Trump News

[GURPS]

BIG QUESTION and A BIG COVERUP – Durham Report Brings Sunlight on Detail Never Released by IG Michael Horowitz About FBI Targeting Trump​

June 4, 2023 | Sundance | 423 Comments

I’m going to go into the deep weeds on this story, because many people are missing a key facet. The names behind the Trump targeting operation are included, along with citations for independent checks by House congressional investigators.

Inside the recently released report by John Durham [CITATION], the special counsel outlines how former FBI Director James Comey was intimately involved in the creation of the Carter Page FISA application. Durham notes that Comey kept asking the DOJ National Security Division and FBI counterintelligence investigators, “Where’s the FISA, we need the FISA.” However, John Durham never interviewed James Comey or Andrew McCabe. The former FBI Director and Deputy refused to cooperate or give testimony to John Durham. So, how did John Durham have details about the demands of Comey?

The answer is found in the footnotes. Durham reviewed transcripts of interviews given by Andrew McCabe to the Office of the Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, who previously investigated FBI conduct in the origin of the Carter Page FISA. Durham pulled quotes from that transcript. [Footnote #1207, page 199 – Durham Report]

 

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MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann predicted on Monday on “The Last Word,” with self-proclaimed socialist host Lawrence O’Donnell, that Trump will be indicted this week in special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents probe. Insider info, or wishful thinking? Either way, Weissman said:

A zillion stories about the Trump case, but the bottom line is he is getting charged and it will be in D.C., and this week. Open issues is [sic] is whether others may be charged and whether they will be in D.C. or Florida.

O’Donnell asked Weismann why he thinks the indictment(s) will come this week, to which he responded:

I think that’s based on a number of things but if you think about what we saw in the Manhattan case, we were looking to see that defense lawyers were given an opportunity to be heard. That’s really the thing that you do in a case like this at the final stage. And we saw the defense lawyers going in today to make their final attempt about why there should not be charges.
I just think in this case, knowing Jack Smith and his team, and the people hearing the appeal that it is extremely unlikely that they would be hearing something that would lead them to conclude that there should not be charges. And this is the sort of the thing you do at the very end.
I also think that there is internal pressure, even if they’re not admitting it themselves, that this is a case that needs to be brought to the American public. They need to know whether this happen [sic] or not, and it needs to be brought to trial.

As those who like to use the overused term “unpacked” like to say, there’s a helluva lot to be unpacked in Weissman’s above comments. First, as we reported on Monday, Trump’s lawyers did, in fact, meet with Department of Justice lawyers at DOJ headquarters on Monday for just under two hours. I’m not a lawyer, but that seems like a relatively short time, given the stakes in the case.

MSNBC Legal Analyst Claims Trump Will Be Indicted in Classified Documents Probe — This Week

redstate.com

 

[GURPS]

Last year, CTH outlined a four-part series of articles going deep into the background of the DOJ-FBI raid of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, along with the outline into why it was important to them. It doesn’t matter how many different legal angles and Deep State justifications the DOJ attempts to deploy in order to divert away from what took place; the background of who, what, when and why they raided Mar-a-Lago will not change.

In Part One, we outlined the background of the modern Deep State {Go Deep}. In Part Two we outlined the specifics of how President Trump was targeted by political operatives using tools created by the DC system {Go Deep}. In Part Three we outlined how and why President Trump was blocked from releasing documents {Go Deep}. And then finally, as below in Part 4, we assembled the specifics of what documents likely existed in Mar-a-Lago.

It is important to remember, the Presidential Records Act –the presented pretext for the document conflict– is not a criminal statute. An FBI raid cannot be predicated on a document conflict between the National Archives and a former president.

The DOJ-NSD warrant, and the subsequent raid on Mar-a-Lago can only be related to records the U.S. government deems “classified” and material vital to national security interests. Hence, DOJ National Security Division involvement.

