The really serious issues in the indictment of Donald Trump; updated 6/17/23...

Updated:  June 17, 2023  First impressions gained from those reporting about the details of the indictment are that if Trump is guilty of anything, it is he cannot be trusted with national security secrets and should never be let close to the Oval Office again, whether he is found guilty of breaking the letter of the laws or not.  It is the act itself that is the legal basis under the espionage act. NSA Staffer Sentenced to 5.5 Years in Prison for Taking Documents Home - Government Executive (govexec.com)

Trump's chief loyalty was obviously to himself, not to the Constitution or any law of the land, with the irresponsible handling of the national security documents by him or others under his supervision. The documents he tried to hide concerned nuclear secrets and military plans of us, our allies, and our adversaries. These were not dirt on domestic politicians he went to extreme measures to hide, but secret national security information. This is what his actions put at risk. For what purpose? Ego, souvenirs of past glory,  bargaining chips for future transactions to benefit himself, business, or political advantage in foreign dealings? 

Trump may be presumed innocent until trial, and the indictment document contains alleged evidence, waiting for a trial jury to verify,  but whether he himself was guilty or not of violating espionage laws,  there is no denying the documents in his possession were not kept secure. This visual impact of the stacked banker boxes alone was explosive in the indictment documents' pictures sashed in bathrooms, bedrooms, office rooms, and ballrooms.  The photo of the spilled box of national secrets was taken by his own staff. For sure, the documents were not kept in a secure place by any standards.. Most of the evidence found in the indictment documents did not rely only on FBI findings but also on text messages and staff photos,  recordings, and interviews with  Trump's own attorneys.   See pictures from Trump indictment that allegedly show boxes of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago bathroom, ballroom - CBS News

With the release of the indictment detail of Trump in the Mar A Lago documents case, the political howl has just begun, and so has the Trump campaign fundraising. "Biden is out to get him.  The Justice Department is political, too."  Ok, deep breath.  Some of the issues are more serious than others. In fact, the indictment was not about violations of the records act procedures but about elements of the espionage act. The least legal problem is he made his own judgment that he declassified the documents in his own mind, so no foul was committed.   The bigger issue is what he did to play keep away and hide the documents once informed he had to return them (both Pence and Biden did return them), defying the law with obstruction of the investigation. Far more seriously would be if  he used the purloined documents to harm national security (espionage act) and also used them for personal monetary gain or personal power enhancement.  FYI: the espionage act is not about just sharing classified documents, but any documents, classified or not. What is certain, the potential to do great harm to national security is serious enough. We may never know if some foreign actor took advantage of the low-hanging fruit to put it to good use on behalf of their own national interests.  The dilemma the DOJ faces is exposing sources and methods to make any evidence like that public.

 All we know is that Trump waived some documents and revealed contents before those unauthorized and without security clearance.  That spies from foreign adversaries made photos of them so easily accessible or that, indeed, it resulted in serious damage to US intelligence services, we the public may never know, per former CIA director John Brennan on MSNBC on June 9.  The disclosure of such information could be too sensitive and damaging to national security interests. 

Per a large variety of legal experts on  the espionage act, the reasons or motivations for keeping unauthorized  personal possession of national security documents are not elements in determining guilt. Recently, an NSA staffer took some documents home and was sentenced to 5.5 years in jail. Her reason? To catch up on work.  It is the act itself that is the legal basis under the espionage act. NSA Staffer Sentenced to 5.5 Years in Prison for Taking Documents Home - Government Executive (govexec.com)

Update June 17. 2023.What we also got a clue from the indictment documents is what motivated Trump to refuse to gi.ve up the boxes full of national defense secrets. I had speculated and wondered if it was sheer ego and narcissism, or had he planned to use the documents to blackmail or induce others to behave or deal in a way that benefitted him? I was a little closer to the truth about ego and narcissism than I had speculated when the indictment text was released..  From the indictment text, there was an exchange between staffers presented as evidence. A staffer at Mar a Lago referred to Trump's obsessions with the bankers' boxes full of national security secrets as Trump's "beautiful mind boxes", indicating it was like the Academy award-winning Russell Crowe 2021 movie depicting the mental illness of a math genius who hid in a shed to" realize" a paranoid delusion. I must admit that did not cross my mind to explain Trump's refusal to give up the documents when he had two chances to do so, to lie, and to hide them:  he was obsessed with their possession (not only of those but of other boxes when he was in office).   He knew what was in them, wanted them easily available to him, and did not want them to go to storage.  That is the reason the staffers stashed them in the bathroom.  Trump Indictment: Docs Moved to Bathroom After Staffer Requested ‘Beautiful Mind’ Papers Be Kept Out of Storage (yahoo.com)   

