Why Trump’s Case Is Unique

Trump and some of his defenders have argued that other elected officials – from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to President Biden to former Vice President Mike Pence – have mishandled classified information without having to go to court.

Are those cases comparable? No, says former federal prosecutor Robert Mintz.

Trump’s case is about the willful retention of classified documents, Mintz tells Morning Edition, adding that while there may have been documents improperly removed in those other cases, there was no evidence of intent to hold on to them.

“So in a very real sense this indictment that former President Donald Trump is facing is not about what documents he took with him when he left the White House, it’s all about what he’s alleged to have done after the government requested the return of those documents,” Mintz says.

He points to key details from the indictment, like allegations about Trump moving boxes out of a storage room, telling an attorney to search the room for classified material without mentioning that dozens of boxes were stored elsewhere, suggesting an attorney hide or destroy documents that had been subpoenaed and causing people to make false statements about whether all documents had been produced.

– Rachel Treisman
Excerpted from “What About Other Cases?
A Former Federal Prosecutor on Why Trump’s Is Unique”
NPR News
June 13, 2023

Related Off-site Links:
Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Arraignment Over Classified Documents – Kayla Epstein, Madeline Halpert and Holly Honderich (BBC News, June 13, 2023).
“Unique and Shocking”: Donald Trump Arrested on 37 Counts for Mishandling Classified Documents – Democracy Now! (June 14, 2023).
How Trump’s Classified Material Case Is Different From Clinton’s and Biden’s – Laura Barrón-López and Matt Loffman (PBS Newshour, June 13, 2023).
Justice Department Will Likely Try to Have Trump Incarcerated If He’s Convicted in Mar-a-Lago Case, National Security Lawyer Says – Sarah Gray (Business Insider, June 9, 2023).
“Very, Very Damning”: Former Attorney General William Barr Says Trump Indictment Not a “Witch Hunt” – Olivia Rosane (Common Dreams, June 11, 2023).
John Bolton, Trump’s Ex-National Security Adviser, Calls for Him to Withdraw From the 2024 Presidential Race – Rachel Treisman (NPR News, June 12, 2023).
Yes, Bill Clinton Kept Tapes in His Sock Drawer. Here's Why Trump’s Case Is Different – Amy Sherman (Politifact, June 12, 2023).
Trump Indictment: Scholar of Fascism Says GOP Has Become an “Autocratic Party” Led by a “Cult Leader” – Democracy Now! (June 13, 2023).
Trump Turns His Day in Court Into a Campaign Event Despite Serious Political and Legal Threats – Michelle L. Price (AP News, June 12, 2023).
Indictment Takeaways: Trump’s Alleged Schemes and Lies to Keep Secret Papers – Alanna Durkin Richer (AP News, June 9, 2023).
Five Takeaways From Trump’s Day in Federal Court – Michelle L. Price (AP News via PBS Newshour, June 13, 2023).

UPDATE: Four Political Questions After Trump’s Second Arraignment on Criminal Charges – Domenico Montanaro (NPR News, June 14, 2023).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Rahna Epting: Quote of the Day – June 9, 2023
• Jeff Sharlet on the Fascist Ideology of Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene
• It’s Not Just Trump: Ralph Nader on the “Lawlessness” of Other U.S. Presidents
• Chauncey Devega on the Ongoing Danger of the Trump Cult
• Historian Nancy MacLean: The Threat to American Democracy Is at “Red-Alert”
• William D. Lindsey: Quote of the Day – August 12, 2022
• “How Can One Overreact to a Mortal Threat to American Democracy?”
• A Deeper Perspective on What’s Really Attacking Democracy
• “The Coup Attempt on Jan. 6th Was a Warning for What’s to Come If We Don’t Act”
• “My Biggest Worry Is for My Country”
• Republicans Pose an “Existential Threat” to American Democracy
• The Big Switch
• The Republican Party in a Nutshell
• Republicans Don’t Care About American Democracy
• “The Republican Party Has Now Made It Official: They Are a Cult”
• David Remnick: Quote of the Day – February 13, 2021
• Dan Rather on America’s “Moment of Reckoning”
• Michael Harriot: Quote of the Day – January 6, 2021
• Insurrection at the United States Capitol
• Fascism Is Upon Us
• Saying “No” to Donald Trump and His Fascist Agenda
• Trump’s Playbook