Note the kind words of Mike, one recent paid subscriber: "I supported your work because yours is an important voice of reason amidst the insanity and chaos hitting us from all sides and sources."

---

Snapshot: What a Dangerous Mess

Remember the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case? It's another reminder of who surely doesn't belong in the race or the White House

STEVEN BESCHLOSS JUL 1

A photo taken at Mar-a-Lago by Trump aide Walt Nauta.

As we tally a growing collection of pundits bent on driving Joe Biden out of the race and await another terrible and obviously slow-walked Supreme Court ruling today on presidential immunity, I’d like to share a story you probably missed. It’s another reminder that—amid all the hand-wringing about the president and what could happen in the future—we have an intolerable body of evidence about the dangerous malfeasance and almost certain criminality already committed by that other guy.

This snapshot is courtesy of Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Department of Justice involving that little case down in Mar-a-Lago concerning Donald Trump’s appalling mishandling of classified documents with obvious national security implications. (You recall that one where Trump appointee Judge Aileen Cannon is trying her hardest to let her favorite defendant off the hook for 40 felony charges.)

Specifically, in response to the Trump legal team’s attempt to get their case dismissed because of the way the federal agents collected and in some cases reordered the materials, the special counsel’s team released a series of photos along with their filing. The Trump team argues that the precise order is “critical to his defense.”

The images released last week vividly show the reckless disregard Trump and his handlers displayed toward these materials, making their case for dismissal a mockery of legal procedure. Prosecutors described the order of the illegally held documents as “haphazard.”

As they note in their filing, “Trump personally chose to keep documents containing some of the nation’s most highly guarded secrets in cardboard boxes, along with a collection of other personally chosen keepsakes of various sizes and shapes from his presidency—newspapers, thank you notes, Christmas ornaments, magazines, clothing, and photographs of himself and others.”

Take a gander at photos taken by federal agents and even Trump aide Walt Nauta, illustrating how these classified materials were “organized.”

A photo taken by the FBI, including a blue box with classified documents.

A photo taken by Walt Nauta.

The next time you read a story about the potential dangers of Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive health—indeed legitimate to consider and monitor—I urge you to also keep in mind the already certain unethical and reckless behavior of Trump that requires no crystal ball to determine what the future holds. He trashed America’s secrets before and we have every reason to expect—if given the chance—he’ll do it again with greater abandon.

I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber for $50 a year or just $5 a month, if you’re not already. This helps sustain and expand the work of America, America, keep nearly all the content free for everyone and give you full access to the comments sections.