Trump’s defence secretary says his hoarding of secrets was ‘unauthorised, illegal and dangerous’
Donald Trump’s former defence chief threw cold water on the assertion from his former boss and his allies that the classified records and other documents seized from the ex-president’s home and resort in an FBI raid were his to take. As the ex-president’s loyalists continue to offer a wide scope of defences for their leader ranging from arguments that Mr Trump was allowed to designate the materials as personal records for his own safekeeping to the idea that the prosecution is merely a politicised weaponisation of the Justice Department, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has offered his own assessment on the situation. On Sunday, he joined CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, and flatly stated that his ex-boss’s actions were “illegal and dangerous”. “People have described him as a hoarder when it comes to these type of documents. But, clearly, it was unauthorized, illegal and dangerous,” said Mr Esper. “If the allegations are true that it contained information about our nation’s security, about our vulnerabilities, about other items, it could be quite harmful to the nation. And, look, no one is above the law. And so I think this process needs to play out and people held to account, the president held to account,” he continued. It was a firm look at the facts of the investigation from a man who, under the same ex-president now facing roughly three dozen federal charges, had access to some of the nation’s most classified materials and had oversight over America’s armed services as well as the CIA. Mr Esper was one of a number of the former president’s top officials who did not make it through the end of the Trump presidency; in the secretary’s case, he was fired days after the 2020 election as an increasingly volatile then-President Trump ordered thousands of US troops out of an already rapidly-deteriorating Afghanistan — reportedly having wanted the effort to conclude even before the election. Others, like members of his press team and the head of the Department of Transportation, Elaine Chao, would resign following the attack on the US Capitol by thousands of Mr Trump’s supporters on January 6. The withdrawal agreement signed by the Trump administration has widely been cited as contributing to the swift end of Afghanistan’s democratic government at the hands of the Taliban, accelerating with the departure of military contractors under Joe Biden’s presidency in 2021. Mr Trump has pled not guilty to 37 charges related to his allegedly illegal retention of documents from the White House following the end of his presidency, includng classified materials. He separately faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York state. Read More Attorney General Garland keeps poker face as firestorm erupts after Trump charges Miami's Francis Suarez looks to become first sitting mayor to be president Nikki Haley's husband begins Africa deployment as she campaigns for 2024 GOP nomination South Carolina GOP sets Feb. 24 date for first-in-the-South presidential primary Voters think Trump is a criminal, Biden is too old and DeSantis is a fascist, new poll finds DeSantis quiet on Trump indictment as he faces conservatives in Trump country
2023-06-19 02:50
Binance, SEC reach agreement to keep US customer assets in country
Binance and the US Securities and Exchange Commission reached an agreement to avoid a full asset freeze of the platform in the US and keep customer assets in the United States, after a US district judge signed off on a consent order filed Saturday.
2023-06-19 02:49
MLB Rumors: Marmol hot seat, Red Sox conflict brewing, Mets botch Alonso return
MLB Rumors: Red Sox conflict coming to a head between Alex Cora, Chaim BloomBoston Red Sox fans are undoubtedly not strangers to being frustrated with both Chief Baseball Office Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora. And apparently, the two members of the organization are also growing increasingly fru...
2023-06-19 02:22
NHL Rumors: Latest developments with 4 New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have a very busy offseason on their hands. Many moves will be made, and some of them are already in the works.With the NHL offseason underway, the New Jersey Devils will continue building upon their strong roster. General manager Tom Fitzgerald already completed a beneficia...
2023-06-19 01:59
The top 10 best players to join MLS - ranked
Ranking the best players to have joined Major League Soccer.
2023-06-19 01:54
Sporting Kansas City's Peter Vermes frustrated after 2-1 loss to LAFC
Sporting Kansas City went into last night's home match against LAFC riding a wave of positivity from their last four matches (3W-1D) but a late banger from LA's veteran striker Carlos Vera sealed their fate in front of over 19,000 fans.
2023-06-19 01:51
USMNT rumors: Balogun to Palace, Bocanegra to Rangers, Reynolds to MLS
Today's USMNT rumors include Folarin Balogun being linked with Crystal Palace. Carlos Bocanegra has beeninterviewed by Rangers to become theirdirector of football and there are MLS teams interested in Bryan Reynolds.USMNT rumors: Folarin Balogun to Crystal PalaceMost of the interest in Fola...
