Excuses

When failing to hand in an assignment, a widely used explanation goes along the lines of “the dog ate my homework”.

Definition: Excuse

noun [1] a reason or explanation given to justify a fault or offence [2] a reason put forward to conceal the real reason for an action; [3] a pretext: as an excuse to get out of the house she went to post a letter; [4]  in the  US, a note written by a doctor or parent excusing a pupil from school.

Many have offered their opinion on excuses or those making the excuse:

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” 
― George Washington

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” 
― Benjamin Franklin

“Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions.” 
― Ayn Rand, Philosophy: Who Needs It?

“To rush into explanations is always a sign of weakness.” 
― Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery

Recently, some 20 boxes of government documents (in addition to some 15 boxes recovered earlier) and other items were found at former-president Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago Florida. They were supposed to have been provided to the National Archives at the end of his term in office. 

Many explanations have been offered by both Trump and his supporters, such as:

• Like many people, Trump took papers back to residence to read after work [but he no longer works in the White House]
• The FBI planted the evidence [but how were they able to sneak in 20 boxes without being caught by the security cameras (which Trump and his lawyers were monitoring during the search)]
• The GSA movers moved boxes by mistake [but they have said they just moved what they were told to]
• Trump said he had declassified the papers [but it’s unclear whether the process to declassify was followed; regardless, declassification doesn’t change the sensitivity of the information; whether classified, or not, is not relevant: “the taking or concealment of government records is a crime regardless of whether they had anything to do with national security” that is the problem]
• Why didn’t they come earlier [but the National Archives did start this process of requesting documents soon after the former-president left office]
• The DOJ could have “just asked”; they didn’t need a search warrant [but the National Archives did ask, and when they got no response, they referred the matter to the DOJ who then subpoenaed, then issued a search warrant]
• If the president does it, it’s not illegal [but Nixon tried that defense as well, and it failed]

There are several other explanations that have been uttered, but few offer insight into why he had the documents; the purpose for which they were intended has not been offered, rather most explanations seem to be distractions and obfuscations.

The Presidential Records Act of 1978 establishes public ownership of presidential records (meaning they belong to the people, not the president), and states all records need to be transferred to the National Archives at the end of a term.  Trump’s term ended in January 2021. 

The timeline from the end of the Trump Administration to now is summarized below:

• January 2021: Trump names seven people as his representative for all future requests from the National Archives (1)
• National Archives receives a collection of documents at end of administration
• The National Archives discovered Trump had taken documents and asked that they be returned, entered into months of negotiations to retrieve them (2)
• January 2022: Trump returned 15 boxes of material
• February 2022: Many of these were marked classified, so matter was referred to the Justice Department (3) who convened a grand jury
• April 2022: DOJ begins their own investigation into how classified documents ended up in Trump’s home (1)
• May 2022: DOJ issues subpoena to National Archives for classified documents found at Trump’s home (1).
• Spring: The DOJ issued a subpoena seeking additional documents they believed were being held in Trump’s home (4)
• In June DOJ visits Mar-a-Lago, when they were shown boxes kept in the storage area, and they left with additional material marked as classified
• In June, Trump lawyers said everything had been returned (5) hence the obstruction of charges
• DOJ asks Trump to secure (padlock) the storage area with remaining documents (6)
• DOJ subpoenaed surveillance footage which showed boxes being moved in/out of the room
• August, DOJ executes a search warrant and removes 20 boxes of material

By declaring the actions of the DOJ and FBI as a witch hunt, it might seem ironic that Trump, who tried to reform the justice system into a political arm for his deployment, is now claiming to be the subject of such politicalization.

Trump was the first president in over 100 year who didn’t have a pet dog while living in the White House.