A Trump audit should prohibit him from running in 2024.

[StanCrypt]

The unexpected FBI raid on Donald Trump's Florida residence on Monday signaled a rapid uptick in the number of inquiries against the former president, and it raised new legal issues that, in theory, may change the outcome of the presidential election in the United States.
That's because some have said that Mr. Trump could be constitutionally barred from seeking the presidency again if the investigation, which is apparently related to his handling of sensitive presidential records, results in a conviction.
So let's examine this more closely. How far have the investigations into Mr. Trump come along, according to the FBI search, and might he truly be dissuaded from running in 2024?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62487602

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[Gyfts]

I'm torn on whether democrats actually want Trump to run in 2024 or not. If they want to bar him from running over a document dispute, in which they waited 18 months to pursue, then I question which one of the remainders in the field they would rather have as their opponent. Ron DeSantis? Ted Cruz? The republican nominee could be any sentient human and walk away in a landslide. Trump is the only person democrats could beat.

I'm more inclined to believe the radicals in the Biden Department of Justice want to energize Trump and his base to win the nomination in 2024. This way democrats have a beatable candidate in the general. So they'll go as far to conduct an FBI raid, but won't actually prosecute him and bar him from running.

[BADecker]

Trump popularity should allow him to be President almost without running. The only reason why the Dems are advertising for him is, they are lost, and they know it. They are grasping at any straw they can think of, to the point of destroying themselves if only to take him down.

The interesting thing is, DeSantis would be way more damaging to the Dems. If Trump failed, DeSantis is what we would get.

[PrimeNumber7]

That's because some have said that Mr. Trump could be constitutionally barred from seeking the presidency again if the investigation, which is apparently related to his handling of sensitive presidential records, results in a conviction.

The qualifications for someone to be eligible to serve as President of the US are:
*Be a natural-born citizen of the US
*be 35 years old
*be a resident of the US for 14 years

It is not a requirement to not have a politically motivated prosecution by the party in power against the leader of the opposition party.

It is not possible for Congress to impose additional qualifications above the above-cited qualifications. This is something that was decided in US Term Limits, Inc v Thornton. The Supreme Court ruled that the requirements to hold office stated in the Consitution are the only requirements to hold said office. The case in question was regarding the ability of state legislatures to impose additional qualifications to become a Congressman, but the principle applies to the office of the president as well.

I'm torn on whether democrats actually want Trump to run in 2024 or not.

I think they want him to be part of the political conversation. Trump is someone to motivates his opponents to vote. Democrats have little more than abstract failure to run on, but if they can make the election about Trump, their turnout will be greater than it otherwise would be.

It is hard to say if they actually want him to run again. There are a lot of people who believe the election was held in a way that was unfair to Trump in 2020. There were also many people who voted for Biden because they believed he would be moderate, and a unifier, both of which turned out to be false. Early polling generally shows Trump with a modest lead against both Biden and Harris in a 2024 matchup.

[OgNasty]

The unexpected FBI raid on Donald Trump's Florida residence on Monday signaled a rapid uptick in the number of inquiries against the former president, and it raised new legal issues that, in theory, may change the outcome of the presidential election in the United States.
That's because some have said that Mr. Trump could be constitutionally barred from seeking the presidency again if the investigation, which is apparently related to his handling of sensitive presidential records, results in a conviction.
So let's examine this more closely. How far have the investigations into Mr. Trump come along, according to the FBI search, and might he truly be dissuaded from running in 2024?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62487602

I don't think the FBI accusations carry as much weight as you think they do.  After this disgrace of a witch hunt against a former US president, I would say the FBI is a couple of years away from being completely gutted.  Sure, they're going to do everything they can to stop that.  Which means more witch hunts and shady behavior.  One thing I do know, the credibility of the FBI has to be at an all time low.  As we move into a new future where funds are surveyed on blockchains and the digital world becomes more relevant, I think organizations like the FBI and the IRS will find themselves dinosaurs clutching to influence. 

[BADecker]

Notice how the focus is on the FBI. I wonder what the CIA and the NSA are doing. Do you think that the major FBI people are securing a future position in some other clandestine organization for when the time that the people tear the FBI down? Maybe they are doing like the KGB did when the Soviet Union crashed... moving into formal government control. Maybe they are there already.

[TwitchySeal]

So do you guys think Trump didn't steal boxes of National Security related documents on his way out of the White House?

Or do you think a US President on his way out of office should be able to take government records that are classified at the highest levels to keep for himself, in his basement?