2023-06-19 00:50
Voters think Trump is a criminal, Biden is too old and DeSantis is a fascist, new poll finds
A new poll out from JL Partners underscores major weaknesses for the three men most likely to be sworn in as president on 20 January 2025, with little good news to soften the blow. With the GOP primary now in full swing, Americans are getting a good look at the alternatives the Republican Party will present to the re-election of President Joe Biden, who was already the oldest president ever to take office when he did so in 2021. But the top contenders in the GOP, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, each have debilitating labels to overcome if they have any shot of picking up ground with a general election audience, according to the survey. For Mr Trump, voters were most likely to describe him in one word as a “criminal”; others were even less flattering, such as “disgusting”, “liar”, “evil” and “dangerous” (though “patriot” also made a top-10 appearance). The Florida governor got off arguably worse. The top two responses from voters describing Mr DeSantis were “fascist” and “unsure”, the latter indicating possible unfamiliarity with his political record or a lack of name recognition. And while Mr Biden fares better than either of his would-be opponents, the incumbent president nevertheless remains chained to concerns about his age, which dominated the minds of the most voters asked for their one-word summation of him. Altogether, the poll results signaled that Americans are largely unsatisfied with the options they have for leadership over the next half decade. To be sure, those three men are not the only candidates running, but no other Republican is polling at a numerically significant level at present and Mr Biden’s party is highly unlikely to facilitate a primary challenge against an incumbent president. The poll, conducted on behalf of the Daily Mail, most likely outlines the kind of attacks that voters can expect to see in a general election scenario; concerns about Mr Biden’s age and supposed feebleness will be front and centre, as will discussion of Mr Trump’s multiple criminal investigations or Mr DeSantis’s record of support for hard-right conservative legislation in his home state of Florida should either of them be the GOP nominee. JL Partners’ survey included responses from 1,000 likely general election voters between 12-15 June. The margin of error was 3.1 per cent. Read More Attorney General Garland keeps poker face as firestorm erupts after Trump charges Miami's Francis Suarez looks to become first sitting mayor to be president Biden warns union members that Republicans are ‘coming for your jobs’ in 2024 campaign speech in Philadelphia Trump is incredibly guilty: that doesn’t mean he’ll get the prison time he deserves Trump says ‘Long live the King’ in rant about Fox a day after Biden said ‘God save the Queen’ DeSantis quiet on Trump indictment as he faces conservatives in Trump country
2023-06-19 00:24
Lionel Messi insists he is 'happy' with Inter Miami decision
Lionel Messi insists he is happy with his decision to snub a return to Barcelona this summer in order to take on a fresh challenge with struggling MLS club Inte
2023-06-19 00:17
Trump news – live: New poll casts Trump as ‘criminal’ as senior ex-official calls documents case ‘dangerous’
Former president Donald Trump began his weekend by lashing out against his long list of enemies, ranting on Truth Social about Biden family conspiracies, the federal indictment against him, and perceived disloyalty at Fox News. In a bizarre post, he compared himself to a “King” and a “Golden Goose.” Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the former president’s chief rival in the 2024 election sharped his message. Joe Biden told a room full of union members Republicans were coming to take their jobs. “They are coming for your jobs. They are coming for your future. They are coming for the future we are building for your kids and grandkids,” Mr Biden told the crowd. Read More Trump declared ‘food for all’ in post-arrest stop at Miami cafe – but reportedly skipped bill Trump says ‘Long live the King’ in rant about Fox a day after Biden said ‘God save the Queen’ Donald Trump scores rare legal win as DA drops golf course tax probe Trump's promise of payback for prosecution follows years of attacking democratic traditions Is Donald Trump going to prison?
2023-06-18 23:59
World’s No. 2 Gold Miner Is Trying to Get Bigger in Copper
For a company with “gold” in its name, Barrick Gold Corp. has become noticeably fixated on copper. The
2023-06-18 22:59
Iraq: displays 2800-year-old stone tablet returned by Italy
Italian authorities handed over the ancient tablet to Iraq after more than four decades.
2023-06-18 22:22