Since 2017, when a reality show TV host was sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States, Americans have watched the most bizarre and alarming presidency unfold. All of the craziness – the spilling of state secrets to Russian officials within weeks of taking office, the public statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin being more trustworthy than America’s intelligence agencies, the refusal to hold the Saudi Arabian government accountable for the brutal murder of an American resident – cannot hold a candle, though, to the news that the FBI searched the home of a former president looking for stolen nuclear secrets.
Trump, predictably, says it’s all a “hoax.”
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who authorized the search of Trump’s Mar-a-lago home, said that the Department of Justice had filed a motion to unseal the search warrant in the case in an effort toward transparency meant to quiet the GOP’s growing conspiracy theories and the rhetoric that inspired the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.
Trump says he “encourages” the release of the warrant while also speculating publicly that evidence was planted, making that release likely to be challenged publicly no matter what it shows. His attorneys have until 4:00 PM EST on Friday to oppose its release, a move that Trump will likely want them to take.
FLASHBACK (FEBRUARY 2019): "Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with Trump Administration’s Efforts to Transfer Sensitive Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia" pic.twitter.com/DvMeQmFxoy
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) August 12, 2022
Despite Trump’s insistence that the purpose behind the search is a “hoax,” the removal of nuclear secrets from the White House, including their storage in an unsecured location and the failure to observe protocol around some of the most sensitive documents in the country, is a very serious matter.
According to The Washington Post:
‘Material about nuclear weapons is especially sensitive and usually restricted to a small number of government officials, experts said. Publicizing details about U.S. weapons could provide an intelligence road map to adversaries seeking to build ways of countering those systems. And other countries might view exposing their nuclear secrets as a threat, experts said.’
BREAKING WAPO:
Classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the items FBI agents sought in a search of Trump's Florida residence, according to people familiar with the investigation. https://t.co/2LYXroESjh
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 12, 2022
It remains to be seen whether or not Americans will see that search warrant on Friday, but Garland created a “put up or shut up” moment for Trump. For now, Trump’s rant continues, but whether or not he will actually put up, it is guaranteed that he will never shut up, or at least not until he’s held truly accountable for his actions.
