As we all know, something happened to the former President of the United States Trump recently, something big happened. It is even related to violating the Espionage Act. Is it possible that a spy can also become the president of a country?
[Former US President Trump]
Trump is accused of violating the Espionage Act
News about Trump has been making a fuss recently. First, The FBI (FBI) searched Trump’s favorite Mar-a-Lago , and moved out several boxes full of things. It is said that a lot of information was seized. " New York Times " revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Trump for three federal crimes, namely violation of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice, and illegal processing of government records.
According to relevant laws and regulations in the United States, If these three charges are proven, Trump will not only be imprisoned for at least 10 years, but will also be unable to participate in the general election. Because the maximum penalty for violating the U.S. Espionage Act is 10 years in prison, and the maximum penalty for obstructing justice is 20 years, while the illegal handling of government records can bar violators from holding public office in the future.
[Trump’s large estate was raided]
People around the world can see that this is one of the measures taken by the US Democratic Party to prevent Trump from participating in the 2024 US presidential election. Trump is currently in the limelight and has many die-hard supporters. He is unrivaled within the Republican Party . However, the Democratic Party's support rate has been declining. If this continues, he may lose the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections to be held in November this year, and , none of the candidates currently proposed by the Democratic Party can win, and they are likely to lose the 2024 US presidential election. If Trump is re-elected as President of the United States, it will be a nightmare for the Democratic Party, and many key anti-Trump figures in the Democratic Party will be unlucky. Therefore, the US Democratic Party and the Biden administration must knock off Trump.
However, what is unclear is why Trump is suspected of violating the US Espionage Act? Trump joked in his recent campaign speech that he has a lot of money and is very patriotic, how could he be a spy for Russia? Recently, two American law professors published articles on multiple websites, explaining the ins and outs of the U.S. Espionage Act, pointing out that you do not have to be a spy to violate the U.S. Espionage Act.
[Assange of Kiwi Leaks is another person indicted under the US Espionage Act]
American professor: Even if you are not a spy, you can violate the Espionage Act
The Espionage Act currently implemented in the United States was passed in 1917 and Effective, listed in Volume 18 of the " United States Code ", it can be said to be obscure and notorious. This law has been used as a political tool since it came into effect, and was used to crack down on immigrants, labor organizers, and left-wingers during World War I and World War II; it was even a tool for politicians during the Cold War, such as when the United States participated in the 1950s. MP McCarthy -led " McCarthyism"; in the 1960s and 1970s, this bill was used to deal with anti-war peace activists; after the 911 incident, this bill was used by American politicians to combat Snowden such whistleblower.
The traditional crime of espionage, involving espionage for a foreign government, is indeed a major part of the bill: 18 U.S.C. Section 794, with a maximum sentence of life in prison . There are many cases in history. For example, in 2002, former FBI agent Robert Hansen was caught selling U.S. secrets to the former Soviet Union and Russia for more than 20 years and was sentenced to life imprisonment. During the Cold War , there were many spies who were sentenced under this law, too numerous to mention.
But Trump is suspected of violating other provisions of the Espionage Act by collecting, possessing or transferring certain sensitive government information without authorization. "Diversion" means moving materials from an authorized location to an unauthorized location. Many types of sensitive government information must be kept in secure facilities. This also applies to cases where government requests to return documents are denied. All of these prohibited activities are listed in another section of the act: 18 U.S.C. Section 793.
[Snowden, who disclosed the CIA's "Prism" project, was also prosecuted under the Espionage Act]
It will be difficult for Trump to escape this time
Trump's supporters claim that the nature of Trump's actions is harmless Yes, it's just holding sensitive government documents, but that's not the point. Under Section 793, the U.S. Department of Justice focuses on sensitive content as well as national defense intelligence, known as "NDI."
One of the most famous cases involving a prison sentence under the Espionage Act was WikiLeaks, Julian Assange was indicted in 2010 for obtaining and publishing secret military and diplomatic documents, which was related to aiding a foreign government The leaks were unrelated and involved only the unauthorized solicitation, acquisition, possession and release of sensitive information that, if disclosed, might be helpful to a foreign country.
Additional cases include recent cases involving two senior Democratic administration officials, national security adviser Sandy Berger in the Clinton administration, and CIA director David Petraeus in the Obama administration. Both pleaded guilty to misdemeanors under threat of prosecution under the Espionage Act.
Berger took home a classified document at the end of his term, and Petraeus shared classified information with unauthorized people and for reasons that had nothing to do with foreign governments. What is currently known is that some documents found by the FBI in Trump's home are classified as "Top Secret" or "Top Secret Sensitive Quarantine Information," both of which have reached the most serious limits of the U.S. confidentiality system.
One theory advanced by Trump's supporters is that Trump can declassify the materials as long as he handles them as president. In fact, this explanation doesn't work: The US president's declassification of a document required to overturn Executive Order 13526 must be in writing, and it must occur during Trump's presidency, not after.
Therefore, it is certain that this incident was intentional by Democratic politicians to prevent Trump from running for president again. However, the troubles Trump faces are real and big troubles, and I am afraid it will be difficult to escape. The struggle between the two parties in the United States is becoming increasingly dramatic, and we may see more similar dramas in the future.