Or do you just defend Trump at all costs no matter what?

I don't think any of you are idiots (notice I didn't include BADecker), its just baffling to me how irrational you all act when it comes to anything related to liberals or Trump.  It's like trying to talk to a die hard Yankees fan in October while he's drunk
 about the Red Sox.

[BADecker]

So do you guys think Trump didn't steal boxes of National Security related documents on his way out of the White House?

Or do you think a US President on his way out of office should be able to take government records that are classified at the highest levels to keep for himself, in his basement?

Or do you just defend Trump at all costs no matter what?

I don't think any of you are idiots (notice I didn't include BADecker), its just baffling to me how irrational you all act when it comes to anything related to liberals or Trump. 

Somehow you think that a President suddenly acts illegally, when all the while he is surrounded by some of the best lawyers and others who know the law. I would like to make excuses for you. Trump doesn't need any.

The excuses for you are that you didn't look at the legality point I mentioned above, and that Trump would have declassified any docs that needed it. This is only standard, for his own protection.

So, maybe Biden reclassified them. But all we need is proof that Trump declassified them... or not. Since this proof has not been presented one way or the other, and a person is innocent until proven guilty, so far Trump is innocent.

Or do you have the proof? Like the FBI and the Dems, all there seems to be so far is talk that he is guilty. So far, at best, there might be only unproven circumstantial evidence, but all the talk is hearsay.

However, the Biden regime and the FBI have done things that are illegal, no matter what the outcome for Trump may be.

[TwitchySeal]

Somehow you think that a President suddenly acts illegally, when all the while he is surrounded by some of the best lawyers and others who know the law. I would like to make excuses for you. Trump doesn't need any.

Excellent point.  He has the best lawyers and others who know the law.  Why hadn't I thought of that?

The excuses for you are that you didn't look at the legality point I mentioned above, and that Trump would have declassified any docs that needed it. This is only standard, for his own protection.

So, maybe Biden reclassified them. But all we need is proof that Trump declassified them... or not. Since this proof has not been presented one way or the other, and a person is innocent until proven guilty, so far Trump is innocent.

Or do you have the proof? Like the FBI and the Dems, all there seems to be so far is talk that he is guilty. So far, at best, there might be only unproven circumstantial evidence, but all the talk is hearsay.

However, the Biden regime and the FBI have done things that are illegal, no matter what the outcome for Trump may be.

Literally doesn't matter if he declassified any of it.  Read the espionage act.

[BADecker]

Somehow you think that a President suddenly acts illegally, when all the while he is surrounded by some of the best lawyers and others who know the law. I would like to make excuses for you. Trump doesn't need any.

Excellent point.  He has the best lawyers and others who know the law.  Why hadn't I thought of that?

The excuses for you are that you didn't look at the legality point I mentioned above, and that Trump would have declassified any docs that needed it. This is only standard, for his own protection.

So, maybe Biden reclassified them. But all we need is proof that Trump declassified them... or not. Since this proof has not been presented one way or the other, and a person is innocent until proven guilty, so far Trump is innocent.

Or do you have the proof? Like the FBI and the Dems, all there seems to be so far is talk that he is guilty. So far, at best, there might be only unproven circumstantial evidence, but all the talk is hearsay.

However, the Biden regime and the FBI have done things that are illegal, no matter what the outcome for Trump may be.

Literally doesn't matter if he declassified any of it.  Read the espionage act.

Anybody can have an opinion about guilt in any case. Since we probably will never know the complete details of the case if it goes to trial, any branding of Trump other than innocent until proven guilty is hearsay. However, anybody who pushes the hearsay hard enough, is setting himself up for a slander suit.

[OgNasty]

So do you guys think Trump didn't steal boxes of National Security related documents on his way out of the White House?

I don't think Trump could lift boxes of National Security related documents, let alone sneak them to his house from the White House.  I think it's possible that aides were bribed into moving some boxes they shouldn't have or that an administrative error resulted in boxes being moved to the wrong place.  Highly doubtful a billionaire who was just President of the United States was trying to steal boxes to sell. 

You think he was trying to build a clubhouse or something?

Have you ever seen the movie Friday?  Craig wasn't stealing boxes either, but they "had him on camera" supposedly.  Sometimes you just have to use common sense.  Trump isn't trying to sell out our national secrets.  That's just plain dumb.

