Governor Sununu had some things to say about the Republican primary candidates challenging Donald Trump for the nomination. Specifically, their response to indictments regarding “classified documents.” Is Sununu stupid, ignorant, or just lying?
(Reformatted – may be paywalled)
During the 2016 campaign, Trump alluded to the controversy over classified emails on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s home email server. “He said anybody who would do that should be disqualified from running in 2016,” Sununu said. “There is just a large amount of hypocrisy.”
Sununu said he agreed with those who say the Justice Department under Democratic presidents has gone after Republicans more than vice versa. But he said Trump’s transgressions, including refusing repeated requests to turn over classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, are not forgivable.
“It is what you do with them, it is your inability to return them when you were invited repeatedly to do so,” Sununu began.
“That is just reckless when it comes to handling sensitive information that can put America’s security at risk.”
We should feel some comfort knowing this man is not running for president, but if he did, and he won, he would earn the right to declassify any damn documents he pleases. He could then take them with him for his personal use or a presidential library and US law protects that right.
Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. She was also the First Lady. Neither of those roles permits her to declassify documents. Any mishandling is a violation of the law.
Joe Biden was the vice president when he wandered off with thousands of classified documents. Vice Presidents cannot declassify documents. Any mishandling is a violation of the law.
Donald Trump followed the law. Hillary Clinton broke the law. Joe Biden broke the law.
One more point. The documents Mr. Trump legally declassified before removing them to his home in Mar a Lago are alleged to be the unredacted reports on the illegal wiretapping and investigation into him in response to the lies peddled as opposition research formally known as the Steele Dossier.
Almost everyone involved is guilty of campaign targeting, election meddling, fraud, defamation, and perhaps even treason. Nothing they did was legal, and almost everything they tried to do was illegal, including raiding his home to get the unredacted evidence against them back.
They were no longer classified, they had no right to ask for them back, and Trump was wise not to do so. The raid on his house was illegal, confiscating the unclassified documents was unlawful, and the indictments based on them were reckless and absurd.
As for the Republican Primary candidate’s response to it all, Chris isn’t happy. “It almost looks like they are defending him,” Sununu said.
I don’t see that, but if you are going to be upset with the Republican field for president, Governor Sununu, it should be that not one of them understands the law, or if they do, they are lying like Democrats for political advantage.
The only unanswered question is whether that is what you are doing or, perhaps, you’re an idiot.
You do a lot of stupid things, but I don’t think you are an idiot.