Legal expert: New DOJ addition makes it “very hard not to pursue this to an indictment”

Reports that Trump had China, Iran docs are "really scary and threaten our security," ex-prosecutor says

Published October 31, 2022 10:47AM (EDT)

Former President Donald Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Raw Story

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It was reported on Sunday that David Raskin, one of the top prosecutors in the country when it comes to stolen government documents, joined the Justice Department team investigating Donald Trump's documents he took from the White House to Mar-a-Lago. As the Washington Post explained, it shows that the DOJ is very serious and they're moving toward prosecuting the former president.

"They are now focusing on the confidential documents that were kept at Mar-a-Lago, endangering our national security. That's why you are bringing in someone who is a specialist in national security," said former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks. "The recent reporting about documents coming from that pile that involved Iran and China are really scary and threaten our security. It's a very smart thing to focus on that. It makes it very hard for the Department of Justice not to pursue this to an indictment."

"There have been a number of people prosecuted for having dangerous materials in their possession, having wrongfully taken them. really, Donald Trump is a former president. He has no special rights," she explained. He has to be held accountable. If not, it's opening the door for anyone in the future to do the same thing. Or in the event that he should ever return to office, for him to continue to do even more damage."

She then described what the next steps are, including Trump's desperate need to delay as long as possible before talking

"He is known for delay, deflect, and disinformation," she continued. "He will continue to delay. He cannot just thumb his nose at the committee because we know what happens when that happens. We can assume that there will be discussions with that committee. But the committee also notes that it has a limited timeframe. It set a timeframe that was reasonable but that allow them to finish their work before they expire at the end of the year. They only expire if the Democrats don't keep control of the House. We don't know that yet. I know what the reporting is, and I know what the predictions are, but this is not predictable, in the sense that in the last elections, the Democrats have outperformed what was expected."

She also said that she is still hopeful that the committee will continue. Even if that doesn't happen, however, the Department of Justice will continue with its probe.

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By Sarah Burris

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