‘Amazing Own Goal’: DC Press ‘Mindblown’ By Team Trump Thinking Leaked Letter Would Damage Biden and Help Trump

Tommy ChristopherAug 23rd, 2022, 11:04 am
 
Donald Trump - Joe Biden

Doug Mills / Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

Political journalists were stunned by Team Trump’s apparent leak of a letter they thought would help former President Donald Trump and damage President Joe Biden — but which did the opposite.

Former Fox News contributor and pro-Trump founder of “Just the News” John Solomon published what he said were damning documents about the search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home, which is part of an investigation of Trump for crimes involving the Espionage Act.

Solomon wrote that memos and letters show “the Biden White House worked directly with the Justice Department and National Archives to instigate the criminal probe into alleged mishandling of documents, allowing the FBI to review evidence retrieved from Mar-a-Lago this spring and eliminating the 45th president’s claims to executive privilege.”

But leading Washington, DC journalists were baffled by the leak, which they say had the opposite effect of showing that Biden deferred to independent agencies, that Trump and his team were given plenty of opportunities to comply but drew out the process, that the seized materials in question are “hair on fire” serious, and otherwise picking it apart.

Leading the pack was New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman, who wrote:

Confusing to assess how this letter helps Trump, which whoever gave it to Solomon seemed to think it would. Among other things, it confirms our reporting that SAP material – highly restricted information – was part of what was returned from MAL.

There were at least 700 pages of classified material given to NARA in the 15 boxes, per letter to Corcoran.

NARA letter also confirms that Trump team was delaying the process, and given extensions. And it makes clear that there’s no presidential privilege in a case like this.

Lachlan Markay of Axios called it an “Amazing own goal by Team Trump.”

“They released this letter thinking it’d show political meddling by Biden. In fact, it shows the opposite—he delegated exec privilege decisions—while also revealing new info on highly sensitive material in Trump’s possession,” he wrote.

CBS News Radio White House correspondent Steve Portnoy listed the many ways Solomon’s scoop undercut Trump in a Twitter thread:

Via @costareports, CBS News has confirmed the text of a May 10th letter the acting Archivist of the US sent to Trump’s legal team, first posted by John Solomon last night.

It contains several important revelations…

1) NARA determined that “Special Access Program” material was in the 15 boxes turned over by Trump last winter. That’s more secret than TS/SCI.

2) There was a back-and-forth on the question of “protective” executive privilege between Trump, NARA and the Biden WH in the spring.

3) According to the archivist, Biden WH determined that it would allow NARA to say whether any material at Mar-a-Lago might be covered by exec privilege.

4) Trump lawyers asked NARA to hold off on transferring the “15 boxes” to the FBI for a nat sec damage assessment.

5) NARA and DOJ jointly determined that request should be denied.

6) The letter establishes that Biden administration believes firmly that there is no executive privilege that Trump could assert here, and that it’s not even close.

Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich‘s takeaway was not favorable to Trump:

Many other journos, analysts and experts weighed in as well:

Trump’s strategy, as Haberman has alluded to elsewhere, has included a heavy focus on capitalizing on the rallying effect the raid has had with his followers, who may be willing to overlook facts in favor of the attractive premise of Solomon’s reporting.

Tags: