Former President Donald Trump has claimed he legally took government documents, stating, "I took them very legally and I wasn't hiding them...I had the right to do it, in my opinion." His lawyers are currently attempting to persuade a Florida federal judge that under the Presidential Records Act, Trump had the authority to declare any document personal and retain possession after his presidency. The dispute highlights Trump's interpretation of the act, suggesting he could designate sensitive records as personal property. This interpretation is being challenged, with critics arguing that the act does not allow the president to arbitrarily decide the nature of such documents.
Analysis by Philip Bump: Under the Presidential Records Act, the president can’t simply say “this is personal now” about certain documents. Yet, in a court filing submitted in Florida, that’s exactly what Donald Trump’s attorneys appear to be arguing. https://t.co/rC2DC2o697
Trump's lawyers argued the Presidential Records Act gave him the authority to take sensitive records to his Florida estate and designate them as personal property. https://t.co/f98T6eUMEX
Trump claims he was allowed to take the government documents. https://t.co/k6UyoYPv0z
The dispute centers on the Trump team's interpretation of the Presidential Records Act, which they say gave him the authority to designate the documents as personal and maintain possession of them after his presidency. https://t.co/aWHUAuB0aZ
Former President Donald Trump's lawyers are trying to convince a Florida federal judge he had "unreviewable discretion" to make any document personal in nature. https://t.co/1BR8LkRcBJ
Trump Tells Newsmax He Took Government Documents 'Very Legally and I Wasn't Hiding Them' https://t.co/ivpOIt0P29
Donald Trump on stealing classified documents: "I took them very legally and I wasn't hiding them...I had the right to do it, in my opinion." https://t.co/RcFayVzFzf