they had backed an especially corrupt candidate. My dad paraphrased their attitude as, “He didn’t do anything that all those other politicians don’t also do.”
At a certain point, “All politicians are the same” is just a justification for voting transactionally: You put up with a corrosive level of corruption in return for the handful of policies that matter most to you.
I think you got it exactly right and that attitude is what allows single issue voters to exist.
The thing that’s annoying to me is that they immediately deflect to Clinton and Biden, but not because they’re genuinely interested in prosecuting actual crimes. Their interest is truly partisan, while masquerading as caring about fairness. That’s also why they have to pretend that what Clinton did was worse than what Trump did - if they equate them, that still leaves it open to prosecute Trump since they’re so gung-ho on prosecuting her.
Oh yeah, I remember that atcth beginning of all that. The DOJ told Trump to give back all the documents he took with him. He actually lied to his lawyers to get them to dertify that he had given them all back.
Imo, that’s a reasonable measure. While you or I wouldn’t have any need to take a classified document home with us, both Pence and Biden had to give documents back from their home. I guess as executives, it happens.
Trump, though, is a trophy hoarder, so he refused to give them up.
The difference is I don’t even think Pence and Biden were handling those documents themselves, they were staffers with clearances. I hate the “everybody does it” nonsense that has came out of this, but the silver lining is this drama has caused the US to reevaluate how they handle classified material.
I forget if it’s one exchange or two, but there’s a transcript where Trump tells someone:
Hey, check this out, but don’t get too close, it’s classified and you aren’t cleared to see it … You know, when I was president, I could have declassified this, but I didn’t, and now I can’t. That’s pretty funny, right?
You just get everything in those two statements. Knowledge, intent, showing it to someone you know isn’t cleared.
I also agree, though. We should restrict how people are allowed to interact with classified documents. They shouldn’t have been in Pence or Biden’s houses at all. It should be the kind of work no one takes home.
I honestly don’t understand why there paper copies of any of this.
If it’s classified shouldn’t it be a 100% digital record with DRM like protections on it ?
Well laid out comparison!