[Mr.right85]

When it comes to how national secretes where handled, its on a whole different level as per the level of urgency and importance. One thing that has been made clear by the various hunts and the notion of prohibiting former president Trump from having a re-run at the elections for the position of the presidency is that, its already concluded that he could win. That would mean a continuation of what he didn't end in his previous tenor and that definitely won't be in the best interest of the people of America.
As it is, there haven't been some vital proofs on the said boxes and until then, it remains an accusation but I feel, the people of America should be democratic in handling the issue and have a candidate for the people to choose.

[sirazimuth]

.....

So do you guys think Trump didn't steal boxes of National Security related documents on his way out of the White House?
.....
.....

They do, apparently.. If Biden did something like that, instead of calling for the FBI to be disbanded, they'd be calling for The FBI to raid the Whitehouse and arrest him, because democrats EVIL... republicans GOOD.

....
Or do you just defend Trump at all costs no matter what?
....
....

The ignorant cult of Trump will defend that crook no matter what, like Trump said himself....

https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/23/politics/donald-trump-shoot-somebody-support

...
I don't think any of you are idiots (notice I didn't include BADecker),....


.....

Hey!  Now don't be disparaging my buddy BADecker. He  cant help it, he was brainwashed as a child that evolution is a hoax and the invisible sky fairy is...oh wait,
not gonna get into that now ..there's billions of other farcical threads that cover that...

..... its just baffling to me how irrational you all act when it comes to anything related to liberals or Trump.  It's like trying to talk to a die hard Yankees fan in October while he's drunk
 about the Red Sox.

.....

Yeah but at least a die hard Yankees fan knows baseball and doesn't have the IQ of a common walnut.
Ever watched those interviews of Trump cultists at those retarded rallies he holds?

[PrimeNumber7]

So do you guys think Trump didn't steal boxes of National Security related documents on his way out of the White House?

Or do you think a US President on his way out of office should be able to take government records that are classified at the highest levels to keep for himself, in his basement?

Both assertations are ridiculous.

The President has the unilateral authority to determine which records are those related to his administration, and these decisions are not subject to court oversight. Before you respond with some hyperbole, I would preemptively respond that this is the law, as ruled by appelette courts. If you don't like this, you should petition Congress to change the law.

Similarly, the President has the unilateral authority to decide that any document is not classified. As the Commander and Chief, the President has the final authority to declassify any arbitrary document. Further, there are many documents marked at various classification levels that are in the public domain, including newspaper articles by major news outlets.

[TwitchySeal]

The President has the unilateral authority to determine which records are those related to his administration, and these decisions are not subject to court oversight. Before you respond with some hyperbole, I would preemptively respond that this is the law, as ruled by appelette courts. If you don't like this, you should petition Congress to change the law.

Irrelevant.  Nobody is arguing about whether or not the documents are related to his administration.  Why even bring that up?  You don't think that being related to his administration equates to he gets to take them home with him after losing an election, do you?

Similarly, the President has the unilateral authority to decide that any document is not classified. As the Commander and Chief, the President has the final authority to declassify any arbitrary document. Further, there are many documents marked at various classification levels that are in the public domain, including newspaper articles by major news outlets.

False and also irrelevant.

False because The Atomic Energy Acts of 1946 and 1954 make anything related to the production of Nuclear Weapons inherently classified, which means they can't be declassified, even by Donald J Trump.

But let's not derail this conversation with that because the entire argument is irrelevant, as I've already explained to you in another thread (and accurately predicted you would keep coming back to this silly point):

Trump had the ultimate authority to declassify the documents in question. It would be stupid for Trump to not declassify a document he intended to bring to his home -- it is trivial for him to declassify a document.

Yes he did have that authority.  But he did not have the authority to steal them and keep them in his basement after he left office.  Also, none of the laws cited in the search warrant, like the espionage act for example, are dependent on whether or not the documents were classified.

Of course, Trump will continue to pretend like this whole case is about whether or not he declassified the documents he stole and kept in his basement, and then you will continue to repeat what he says, and I will continue to remind you that by repeating Trumps nonsense you're arguing that a President has the power to take any document he wants from any of the intelligence agencies and keep it for himself as a civilian - which is obviously a really freaking stupid argument.

[PrimeNumber7]

The President has the unilateral authority to determine which records are those related to his administration, and these decisions are not subject to court oversight. Before you respond with some hyperbole, I would preemptively respond that this is the law, as ruled by appelette courts. If you don't like this, you should petition Congress to change the law.

