During a rally in Mesa, Arizona on Sunday that was held in the middle of a dirt field, disgraced, one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump admitted that he did indeed steal classified documents before he left office.
Specifically, Trump told his supporters:
“I had a small number of boxes in storage… There is no crime. They should give me immediately back everything they have taken from me because it’s mine.”
In legal terms, what Trump said is considered to be a “summation exhibit,” which means the evidence came directly from the suspect. It’s a bit like being questioned by the police and flat-out telling them you did indeed commit the crime. At that point, all that’s left for prosecutors is the paperwork.
Legal experts were stunned by Trump’s admission of guilt, and they noted the Justice Department now has exactly what they need to indict, put on trial, and convict the disgraced ex-president.
Former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann, who served as a prosecutor during the Russiagate investigation, explained:
“This is what we call a summation exhibit. Proof from the defendant’s own mouth. And on video.”
Former special counsel Ryan Goodman echoed Weissmann:
“There is more than ample evidence to indict Trump for crimes listed in the FBI search warrant. The question will come down to aggravating factors for Garland DOJ to consider. Outrageous, open defiance of the law —like this — must surely rank high among those factors.”
Attorney George Conway noted:
“As I’ve long said, his pronouns are I/me/mine.”
The ball is now in Merrick Garland’s court. The time has come to charge Trump and let the country know the law applies to everyone.
