Defendant Donald Trump Demands the Same SCIF Privileges He Had When He Was President

Defendant and former president and Republican front-runner Donald J. Trump is now demanding in court filings that the judge order the government to allow him to discuss classified evidence at a home facility set up when he was president.

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Donald Trump is asking to be treated as he was when he was president by being allowed to discuss classified materials at or near his his residence. His lawyers asked a federal judge “to order” the DOJ to “re-establish” a secure facility at Mar-a-Lago and possibly Bedminster.

“Donald Trump’s lawyers on Wednesday asked a federal judge in Florida to order the government to “re-establish” a secure facility at his Mar-a-Lago resort where they could safely discuss the national security documents prosecutors say he illegally kept there,” NBC reported.

“Former President Donald Trump argued in court filings Wednesday that he should not be required to go to a so-called SCIF – a sensitive compartmented information facility – to discuss with his lawyers the classified evidence in the documents case that special counsel Jack Smith brought against him in Florida,” CNN reported Wednesday evening.

Trump is arguing that he should be given the privileges he had as president: “Instead, he is proposing that he be allowed to discuss those materials at a facility “at or near his residence” that was previously approved for discussing classified information when he was president.”

Yes, Trump is arguing that he should be allowed to “re-establish” a SCIF at or near his residence like he had when he was president. He is asking the Justice Department, which is prosecuting him for alleged illegal mishandling of these documents, including sharing them with people not authorized to see them – “to set up a secure facility where he can discuss materials he allegedly mishandled.”

Donald Trump is not president anymore. We have a president. These privileges are necessary to do the job of the president and are reserved for the president of the United States. And even if they weren’t, Donald Trump has shown that he cannot be trusted with national security information.

CNN noted that prosecutors argued “Allowing such discussions at a private residence would amount to “exceptional treatment.” Prosecutors also noted that Mar-a-Lago – Trump’s Florida resort – is where Trump’s alleged crimes took place.”

Audacity and entitlement, thy name is Donald J Trump.

Let’s recall that Trump got busted — after lying to the FBI about having these allegedly stolen documents — for storing them improperly at Mar-a-Lago in bathrooms, bedrooms, and ballrooms at his resort.

Here’s FBI Director Wray pointing out, “Ballrooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms Are Not SCIFs” when asked by Rep. Madeleine Dean about the places former President Trump’s stored classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Wray clarified, “There are specific rules about where to store classified information and that those need to be stored in a SCIF–a Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility–and in my experience, ballrooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms are not SCIFs.”

Trump’s argument for this is that traveling to the court to discuss the documents presents “immense practical and logistical hurdles.”

It is often inconvenient to be a criminal defendant. This is perhaps by design, as the government is not in the habit of making criming easier and more convenient, especially when such alleged crimes threaten the United States, her people, her military, her intelligence assets, and her safety.

For more context, let’s recall Trump’s ugly and disturbing track record with national security.

In 2017, a Mar-a-Lago member posted photos of Trump discussing the North Korean missile launch in the open on the club’s patio.

Mar-a-Lago patron posted photos of Trump discussing North Korea missile on patio at the club

As tens of thousands of event guests traipsed through Mar-a-Lago, where Trump had carelessly tossed boxes of classified materials and defense information, “there’s plenty of photo evidence that the doors to the basement storage area were frequently open and unattended during the events.”

Mar-a-Lago open doors during events

Strzok asks, “Who were those guests? Who knows, really. Certainly not all European Rothschild heiresses – or the Russian-speaking Ukrainian emigres pretending to be one.”

Just as one example, he linked to this story, “Inna Yashchyshyn, a self-confessed grifter linked to a fraudulent charity, posed as a member of one of the world’s most famous banking families, gained access to Donald Trump’s Florida home, and mingled with top Republicans.”

And then, “Beyond all those guests, don’t forget Mar-a-Lago sought to hire up to 87 foreign workers who likely had the ability to access to the basement area.”

Trump also moves banker boxes of files around a lot. Are these boxes carrying classified information, perhaps taken from an unsecured Mar-a-Lago bathroom or ballroom or basement? Why would Trump need (allegedly stolen) classified documents at Bedminster after losing the election and becoming a private citizen?

The PeeTape shared this image on Xitter:

Boxes being moved from Mar-a-Lago, captured by The PeeTape on Twitter

These are not people who can or should be trusted with classified information. Donald Trump’s convenience is not even close to the main issue of the classified documents trial and in no way, shape or form should his comfort and convenience be prioritized over the safety of the American people.

Donald Trump is a criminal defendant who apparently jeopardized United States national security. Others who did much less were shown absolutely zero consideration for their logistical issues. Trump demanding and being given special consideration has reached almost comical proportions, given the many crimes he is accused of perpetrating and some of which for he has recently been indicted.

Donald Trump is innocent until proven guilty, but there is no reason to further jeopardize the United States’ safety to accommodate his feelings.

Sarah Jones

Listen to Sarah on the PoliticusUSA Pod on The Daily newsletter podcast here.

Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.

Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.

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