In prior outlines, we have exhaustively covered the details of President Trump’s desire to publicly release information about DOJ and FBI conduct in their targeting of him during the fabricated Trump-Russia claims. However, to understand the nature of the documents he may hold, we first review the declassification memo provided by President Trump to the DOJ upon his departure from office.

Reminder, What Was in The Mar-a-Lago Documents - The Last Refuge

Last year, CTH outlined a four-part series of articles going deep into the background of the DOJ-FBI raid of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, along with the outline into why it was important to them. It doesn’t matter how many different legal angles and Deep State justifications the DOJ...

theconservativetreehouse.com

 

[GURPS]

Donald Trump indictment: Nation reacts to Trump being indicted for the second time​

Leaders in the political world are reacting to the historic federal indictment that comes months after the government recovered over 300 classified documents from Trump.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, expressed his stance shortly after the indictment was announced, saying he would pardon Trump if he were to be elected to the presidency in order to “restore the rule of law in our country.”

“It’s hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden,” Ramaswamy said in a Twitter statement.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) took to Twitter in an attempt to connect the Trump indictment and bribery allegations of President Joe Biden.

“Imagine being naive enough to believe that the Biden Bribe evidence and Trump indictment happening the same day was a coincidence,” Gaetz tweeted.

 

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[GURPS]

Ron DeSantis, Elon Musk, And Top Conservatives Respond To Trump Indictment​

A federal grand jury in Florida reportedly indicted the former president on seven charges in the criminal investigation into his handling of classified material after leaving office. While no one has seen the charges, reports indicated that they range from willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements.

“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” DeSantis, who is also running for president, said in a statement. “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.”

“Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?” he continued. “The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all.”

 

[GURPS]

Trump faces 100 YEARS behind bars if he's convicted of federal charges - including espionage - over classified documents, as sources claim outraged ex-president was blindsided by indictment​

• Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he was being indicted for his handling of classified documents
• The charges have not been made public, but Trump's lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN that there were seven charges which 'break out from an Espionage Act charge'
• ABC News reported that, if convicted of all seven, he could face up to 100 years behind bars: Trump has insisted he is innocent and called it a persecution

'It's NOT a coincidence!' MAGA campaign slams historic Trump federal indictment and says it was timed to coincide with claims Joe Biden was paid $5M by Ukrainian energy firm​

• Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc. have questioned the timing of Donald Trump's indictment
• Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had been indicted over his handling of classified information
• Hours earlier, Donalds and his colleagues were granted access to a document alleging that Joe Biden was involved in a $5m bribery scheme involving his son

 

[GURPS]

The Trump Indictment Is Much More Than An Interesting Coincidence​

The corruption of a nation’s justice system, vividly illustrated by the regular use of it for political dirty tricks, sends a message to everyone: you could be next, so don’t stick your head above the rampart. Trump is right to argue that the legal warfare against him is meant to send a message to his supporters, the tens of millions of Americans who have come to see their government as having been bought and paid for by powerful business and cultural interest groups.

The more prominent the individuals under attack in these law wars, the more threatening this prosecutorial and plaintiff power becomes for the public. Meanwhile, the use of prosecutorial discretion to thwart the removal of violent criminals from the streets demonstrates further the ability of government to manipulate systems to harass and destroy its enemies—and its increasing willingness to do so.

The treatment of Joe Biden has been a stark contrast to that of Trump. The media have continually and ruthlessly suppressed reports of shady dealings in which Biden has allegedly been involved, and Biden’s administration has predictably slow-walked any investigations of him and kept a tight hold on any alleged evidence against the president, most notably regarding schemes by his son Hunter from which Joe Biden may have benefitted financially and in other ways. In the first two years of his administration, a Congress with razor-thin Democrat majorities in both houses performed no oversight of Biden, and the press and media dutifully followed suit.

In addition to all that, whenever Biden did something embarrassing or some damaging information managed to leak out, it just happened that a large distraction would arise.

Like what occurred on Thursday.

