麻豆影视

World

    • 'Bombshell': D.C. national security attorney says U.S. DOJ filings on Mar-a-Lago raid expose Trump

    Share

    A late-night filing of legal briefs outlining previously unknown allegations about the FBI raid on former U.S. president Donald Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago resort exposed gaping holes in his version of events, according to an expert.

    The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Trump of obstructing its investigation to retrieve sensitive documents, taking the extraordinary step of releasing a photo of files marked "highly classified" and "top secret" that it says were seized from his Florida home.

    The DOJ says it has evidence that "government records were likely concealed and removed," and that "efforts were taken to obstruct the government's investigation."

    The filings suggest criminality, but don't prove it. No legal actions have been announced.

    鈥淭he former president and several of his lawyers 鈥 have a lot of criminal exposure here,鈥 Bradley Moss, a national security attorney in the Washington, D.C. , area, told CTV National News Washington Correspondent Richard Madan on Wednesday.

    鈥淢ostly for false representations to the FBI and to NARA (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration), as well as the efforts to keep these documents located at Mar-a-Lago and to conceal them from the government.鈥

    Earlier this month, the FBI exercised a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, seizing numerous classified documents. Trump and his lawyers claim the documents discovered at the resort in Palm Beach, Fla., had been previously declassified when he was in office.

    However, legal briefs filed by the U.S. Department of Justice filings say that this argument was never made in the months that NARA was attempting to get the former president to return the documents, with the details pointing to a new potential charge: obstruction of justice.

    Moss, who primarily deals with employees within the government, military or intelligence community and has experience going through security clearance disciplinary actions, said he was blown away when he read the filings late last night.

    鈥淏oom! That鈥檚 what went through my mind,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ombshell. This was a complete evisceration of the Trump team鈥檚 legal arguments.鈥

    He said that because the government was able to file documents about the raid itself, it was able to be more transparent with details that the public likely wouldn鈥檛 have seen for months.

    鈥淭he government was allowed to outline a lot of facts that otherwise would not have come out in this pre-indictment phase during a criminal investigation,鈥 he said of what is alleged in the documents. 鈥淭hey were allowed to walk you through a lot more details on how this investigation unfolded, what the problems were with the Trump team鈥檚 responses as they were trying to work through the problem with the records, and how the obstruction angle came into play.鈥

    The filings laid out how the government said it learned that records were being moved, and attempted numerous times to have those records returned, only to receive just some of the missing documents each time.

    鈥淎fter they went in June with the subpoena and they got the sworn affidavit from Trump lawyers saying that鈥檚 it, there's nothing more, the government found evidence that there were in fact documents still on the property, located in areas other than the storage room,鈥 Moss said the filings suggest. 鈥淎nd sure enough, that鈥檚 what the search warrant found.鈥

    He said that Trump essentially 鈥減uts himself in these situations.

    鈥淚t could鈥檝e been written off as a small mistake if, after being told that these records were still at Mar-a-Lago, he had turned everything back over to the archives in 2021. It would鈥檝e been 鈥榥o harm, no foul.鈥 But Donald Trump doesn鈥檛 work like that.鈥

    The filings claim that Trump鈥檚 lawyers fought to delay the return of documents, battling with NARA and the FBI for months, only to still provide just some of the documents when presented with a subpoena. According to the filing, a Trump lawyer stated at the time that all of the documents had been stored in one storage room, and that there were none in any private space.

    鈥淔inally, it took a search warrant to recover the remaining 100 classified records sitting in places like Donald Trump鈥檚 desk in his personal office,鈥 Moss said.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 significant criminal exposure. There are people who have gone to jail for less under the espionage act. And in respect to obstruction 鈥 to what extent did Donald Trump lie to his lawyers? To what extent did the lawyers act irresponsibly or possibly lie to the FBI? That鈥檚 the kind of information we still don鈥檛 know for sure.鈥

    While the criminal element is suggested, it's not proven in the filings, and hasn't been tested in court.

    Trump鈥檚 lawyers 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 need their own lawyers now, he said.