Irrelevant.  Nobody is arguing about whether or not the documents are related to his administration.  Why even bring that up?  You don't think that being related to his administration equates to he gets to take them home with him after losing an election, do you?

The documents in question are related to his administration. This is a document and dispute between the former Trump administration and the national archives. The national archives says it believes that Trump took some documents that are part of his administration and should be in the national archives.

Similarly, the President has the unilateral authority to decide that any document is not classified. As the Commander and Chief, the President has the final authority to declassify any arbitrary document. Further, there are many documents marked at various classification levels that are in the public domain, including newspaper articles by major news outlets.

False and also irrelevant.

False because The Atomic Energy Acts of 1946 and 1954 make anything related to the production of Nuclear Weapons inherently classified, which means they can't be declassified, even by Donald J Trump.

Lets be honest about the documents that are related to "nuclear" secrets. They are almost certain to be communications between him and NK leader Kim Jung Un. There are no other documents that Trump has any reason to want to keep that are related to "nuclear" secrets. There is a reason that the DOJ wants to keep the affidavit that the search warrant was issued based on sealed -- it is because if unsealed, it would show that none of the documents really would cause any threat to national security if disclosed to the public, and that the search was just a fishing expedition.

[Desmong]

Instill don't understand why some persons are so much against Trump contesting in the coming election. Trump had done nothing wrong and we should not border his life if he thinks he want to contest for the upcoming presidential election. I think we need him to fix some of the things that are happening now. I am not against anyone contesting but all I think we want is the result we get from the president.

[TwitchySeal]

The President has the unilateral authority to determine which records are those related to his administration, and these decisions are not subject to court oversight. Before you respond with some hyperbole, I would preemptively respond that this is the law, as ruled by appelette courts. If you don't like this, you should petition Congress to change the law.

Irrelevant.  Nobody is arguing about whether or not the documents are related to his administration.  Why even bring that up?  You don't think that being related to his administration equates to he gets to take them home with him after losing an election, do you?

The documents in question are related to his administration. This is a document and dispute between the former Trump administration and the national archives. The national archives says it believes that Trump took some documents that are part of his administration and should be in the national archives.

We don't know what the documents in question are related to.  I guess anything he touched while in office could arguably be considered related to his administration.  I'm not sure I'm following your point though, I mean obviously you're trying to say that you think it's ok and legal for Trump to have boxes of documents marked classified/top secret/csi in his basement almost 2 years after he left office....are you really convinced that the President has and should have that authority?  To take government property with him on the way out of office?  Including documents that could contain national secrets?  Do you see how stupid that would be for the country if it were true?

[BADecker]

Literally doesn't matter if he declassified any of it.  Read the espionage act.

The Espionage Act applies to everybody. Trump, upon having the election stolen from him, declassified and took the documents to find the names of the deep state people who were engaged in espionage. He couldn't search while in office. So, he took them.

Sure, it was risky. And none of us know what he found. But Trump is very confident that he found enough to destroy the workings of the deep state.

Trump has the info. If the Dems use tactics like a crime of espionage against him, he will use it right back against them, along with all kinds of other things they are doing illegally and unconscionably.

[TwitchySeal]

Literally doesn't matter if he declassified any of it.  Read the espionage act.

The Espionage Act applies to everybody. Trump, upon having the election stolen from him, declassified and took the documents to find the names of the deep state people who were engaged in espionage. He couldn't search while in office. So, he took them.

Sure, it was risky. And none of us know what he found. But Trump is very confident that he found enough to destroy the workings of the deep state.

Trump has the info. If the Dems use tactics like a crime of espionage against him, he will use it right back against them, along with all kinds of other things they are doing illegally and unconscionably.

According to the law, whether or not the documents are classified doesn't matter, it only matters if they contain  "information relating to the national defense".  

Declassifying a document relating to national defense doesn't make it not related to national defense anymore.

And most likely he's full of shit when he says they were declassified, at least according to people who would know.

"Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given. And I can't imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without dying in the ditch trying to stop it"
John Kelly, chief of staff, Sec of Homeland Security, 3 star general

"a standing order to declassify documents taken to Mar-a-Lago did not exist"
"You don't just sort of get to say off the top of your head, 'oh, everything that I see today'"
Mick Mulvaney, chief of staff

"I was never briefed on any such order, procedure, policy when I came in.  If he were to say something like that, you would have to memorialize that, so that people would know it existed."
"When somebody begins to concoct lies like this, it shows a real level of desperation,"
John Bolton, chief of staff