 

[GURPS]

Multiple outlets, including The Guardian and ABC News, are reporting that U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon has initially been tapped to oversee what many consider to be a politically motivated and spurious case against Trump.

Why is this positive for Trump?

Cannon was appointed to the federal bench in 2020, as one of the last acts Trump performed as president.

It appears that the move in 2020 could pay dividends three years later.

Breaking: Trump Gets Amazing News - Guess What Judge He's Getting?

The former president has had a crazy few months. He may have gotten his first glimmer of genuine good news on Friday.

www.westernjournal.com

 

[GURPS]

Legal Opinions On Trump Indictment Incoming​

CTH has been hammering away on the Espionage Act angle—793(e). And with good reason. Obviously CTH is getting some good legal advice. Here CTH highlights a common misunderstanding. Violations of the Espionage Act need not involve “classified” documents. In fact, the entire classification system is a post WW2 innovation:

The United States government classification system is established under Executive Order 13526, the latest in a long series of executive orders on the topic beginning in 1951.

This is what CTH is talking about:

Listen Carefully, Special Counsel Jack Smith Delivers Statement Following Trump Indictment

The DOJ is not, repeat NOT, arguing a classified documents case. The entire legal framework is centered around documents they define as vital to the defense security of the United States. EVERYTHING is predicated on this 18 U.S. Code § 793(e) violation:
18 U.S. Code § 793 (e) Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it.
Despite the verbose language in the indictment, a key element of Lawfare, the case is weak. The prosecutors know it.

CTH is absolutely correct that the Trump situation is NOT what the Espionage Act purports to be about. The use of the Espionage Act has regularly been prone to abuse, and it has always had its critics because of the very broad and vague language, such as “relating to”. Hopefully Trump’s lawyers will attack from this angle in pre-trial motions.


The WSJ expands on that point regarding the PRA in a well stated editorial that does the normally rabidly anti-Trump paper credit:

A Destructive Trump Indictment. Do prosecutors understand the forces they are unleashing?
Wall Street Journal ^ | June 9, 2023 | WSJ Editorial Board

Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, his indictment by President Biden’s Justice Department is a fraught moment for American democracy. For the first time in U.S. history, the prosecutorial power of the federal government has been used against a former President who is also running against the sitting President. This is far graver than the previous indictment by a rogue New York prosecutor, and it will roil the 2024 election and U.S. politics for years to come.
Special counsel Jack Smith announced the indictment in a brief statement on Friday. But no one should be fooled: This is Attorney General Merrick Garland’s responsibility. Mr. Garland appointed Mr. Smith to provide political cover, but Mr. Garland, who reports to Mr. Biden, has the authority to overrule a special counsel’s recommendation. Americans will inevitably see this as a Garland-Biden indictment, and they are right to think so.
The indictment levels 37 charges against Mr. Trump that are related to his handling of classified documents, including at his Mar-a-Lago club, since he left the White House. Thirty-one of the counts are for violating the ancient and seldom-enforced Espionage Act for the “willful retention of national defense information.”
But it’s striking, and legally notable, that the indictment never mentions the Presidential Records Act (PRA) that allows a President access to documents, both classified and unclassified, once he leaves office. It allows for good-faith negotiation with the National Archives. Yet the indictment assumes that Mr. Trump had no right to take any classified documents.
This doesn’t fit the spirit or letter of the PRA, which was written by Congress to recognize that such documents had previously been the property of former Presidents. If the Espionage Act means Presidents can’t retain any classified documents, then the PRA is all but meaningless.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...

 

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“When the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, they wouldn’t let my lawyers or representatives anywhere near them,” Trump wrote on social media. “They wouldn’t tell us what they took. Knowing them, and based on past performance, they probably later ‘stuffed’ in other documents. My lawyers had to wait outside, on a very hot day. The FBI took my medical records, birth certificate, and passports, and just about anything else they were able to get their hands on. What a group! They didn’t do this to Crooked Joe Biden or Hillary.”

