Now, he's shrugging off a law Congress passed decades ago to preserve White House papers — and historians are taking him to court.
At stake is the fate of millions of papers and electronic messages — not just for Trump's second term in office, but for future presidents and people who want to understand them.
Matthew Connelly, a history professor at Columbia University, says the move shows Trump is trying to ensure the presidency "is answerable to no one, not even the court of history."
"This latest case is just another example of the utter contempt with which they hold not just history but the rights of their fellow citizens to hold them to account," he said, about the current administration.
25 Comments
IHeartBadCode@fedia.io · 42 pts · 142d
The issue here is a weak Congress that keeps not using the one process that the people who made this country put in there to ensure that Congress reminds the President that "uh huh, you do have to have some accountability."
And they keep not using that one process because they've wholly abandoned the notion of "country first".
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 141d
To be fair the entire government has ignored 90% of everything the founding fathers put in to ensure things ran smoothly.
Half because a lot of it was bullshit made up by a bunch of jaded tired rich white folk who basically spent their entire lives either having no responsibility or too much responsibility.
Half because congress realized by fucking everything they could work even less then they needed too while making more money and having more power.
Also racism.
0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -1 pts · 140d
Oh my sweet summer child, the founding scoundrels plan is going according to plan.
Which was "for rich by the rich." from the very beginning.
Maybe read a history book and not Hollywood movies for history lessons next time.
onion_dude@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 140d
Just sharing a thought in case you're open to it.
Its great reading threads where people debate and counter each other. It can change and shape my opinions on all kinds of subjects. But when the threads just name calling it feels kind of gross, and is a real put off the opinions being shared.
You seem to know the subject, so I'll bet you've got some really interesting points you could share. I'd love to see a tidbit on how the founding fathers did this intentionally.
Any chance you could share a couple to help give some background to your point.
Marshezezz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 142d
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 141d
I don't know about alive, as that is ripe for infectious pathogens.
Marshezezz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 139d
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 139d
Touche
Quexotic@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 141d
House Bolton would like a word.
❌
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 141d
House Bolton is busy fucking the fat cats for extra campaign donations
RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 141d
Having him assassinated in the face. Yep, agreed.
Quexotic@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 141d
Those records are long gone. Believing otherwise would be utter naivete.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 141d
Unlikely. You've got backups of backups scattered across any number of systems. Only question is whether they'll be recovered at the end of the term or tossed aside so we can "Look forward, not backwards".
Trump's team is serially incompetent. You think Kash Patel is practicing good data hygiene when he can't even keep a Signal chat secure?
But what is future President Pete Buttigieg going to do with Kash's old cell and laptop when he takes office? Submit them to FOIA requests? Or trash them and say they were never found?
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 141d
They are communicating over encrypted messaging services, dude.
We are never seeing that shit.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 141d
Yes, but also they're incompetent so im sure they switch to sms or whatever when it's convenient they have poor cell reception or whatever.
rwrwefwef@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 140d
Unless they invite a journalist in their chats.
Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 18 pts · 142d
Watergate 🤣🤣🤣
RamenJunkie@midwest.social · 12 pts · 141d
Good luck, I am sure everything is already destroyed, "oops sorry," and nothing will happen over it. Like demolishing the White House.
U7826391786239@piefed.zip · 11 pts · 142d
Rhaedas@fedia.io · 8 pts · 142d
If you've got nothing to hide...
Oh right, that's for the commons and not for those in power.
Treczoks@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 140d
In his first presidency, he was already known to burn and shred papers despite being regularly warned against it. There have been stories of presidential toilets getting clogged by flushed-down documents.
He simply does not want to leave evidence of his own incompetence.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 140d
evidence could be destroyed.
And trump’s crew is already doing what they can to avoid records of anything by use of personal email and encrypted thirf party messaging.
GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 141d
"We gave up trying to stop Trumpy from eating all the Post-It's after his second week of his first term. He likes the pink ones best."
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 142d
No one should be naïve enough to think they'd follow it anyway.
BranBucket@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 141d
"Papers"...
Shouldn't that read "evidence"?
finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 141d
He can shove them up his arse; history will judge him horribly no matter what he does, and he'll deserve it.
HubertManne@piefed.social · 3 pts · 141d
to trump no due process and illegal search and seizure are constitutional if done by him but not keeping records about it.
nonentity@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 140d
No other country should treat the US as a serious entity unless there are Nuremberg style trials conducted by the next administration for the current infestation.
It should also be unquestionably unacceptable for an entity to ever be tolerated with the unilateral power and privilege the US has accumulated and enjoyed over the past century.