Trump ignored the advice of his lawyers and lied to his own advisers about what was in the boxes containing government documents.
That quiet entreaty last fall was one of many occasions when lawyers and advisers sought to get Trump to take a more cooperative stance in a bid to avoid what happened Friday. The Justice Department unsealed an indictment including more than three dozen criminal counts against Trump for allegedly keeping and hiding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.
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Interviews with seven Trump advisers with knowledge of the probe indicate he misled his own advisers, telling them the boxes contained only newspaper clippings and clothes. He repeatedly refused to give the documents back, even when some of his longest-serving advisers warned of peril and some flew to Mar-a-Lago to beg him to return them.
It is a familiar story when it comes to Trump. The former president ignored the advice of advisors and lawyers who had his best interest in mind and instead gravitated toward a few crackpots who are willing to tell him what he wants to hear.
Trump makes terrible decisions and never should have been president.
At any point in the last two-plus years, Donald Trump could have chosen to give the documents back, and he would have never been criminally charged. Trump and his defenders continue to hide the fact that all the government ever wanted was the documents back.
The entire case isn’t a plot to get Trump. It is an effort to recover stolen government property.
It is still unknown why Trump took the documents, or what he planned to do with them, but he had plenty of people giving him good advice, and he chose not to listen.
Jason 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