    鈥淎nd as I鈥檝e said for many years and others coined it before me, 'MAGA' in my view stands for 鈥楳ake Attorneys Get Attorneys.鈥 This is not the first Trump lawyer to get in trouble and it probably won鈥檛 be the last, but yes, if I was Christina Bobb, if I was Alina Habba, if I was Evan Corcoran, I鈥檇 be hiring a lawyer right now to protect myself from potential criminal exposure, because they all became material fact witnesses in this ongoing criminal probe.鈥

    Whether Trump will be indicted on obstruction charges 鈥 after having avoided charges in an obstruction investigation related to an investigation into whether his 2016 presidential campaign had colluded with Russia 鈥 remains to be seen.

    鈥淚t is my view, based off the information we already have, that Donald Trump could be, and in my professional opinion, should be indicted,鈥 Moss said. 鈥淭hough I do not believe it will happen before the mid-term elections in November.鈥

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    The Bloc Quebecois is poised to begin talks with other parties to bring down the minority Liberal government, which has not met its deadline to pass two key bills.

    The Saskatchewan Party has maintained its hold onto power, battling its way to a fifth consecutive majority government.

    The final count has been completed in B.C.'s nail-biting 2024 election, with incumbent Premier David Eby managing to clinch another victory for the NDP.

    A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.

    Canada

    • Suspended Ottawa lawyer James Bowie has been ordered to pay $235,000 in damages to a former client after he repeatedly suggested she pay for his legal services with oral sex and released personal details about her online after the allegations were reported by 麻豆影视 Ottawa.

    • A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.

    • The family and community of a woman who died in a Halifax Walmart is still waiting for answers.

    • Marred by several delays, the trial of alleged human traffickers Lauriston and Amber Maloney finally got underway on Monday in a Bradford courtroom, with a woman who worked and lived with the couple testifying.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Edmonton Oilers, who gave up three goals on six shots at Nationwide Arena, and trailed the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 after the first period, had more things to worry about than making a comeback on Monday night.

    • Another day, another chance for the Winnipeg Jets to extend their season opening winning streak.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.

    New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    • The final count has been completed in B.C.'s nail-biting 2024 election, with incumbent Premier David Eby managing to clinch another victory for the NDP.

    • Henrickson was a 17-year-old girl from Squamish who went missing after a house party on Bowen Island, during the then unusually warm summer of 2009.

    • Mandatory judicial recounts will happen in two B.C. ridings, further prolonging the province鈥檚 nail-bitingly close 2024 election and potentially impacting the outcome.

    • A pedestrian was rushed to hospital with serious injuries late Monday night after a collision in Toronto鈥檚 Mount Dennis neighbourhood.

    • The TTC is sharing details about how it plans to cope with the massive influx of Taylor Swift fans into Toronto鈥檚 core during the superstar鈥檚 six-show stay in the city.

    • A 31-year-old man died in hospital over the weekend after being found critically injured in an underground parking garage in North York late last week.

    • Nearly a decade after Anthony Heffernan was fatally shot by a police officer inside a northeast Calgary hotel room, his family continues to fight for accountability.

    • The Alberta government introduced its promised amendment to the provincial Bill of Rights on the first day of the legislature's fall sitting on Monday, a move Premier Danielle Smith said will "strengthen" human rights protections and "ensure our province remains one of the freest societies in the world."

    • There was a serious crash Monday night involving a Calgary police cruiser and a passenger car on Macleod Trail and 12th Avenue S.E. near Stampede Park.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Police say the homicide unit is investigating after a man was stabbed and later died Monday night. One person has been arrested.

    • The O-Train is only operating on the westbound platform at St. Laurent Station on Tuesday, as crews address 鈥渁n area of concern鈥 on the south side of the tunnel at the busy light rail transit station in Ottawa鈥檚 east end.

    • NEW THIS MORNING

      NEW THIS MORNING

      The City of Ottawa's Vacant Unit Tax could get tougher, with increasing penalties for properties that remain unoccupied for multiple years.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      There's a wave of warm autumn weather in store this week for Montreal, which means trick-or-treaters will likely be treated with record-breaking temperatures on Halloween.

    • Drivers are being reminded of another complete closure of the Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge this weekend.

    • A 53-year-old man suffered serious injuries after being allegedly attacked by another patient at a Montreal hospital.

    • Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has dismantled one of the 鈥榤ost elaborate encampments鈥 officers have ever seen.

    • Mikael Pyyhtia scored his first NHL goal, and the Columbus Blue Jackets whipped the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday night for their second straight home win.

