Trump filed a lawsuit asking for a special master to handle the classified documents that he took and presuming that the docs are covered by executive privilege.
The attorneys asserted in a court filing, their first since the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago two weeks ago, that the sets of documents taken from the residence were “presumptively” covered by executive privilege.
“This matter has captured the attention of the American public. Merely ‘adequate’ safeguards are not acceptable when the matter at hand involves not only the constitutional rights of President Trump but also the presumption of executive privilege,” the attorneys wrote.
There are two problems with Trump’s claim. There is no presumption of executive privilege, and he has been told over and over again by judges in other cases executive privilege rests with the current president. Executive privilege doesn’t belong to people but to the office of the president, and the occupant of the office has executive privilege.
Classified documents, such as national security secrets are not presidential documents. By law, these documents belong to the United States government, not the president. Classified documents are not communications that would fall under executive privilege.
Donald Trump’s lawsuit is destined to lose. It appears to have no merit.
Trump is one of the biggest losers in the history of the judicial system, and he is facing another defeat.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