 Once he left the White House, Trump no longer had any cover of executive power. He became just like any citizen in the eyes of the law.  That declared candidates are immune from prosecution 60  days before the election is an internal FBI policy, and we are nowhere near election time.  If Trump is convicted of a crime, his only way out was to get re-elected so he could pardon at will anyone he wishes, and maybe even himself.

Trump risked national secrets, prosecutors allege in indictment | Reuters

Memories of being the first woman to run for mayor of Denver: still no woman mayor.

This brought back a memory of mine dating to 1979, when I was the first woman to run for Mayor of Denver. I came in second in a field of about 11 to the incumbent Bill McNichols but just missed forcing a run-off. For some reason in a very blue city, no woman has ever been elected Denver Mayor and last night was no exception.

https://www.denverpost.com/2023/06/06/denver-mayor-election-results-kelly-brough-mike-johnston-runoff

Collection: Felicia Muftic Papers | Denver Public Library ArchivesSpace (denverlibrary.org)

Will Denver’s next mayor be a woman? – The Denver Post

Is it fair to stereotype the GOP as the party of white supremacists and neo-Nazis?

Updated 5/25/23

Is it fair to stereotype the GOP as the party of white supremacists, Christian nationalists, and neo-Nazis? It is not fair, but so long as those running for office do not disown them and tacitly or actively dog whistle to get their support, they are vulnerable to looking like it.  The leading contenders for the Republican nomination for president at this time, Trump and DeSantis, are in the active column, you say? The  NAACP just issued a travel warning to visitors to Florida that Florida is hostile to black people as the result of DeSantis' attempt to grab more of those that Trump had previously corralled. The prime reason Biden said he ran was Trump's calling fine people the neo-Nazis and other white nationalists in the Charleston tiki torch march, and Trump underlined his support by expressing his love for those similar participants on January 6. Recently he was heard saying if elected, he would pardon most of those who pleaded or were found guilty, some imprisoned for seditious conspiracy. 

 I agree with Charlie Sykes this AM on MSNBC that the more in the race that divides up the non-Trump votes and ensures Trump is the candidate in the primary. That was the lesson of 2016.  However, so long as candidates depend on the votes from these elements to win a contest and win the GOP primary too, and either dog whistle or tolerate them publicly, ..that will add fuel to anyone stereotyping the GOP.  They will leave others of are still loyal to the GOP and who object to the overt racism of some candidates sadly in a minority of their own party.. Some in my immediate and extended family are supporters of Pence and old-line Reagan Republicans (as were my parents and brother). They would be appalled at what the GOP has become dominated by Trump and fellow travelers. 

 Both Trump and DeSantis may not be white nationalists, Christian nationalists, or neo-Nazis, but they are skillful demagogues and invite, tolerate, or welcome their support. Any vote is a vote they might need. The rest of the field so far has failed to raise a voice against them, Trump, DeSantis, or the white nationalist dog whistles they utter. In that sense, their silence is complicit.  I am waiting to see any GOP aspirants speak out or attack Trump or DeSantis for appealing to these elements. It will take courage and possibly risk a certain loss in the primaries. Tell me this is not true.

A word about Christian Nationalists. They are theocrats. They want a government controlled by their religions and religious leaders. I call them theocrats because they want the government to force their citizens to comply with their interpretation.  There is no room in their world for those who follow the words of Jesus instead of those who make up or revise what He said.  There is no room for Jews, Buddhists, or atheists.  It is an exclusionary view of their democracy that is twisted to mean the priority of granting rights is for their groups of believers, and the rest should not apply, or they should just keep quiet and comply.   

It is particularly disturbing for practicing Christians like me when the theocrats of the extreme religious right go off on tangents that are not even discussed in the New Testament.  I recall growing up in the Bible Belt dominated by Southern Baptists in my youth, where only those who were baptized by dunking were considered by them to be saved or real Christians, condemning to hell or some second-class status not only my Jewish friends but those who got sprinkled such as  Presbyterians like me and Episcopalians and Catholics.  The greatest debate theological debate among my Baptist friends in the dying days of the Jim Crow South was whether Christians should go to movies on Sunday. 

 I am trying to find where Christ discussed homosexuality and abortion.   Both were practiced in His time.    In Jerusalem, the theocracy and the money changers at the Temple ruled while Caesar's appointees washed their hands of interference when Jesus preached against the corruption of the locally reigning Jewish officials and claimed He was the Son of God..a blasphemy,  paving the way to His crucifixion.  In instances where the government did play a role as a lawgiver and an enforcer, such as tax collection, as Christ said, render unto Caesar what was Caesars, but unto God that is God's. 

 The founders of our Constitution wrote the First Amendment (no establishment of a state church) in their revolt against the Church of England being the English government's "established" religion.  Examples of theocracies in today's world are in Iran, the current Afghanistan of the Taliban, and Saudi Arabia, where the mullahs or men only are the rulers and enforcers of both the temporal and religious laws.

An example of a particular theocracy-run amuck is Afghanistan.  Years ago, I saw an American version of the Taliban on the horizon and wrote a column about it. It was reposted with a note about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade in 2022.  https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-gop-is-becoming-american-taliban.html

From the theological standpoint, Christ did say the two most important Jewish laws to obey (when asked by a Temple scribe) were "Love your God with all your heart" and the Golden Rule, treat your neighbors as you would like to be treated yourself. Matt. 22:37-40 He also preached, "We are our brothers' keeper'"Amen to this remarkable opinion piece that appeared in the New York Times recently.  A Wyoming Republican revolted against Christian nationalism and asked: Are we our brother's keeper? The correct answer is "yes", the writer said..    The meaning of this dating to Genesis is long debated, but I stand with this: Christ Says We Are Our Brother’s Keeper | The News and Times Politics  It is a sin to ignore this by not addressing related issues, and the writer of this piece felt so called to do so.  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/21/opinion/wyoming-republicans-christian-nationalism.html?unlocked_article_code=7LWh8WY5ZLab6-0OI43IWcqNb0Tv74ReOU2QxN0YRcnoiMky90949LkCyYbfxDZAaWYLPWN4F_2O0tcLt4axtOG3jpqURwRn3zDkgZoHGUQoSneMROQuEUV2LF85usbpslIQnTvc8-tvMHhRFqEwnEr8V9WkVGpHQvLACbeHTUw1Mbt3uv9D3WHD6tTA07QETLBDZHxTxuuwASPKDQaTXDcRu3VeulwbtIfD5gyjKzcb4NNs3FxD2NvJQM53ieMNM157PJyapwNsldF3k5QOiirln8YvXx24wwKYzaPNJpz-kj4U_eDa6b-26EmkiymzKmhVqPDMP66FHmznGycUpGsdzC8qqf9w8ua5YYiRNAkWh4A&smid=url-share

An example of a particular theocracy run amuk is Afghanistan.  Years ago I saw an American version of the Taliban on the horizon and wrote a column on it: https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-gop-is-becoming-american-taliban.html

NAACP Issues Travel Warning In Florida - Bing News

Trump Said He Would Pardon Jan 6 Participants - Bing News

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-hill-insurrection-extremist-flags-soh/index.html

How dictators make elections look free but are not fair: MAGA is a wannabe

How a dictator controls elections: Free but not fair. MAGA is a wannabe. Turkey and Hungary provide the blueprint for those who aspire to be "autocratic/" dictatorial rulers and, once prosperous, stay in authoritarian control while looking like elections were reasonably held and publicly supported. Fareed Zakaria on CNN 5/21 provided a clear and concise description of where in the world, including Turkey and Hungary, why and how elections may look free but are not fair, and liberal democracies such as ours have been destroyed. https://fb.watch/kFVpNRilsV The MAGA movement is example number one of an attempt and a desire of a political campaign to copy these tactics and destroy a democracy that is both free and fair. Trump and DeSantis, and CPAC fawn over Viktor Orban's dictatorial rule. Like him, Turkey's Erdogan had to first gain control of the judiciary and, on one pretext or another, be able to discredit, gag, or, in Turkey, jail his most threatening opponent and opposition journalists. In Turkey and Orban's Hungary, the dictators and their supporters control the media. Lies and corruption go unchallenged, and there is no platform for opposition public expression. The legislative branch was controlled early in the process by unfair elections or intimidation. The judiciary is a rubber stamp operation owned by the dictators' appointments to the bench in nearly all instances, ruling in the dictators 'interests. Their legislators nod in unified support of the leaders to whom they owe their positions.

Sadly, both Turkey and Hungary are members of NATO. Turkey has attempted to play both sides of the Ukrainian war. They are the reason Sweden has not yet been granted membership in NATO.

The MAGA GOP's current tactics reveal their attempt for their core supporter minority to control the rest of us, comprising the majority, Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans. The MAGAs further undermine the "free" election perception by attempting to claim elections are neither free nor fair. They unfairly try to make it more inconvenient for those to vote whose votes they fear and intimidation at the polls themselves. Their targets are racial minorities and younger voters. Fortunately for democracy, they have not yet sufficiently corrupted much of the judiciary, but they have seized total control of a large number of state legislatures and state houses. By claiming media who reports negatively about them, MAGA has managed a de facto control of the messaging reaching loyal supporters who view all other media reports they do not like as "fake news" or "lib" slanted, ignoring, downplaying, or cherry picking, facts, and data. No wonder they are shocked or in disbelief when national polls and elections do not go their way. "Why, everyone I know and my sole media outlets to which I tune in agreed." Those votes must be the result of fraud to explain the outcome, they believe, and the stolen 2020 election is still their mouthed mantra, the ticket into the MAGA clubhouse.

In all honesty, those of the left who also are in their media silos think most right-wingers are inhumane, hate-filled, uneducated nut cases. "We are such a divided country," the tongue-wagging pundits use as an excuse to explain away close election calls. Radicals on the left and right are also guilty, claiming anyone who compromises is "disloyal to their cause." The only way to break this curse is beginning to happen as independents and moderate Republicans revolt and vote. The midterms and recent polls of independents are revealing this new trend.

There are many known and obvious tactics of voter suppression. Among the tools the MAGAs use in the South are reducing early voting windows, mail-in voting, eliminating ballot drop boxes in targeted neighborhoods, claiming fraud that the election was stolen when they lost without providing evidence, gerrymanders, and district boundary drawing by legislative bodies they control that give their side more districts resorting to distorting the public will and sentiment, approving violence or threatening and intimidating racial or ethnic groups with antagonistic partisan poll watchers and unleashing or otherwise protecting violent constituents like the neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, Three percenters, Oath Keepers, and others from prosecution. To them, all judicial system prosecutions are just political, laws and evidence and juries to the contrary notwithstanding. While Trump's role in inciting January 6 is still being revealed in various court cases, he recently stated in a rally that he would, if elected, pardon those already convicted for everything from vandalism to criminal conspiracy to overturn the election of 2020. The "House" sub-sub-committee on government overreach led by Jim Jordan to attempt to prove a conspiracy of the "lib" FBI against MAGA Trump in 2020 or another committee to try to show "the Biden crime family" has so far fizzled. This was thanks to when the Durham special investigation final report failed to find evidence of widespread conspiracy in the FBI's Russia election interference cases and the disappearance of the key witness to Hunter's laptop. That the AG Barr and 63 federal judges and the Supreme Court found no evidence of widespread election fraud in 2020 points to the importance of an independent judiciary holding its ground. The MAGA crowd blithely ignores and is still missing judicial findings.

Current figures on those identifying as conservatives most loyal to FOX, AON, NEWSMax , especially after Hannity's departure, in 2021 (impacting the 2022 midterms) are available: Newsmax and OAN News Consumers Also Likely To Turn to Fox News | Pew Research Center