    • The Alberta government introduced its promised amendment to the provincial Bill of Rights on the first day of the legislature's fall sitting on Monday, a move Premier Danielle Smith said will "strengthen" human rights protections and "ensure our province remains one of the freest societies in the world."

    • A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.

    • The family and community of a woman who died in a Halifax Walmart is still waiting for answers.

    • Nova Scotia's three major political parties are hitting the campaign trail this morning with events in the Halifax area.

    • The Pas residents are being asked to lock their doors and be on the lookout for an escaped inmate RCMP consider dangerous.

    • An assault on a woman at a University of Manitoba dorm room has left students on edge.

    • A Winnipeg woman is recovering after being run over by her own vehicle during a carjacking this weekend.

    • The Saskatchewan Party has maintained its hold onto power, battling its way to a fifth consecutive majority government.

    • Saskatchewan's 2024 provincial election was not kind to the Sask Party candidates defending seats in Regina and Saskatoon, with the vast majority being voted out at the time of the call late Monday night.

    • With multiple polls suggesting a tight race to the finish for Saskatchewan's major political parties 鈥 here are the ridings where some extra attention may be required.

    • The plan proposes a 1.26 per cent tax increase to fund over 140 city services and introduce an infrastructure renewal levy to maintain city assets.

    • What role does ideology play in the sentencing of the man who pleaded guilty to four charges in an attack at the University of Waterloo?

    • The Guelph Police Service is planning to dedicate more resources to ensuring public safety in the city鈥檚 downtown area as part of an ongoing initiative.

    • The Saskatchewan Party has maintained its hold onto power, battling its way to a fifth consecutive majority government.

    • RCMP collision analysts are investigating after a school bus crashed southwest of Tisdale on Monday.

    • This provincial election is shaping up to be a nail biter, with data heading into today鈥檚 election showing the two front runners neck and neck.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Sudbury on Monday afternoon to make an infrastructure funding announcement at a wastewater facility.

    • A landlord in Sault Ste. Marie discriminated against a man who is deaf and has limited sight, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ruled.

    • Two people were busted in Nipissing First Nation trying to use fake money to buy machinery, Anishinabek Police Service says.

    • The fire had emergency responders blocking off eastbound traffic on Byron Baseline Road near Wickerson road.

    • South Bruce residents narrowly voted in favour of plans to bury Canada鈥檚 most radioactive nuclear waste under their municipality on Monday.

    • An Oxford County retirement residence at the centre of a fraud investigation has announced it will be closing its doors next month, leaving residents and their families with just a couple of weeks to find alternate accommodations.

    • A Midland senior has resorted to living in her shed out of desperation

    • Ontario鈥檚 Special Investigation Unit has not confirmed the identities of three people found dead inside a home in Huntsville as the community is left reeling.

    • Playing Encore on Lotto 6/49 netted Port McNicoll man $100,000.

    • After nearly 50 years in silence, Chris MacLean is ready to share his experience of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

    • Windsor police officers are asking for the public鈥檚 help to identify two suspects related to the death of a 69-year-old man in south-central Windsor.

    • If you see some commotion along the riverfront, don鈥檛 fret! His Majesty鈥檚 Canadian Ship (HCMS) 鈥淗arry DeWolf鈥 is in Windsor for the 2024 Marine Careers Expo.

    • The final count has been completed in B.C.'s nail-biting 2024 election, with incumbent Premier David Eby managing to clinch another victory for the NDP.

    • Mandatory judicial recounts will happen in two B.C. ridings, further prolonging the province鈥檚 nail-bitingly close 2024 election and potentially impacting the outcome.

    • Mounties are investigating after the remains of at least one person were found following a house fire on Vancouver Island on Monday morning.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Food Banks Canada's annual Hunger Count report shows more Canadians than ever are resorting to food banks.

    • RCMP say a Medicine Hat man was killed in a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle in southeast Alberta on Sunday evening.

    • A tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Lethbridge and more than 900 employees belonging to CUPE Local 70.

    • A Sault Ste. Marie woman had a close encounter this weekend with a group of coyotes -- and her small dog just narrowly escaped serious injury.

    • A seminar took place Monday in North Bay with law enforcement agencies, traffic experts and other community partners looking to try and end impaired driving.

    • A landlord in Sault Ste. Marie discriminated against a man who is deaf and has limited sight, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ruled.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视