1. Trump will be arraigned on criminal charges at a federal courthouse in Miami today
The indictment is devastating and detailed
But all day you'll hear from pundits and politicians making outrageous claims on Trump's behalf
This thread is YOUR GUIDE TO ALL THE NONSENSE
🧵
2. The most common argument is that HILLARY CLINTON did the same thing as Secretary of State when she discussed classified information on a private email server.
Clinton should not have used a private email server, but the situation was VERY different
3. Trump defenders like the WSJ editorial board note that former FBI Director James Comey said that "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case” against Clinton.
But they leave out WHY Comey said prosectors wouldn't bring a case
Today, for the first time in American history, a former president of the United States will appear at a federal courthouse to be arraigned on criminal charges. The indictment against Trump alleges that he took hundreds of classified documents from the White House to his social club in Florida, where he stored them in cardboard boxes along with newspaper clippings and other miscellanea. The boxes containing classified materials ended up in storage closets, ballrooms, and bathrooms without meaningful security measures — all while thousands of people visited the club.
4. In order to secure a conviction under the Espionage Act prosecutors need to prove the mishandling of national defense info was WILLFUL
So the cases brought involved "clearly intentional and willful mishandling" OR "efforts to obstruct justice," Comey said
5. In Trump's case there is literally an audio tape where he admits he knows a document is classified national defense information and shows it to people with no security clearances anyway
That's willful and intentional
6. Further, the indictment is full of evidence Trump purposely obstructed efforts to recover the documents, including:
1. Suggesting his attorney lie to the FBI
2. Directing his assistant to move boxes of classified info
3. Suggesting his attorney hide or destroy documents
Judd Legum
Phiend