Trump: 'I'm Allowed to Do Whatever I Want' With Classified Info
www.rollingstone.com
The former president told Hugh Hewitt that he “absolutely” would testify in the federal government’s probe of his handling of sensitive material

DONALD TRUMP SAID he “absolutely” plans to testify in the federal government’s case against him regarding classified documents he removed from the White House. “I’m allowed to do whatever I want … I’m allowed to do everything I did,” the former president told conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt.

In an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” that dropped Wednesday, the host asked Trump, “Did you direct anyone to move the boxes, Mr. President? Did you tell anyone to move the boxes?” referring to the boxes of more than 300 classified documents the federal government seized last year from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

“I don’t talk about anything. You know why? Because I’m allowed to do whatever I want. I come under the Presidential Records Act,” Trump replied, while also taking a quick detour to bash Hewitt. “I’m not telling you. You know, every time I talk to you, ‘Oh, I have a breaking story.’ You don’t have any story. I come under the Presidential Records Act. I’m allowed to do everything I did.”

      • baldingpudenda@lemmy.world
        34·
        1 year ago

        His lawyers actually said that while he was president. They said he was incapable of being deposed without perjuring himself. Eventually they sent 10 questions written out and he had his lawyers with him to help respond.

        • Tar_alcaran@lemmy.worldEnglish
          20·
          1 year ago

          They said he was incapable of being deposed without perjuring himself.

          “Perjury trap” is a fake term that tries to place the blame for “My client is a compulsive liar and literally can’t tell the truth to save his life” on the other party. And whoever came up with the term deserves both a raise for being amazing at their job, and a knee to the groin for being a shit human being.

          • Billiam@lemmy.world
            15·
            1 year ago

            And whoever came up with the term deserves both a raise for being amazing at their job, and a knee to the groin for being a shit human being.

            So, a lawyer.

      • catfish@programming.dev
        10·
        1 year ago

        I can def see a man-child reaction exactly like this dumb statement -kinda like what he did on the debates with Hillary and Biden, interrupting and interjecting his sad alternate reality- as the cases pick up steam and hes forced to fly between Fla, DC, Ga and wherever his current cult rally/grievance is that day, oh boy, is it gonna be fun or what?

        • Knusper@feddit.de
          3·
          1 year ago

          Thing is, neither a man-child reaction, nor making deranged statements, helps you in court. So, I’m imagining his lawyers will instruct him to please shut the hell up.

            • Knusper@feddit.de
              1·
              1 year ago

              Eh, I also just imagine, he’s not particularly excited for speaking there. The judge won’t let him blathe on like an imbecil, but rather demand proof for his statements. And the only way, he can avoid subjecting himself to that power dynamic, is to not speak to the judge.

              But yeah, we’ll have to see…

    • holiday@lemmy.worldEnglish
      121·
      1 year ago

      It seems like he is showing what his defense will be. It won’t be whether he moved documents or shared confidential information or whatever. It will be them challenging the scope of power of the presidency.

      • Endorkend@kbin.social
        18·
        1 year ago

        The defense comes down to the Afluenza Defense. Note, to my knowledge that never really worked before.

        He keeps repeating he thinks he’s allowed to do all these things and even when found in court he isn’t allowed to do those things, they’ll try to say he didn’t know.

        Thing is, he’s playing dumb now, while he’s repeatedly shown he knows full well what’s right and what’s wrong, his statements like how he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and no one would do anything about it, or the grab em by the pussy line.

        He made statements showing he knows perfectly fine these are things one shouldn’t do, but he does them anyway as he was never held responsible and could get away with it.

        • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
          5·
          1 year ago

          Except in the cases of Brock Turner, the convicted rapist and Ethan Couch, the teen who killed 4 people driving drunk and only served 2 years in prison.

          And then there’s all the deferred sentence stuff that practically every white collar criminal gets to stay rich and out of prison.

          • Endorkend@kbin.social
            4·
            1 year ago

            What are you trying to say here? You clearly show they all got convicted.

            It was just the sentencing they got treated lightly on.

            And it’s a given Trump won’t see the inside of a jailcell.

            But a conviction on any level will disqualify him politics, for a while.

            • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              I’m highlight that it’s lack of (the same) consequences for action as the rest of us would receive.

              The only thing that will disqualify him will be individual states or congress. And unless the GQP is kicked out of power, I’m worried that a conviction isn’t going to do shit without real punishment.

      • Jordan Lund@lemmy.oneEnglish
        13·
        1 year ago

        Not really the scope of power so much as destroying Trump’s delusional interpretation of the Presidential Record’s Act.

        If he honestly tries that in court he’s going to get “Um, actually” lawyer-splained so fast BARRON’S kid’s heads will spin.