Attorney and former U.S. Army prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said that former President Donald Trump is potentially facing a “five-year felony” over allegations that he took classified national security documents from the White House when he left office last year.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) confirmed in a Friday letter to the House Oversight Committee that some 15 boxes Trump returned last month after being requested to do so, contained classified national security documents. “NARA has identified items marked as classified national security information within the boxes,” archivist David Ferriero wrote.
Previously, The New York Times reported that classified documents were included with the records Trump was required to return. The Washington Post further reported that some of the documents were classified as “top secret.”
Kirschner commented on the scandal during an MSNBC segment on Friday evening, predicting that Trump could face multiple indictments in the near future. Specifically when it comes to the documents issue, the legal expert contended that anyone else would already be indicted given the information currently available.
“That is a five-year felony. The National Archives has reported and referred to the Department of Justice for investigation the fact that Donald Trump removed classified national security information from the White House and he whisked it away to Mar-a-Lago,” he said.
The legal expert appeared to be referring to 18 U.S. Code § 1924, which addresses “unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material.” The law penalizes the crime with a fine or imprisonment “for not more than five years, or both.”
Trump dismissed the scandal, arguing that what happened was normal. “The National Archives did not ‘find’ anything, they were given, upon request, Presidential Records in an ordinary and routine process to ensure the preservation of my legacy and in accordance with the Presidential Records Act,” the former president said in a Friday statement.
Authored by Jason Lemon via newsweek.com
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