Special Counsel Jack Smith said during a press conference on Friday that the former president will get “a speedy trial on this matter, consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused.”

“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone,” Smith continued. “Applying those laws, collecting facts, that’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Trump Suggests That FBI Planted Classified Material Into Evidence They Took During Raid | The Daily Wire

www.dailywire.com

 

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4. Prosecutors say that Trump committed five specific examples of trying to obstruct the investigation

The indictment states that Trump “endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued retention of classified documents” by, among other things:

1. suggesting that his attorney falsely represent to the FBI and grand jury that [Trump] did not have documents called for by the grand jury subpoena;
2. directing defendant [Waltine Nauta] to move boxes of documents to conceal them from [Trump]’s attorney, the FBI, and the grand jury;
3. suggesting that his attorney hide or destroy documents called for by the grand jury subpoena;
4. providing to the FBI and grand jury just some of the documents called for by the grand jury subpoena, while claiming that he was cooperating fully; and
5. causing a certification to be submitted to the FBI and grand jury falsely representing that all documents called for by the grand jury subpoena had been produced-while knowing that, in fact, not all such documents had been produced.

5 Key Takeaways From The Trump Indictment | The Daily Wire

www.dailywire.com

 

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[BOP]

Trump appeared on a CNN “Voter Town Hall” last night and did the impossible: gave liberals something even more horrifying to consider than the idea of Tucker moving to Twitter. Anguished liberals wept over CNN’s downfall, and angrily accused the reliably woke network of literally spitting in Democracy’s face.

Libs were even madder at CNN than they were at President Trump:





I could go on, and on, and on. It was a LOT, it was lefty outrage multiplied by virtue-signaling with an exponent of shock and surprise. Let’s just say American leftists were more rattled than Carmen Miranda’s favorite maracas.

Earlier this week, when someone asked Trump WHY he was going on CNN, he said producers made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. I think part of what Trump got from CNN was the right to pick the crowd. The town hall crowd laughed at Trump’s jokes, applauded his strong points, and cheered him on as he pushed back against snide interviewer Kaitlan Collins, who acted more like an annoyed debater or maybe a small, neatly-dressed, starving hyena.

And Trump was a well-fed honey badger.

President Trump never conceded an inch of ground. When Collins asked him to deny that the 2020 elections were stolen, Trump instead called them “rigged” and said “I think that, when you look at that result and when you look at what happened during that election, unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens.”

☕️ TRUMP REDUX ☙ Thursday, May 11, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

A special in-depth look at Trump's CNN Town Hall last night and what it tells us about the Narrative; goodbye MTV News, we won't miss you; and Where in the World is Jamie Foxx (part 97).

www.coffeeandcovid.com

So many modern women think they're all that, and a bottomless bag of dark chocolate.

It drives them insane to think or realize that not every man is going to simp for them; not going to roll over and pee on themselves because these modern women give them the time of day.

Remember, 80% of women vote Demonrat, which is, coincidentally or not, the same percentage of women who file for divorce in this day and age.

 

[GURPS]

Remember, 80% of women vote Demonrat,

Damn, I didn't think the number was that high ..

 

[GURPS]

Breaking Exclusive – Right Wing Website, The Conservative Treehouse, Admits to Holding Identical Classified Documents Which Led to FBI Raid on Mar-a-Lago​

June 10, 2023 | Sundance | 247 Comments

Yes, it’s true, according to the information contained in the Jack Smith indictment of President Donald John Trump, The Conservative Treehouse likely holds similar “classified documents” as outlined in the case by the special prosecutor.

Once you understand how, you then understand one of the most overlooked nonsensical aspects to the insufferable DOJ and FBI case that has been pushed in the media for the past year.

The indictment accuses President Trump of withholding documents containing “classified markings,” a very specifically deployed obtuse wording intended to create the implication of something nefarious where nothing nefarious exists. It is entirely possible for a person, any person, especially a person who follows the news, to possess documents containing “classified markings.”

There is a big difference between a classified document and a document containing classified markings. As an example, anyone who has looked at the Carter Page FISA application, made public in July 2018, has reviewed a document containing “classified markings.” When a document is declassified, they do not remove the markings.

You might think this is a one-off use of the “documents with classification markings” lingo, but it’s not. This language is the underpinning of the entire DOJ/FBI framework that predicated the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Specifically, neither NARA nor the DOJ-NSD requested President Trump or his team to return Classified Documents. The DOJ demanded the return of any documents that contained “classified markings.” [SEE BELOW]






Because the verbiage is so intentionally obtuse (ie. Lawfare), a fulsome production in compliance with this DOJ demand would include any newspaper or magazine articles that had a picture of the Carter Page FISA application, or any printed online article that might contain the same or similar elements. There is a big difference between asking for a classified document return, and asking for a return of documents that contain “classified markings.” [Example from CTH, below left]

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/fisa-abuse-error-rate-v2.jpg

 

[GURPS]

Two Damning Paragraphs: Alan Dershowitz Dishes on Trump's Indictment​

When asked whether the indictment against Trump was damning, Dershowitz replied:

“Part of it is, part of it isn’t. The material about simply possessing classified material is not a damning indictment. We knew it was coming. The [Presidential] Records Act probably is at least a potential defense to that. There are two damning paragraphs, just two, paragraph 34 and paragraph 35, where they have tape recordings of the former President basically acknowledging that some of the papers that he possessed and showed to a writer — I’ll just read you — so ‘as President I could’ve declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still [a] secret.’ …
So, I think this is a serious indictment on these two charges. Everything else I think is exactly what we expected. There’s no difference between that and what Hillary Clinton and others have done, not enough to justify this. It doesn’t meet what I call the Richard Nixon standard, which was very clear obstruction of justice, destroying evidence, paying bribes. This is too close a case to bring against a man running for president against the incumbent president. The only exception to that are these two paragraphs, and we’re going to have to hear an explanation from Trump’s lawyers or from Trump as to how he can justify having shown, to somebody who doesn’t have security clearance, allegedly some information about a plan to attack Iran.”

In an example of how Trump’s lawyers might address the audio recording of the conversation, Dershowitz suggested that they “may claim [Trump] didn’t show it to [the other person], he just kind of waved it in front of him as part of his kind of bragging.”

As silly as it might sound, this just might be one of the best strategies Trump’s team could use. The recording was audio only, so it is not clear whether the former president actually had the other individual read the document, or just “waved it in front of him” as Dershowitz suggested. There is a significant difference between giving someone a document and having them read it and just brandishing it in front of them to show that he possessed the document. The government will have to prove to a jury that the former president actually showed the other person the classified contents in the papers.

 

[GURPS]

Same Plot, Different Actors​

I refer you to the Lewis “Scooter” Libby and Senator Ted Stevens cases I’ve written about here. In particular, the detailed account of the former case in the now defunct Weekly Standard. It was written in 2006 and is now in the Washington Examiner archives. If it is difficult for you to access, this more recent and less detailed article may help refresh your recollection.

Here are some of the common features: Count Stacking -- that is, separating a single matter into multiple counts for the purpose of poisoning the public, sensationalizing the case, and persuading a jury that there’s a pony in all that dung. (In this case, I’d add, dissuading voters from continuing to support Trump.) Cherry picking statements out of context, sometimes relying on both hearsay and misrepresentations. Leaking to the press even information which is false. Allegations aren’t evidence, and with this corrupt Department of Justice, you’d be wise to remember that.

Here are some examples: The indictment shows many boxes stacked in a bathroom and ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, but most of those seem to be simply memorabilia that Trump saved, like presidents before him. In fact, the government claims that of the 13,000 documents they seized at Trump’s residence, only 102 had “classified markings” and only 31 are in issue, of which only 21 are claimed to be related to “national defense.” The President retains his secret clearance after leaving office. Why show all those boxes stored unsecured? Certainly, to create a certain impression of massive amounts of secret materials. The indictment indicates just six top-secret and 18 secret documents were in his office. The other 11 top-secret and 36 secret documents were in a storage facility onsite, which had a lock and key that was specified by the government in a security audit weeks before the raid in the midst of a discussion over which documents were to be kept by Trump, a fact omitted from the indictment. Moreover, the entire facility was guarded round the clock by the Secret Service. Compare and contrast with Biden’s careless treatment of 1850 boxes of government documents scattered about unsecured in the University of Delaware, University of Pennsylvania, Chinatown D.C., and a garage.

"In the middle of directing the difficult task of transferring the historically important records of the Obama administration into the National Archives, the archivist in charge, David Ferriero, ran into a serious problem: A lot of key records are missing." "And yet the accumulation of recent congressional testimony has made it clear that the Obama administration itself engaged in the wholesale destruction and “loss” of tens of thousands of government records covered under the act as well as the intentional evasion of the government records recording system by engaging in private email exchanges." – “Crisis at the National Archives”

If you recall, the prosecutor in the Libby case knew that Richard Armitage, not Lewis Libby, had leaked the name of Valerie Plame and kept that secret from the public, the Court and the defendant when he made his impassioned speech announcing the indictment and the government admitted after the fact that the leak jeopardized no agents’ lives despite the prosecutor’s outrageous closing speech to the jury. That prejudicial speech offered Libby two choices: let it stand with some cautionary language from the judge, which was unlikely to undo the damage, or demand a mistrial in which case he’d have to go through this expensive and draining exercise again. In that case, too, a NYT reporter was jailed to force her to testify against Libby and she did so only after having been misled by the prosecution -- a deception she realized only after the conviction.

 

[herb749]

Trump won't do this but maybe he should take a step back from his campaign until some of these matters settle down. What it will also prove is media bias when with him not front & center how the media will start to attack the others running. Then he comes back to point out what all republicans know is how the media bias is about anything on the right.

 

[GURPS]

Dershowitz Slams Trump Indictment as Unconstitutional Targeting by Department of Justice​

Calling Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Friday afternoon statement gaslighting (just as RedState did), Dershowitz slammed the DOJ for targeting Trump while ignoring similar offenses by elected officials who didn’t have the special privileges and protections Trump had as President.

He was assigned only one job: to get Trump. If you put aside all your resources and do what Justice Jackson warned about 80 years ago, where he said, “It’s a question of picking the man and then searching the law books or putting investigators to work to pin some offense on him.” That’s what they did. And Jack Smith is wrong when he says there’s one set of laws. He was assigned only one job: to get Trump.

Whitaker noted the aggressive prosecution by Smith, who’s already been reversed in one aggressive prosecution, before predicting that the issue of whether the Espionage Act or the Presidential Records Act applies will be the number one legal issue in the case.

It’s a very aggressive prosecution by Jack Smith. And I’ll point out that he was the one that got reversed 9-0 by the U.S. Supreme Court on the Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell case for taking a very aggressive position on a statute. You know, the interplay between the Presidential Records Act, which says all documents are covered by that act, and the Espionage Act, which preceded it and was passed in 1917, about four months into World War I, I think is going to be the most important issue that the courts are going to have to decide.
…
This document [the indictment] only talks about national defense information under the Espionage Act. That’s a separate category under the statutes than classified information that’s marked classified.

About that “damning” recording… Whitaker had some interesting information about it, and a possible defense strategy for Trump:

And my understanding is this document that Professor Dershowitz talked about and was spoke about in this tape recording was never recovered. And so there is going to be a very interesting at trial argument that goes on as to whether… – you know, Donald Trump sometimes extends the truth a little bit, and this may be a case where we don’t actually know what that document was. And since they didn’t recover it, we may never know what that document actually was.