Weekly Panorama - your weekly summary!

Written by Jenna Cho

Trump is being investigated for criminal charges, Why?

The FBI executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago on Monday to carry out their investigation on the handling of presidential documents. Later in the week, details of the search warrant were revealed including the crimes that the Justice Department is looking into: criminal handling of government records, violation of the Espionage Act, and obstruction of justice. The FBI reported that 11 sets of classified documents were taken from the residence, including some with the label “top secret/SCI”-- one of the highest levels of clearance. Trump’s lawyer signed a statement over the summer that stated all classified documents at Mar-a-Lago had been returned, which possibly implicates his lawyer in charges as well.

Many on both sides of the aisle have been wondering whether Trump will declare his intent to run for president in 2024, but the FBI raid hopefully put a block to that. Every time something new comes out about Trump’s misdeeds while in office (and after his term), we’re reminded of how unqualified and inappropriate he was for the Presidency. The worst possible aspect of Trump’s time in office was how casually he treated the position. Because he almost treated it as a joke, he much lost respect for the position and what it means. What the FBI uncovered at Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago only harms the image of what the American President is even further.

Many consider Trump to be a dangerous President as it seemed that he would do whatever was necessary to boost his ego, so keeping highly confidential documents past when he was democratically voted out of office is incredibly worrying. Why he kept the documents no one knows, which certainly leaves the door open for speculation. Is it possible that he let people see it who weren’t of proper clearance, or just reliving his time as President by keeping documents he pledged to give up?

The former president of the United States has been raided by the FBI this last week. This is an unprecedented event in the history of the United States and leaves the impression that no one is safe from the federal government. The National archives and records department reached out to law enforcement over missing records from the Trump administration. This escalated to a full raid by the FBI of ex-president Trump’s property. The mishandling or gross negligence of classified information is a federal crime; however, the legal bar to prove someone of the crime is extremely high and the raid will not likely lead to any criminal prosecution.

Many Republicans have expressed their outrage at the event. Others are equally angry about the attention and focus the FBI raid has taken. Governor Duncan aptly surmised “Today, every Republican in every state in this country should be talking about how bad Joe Biden is, how bad inflation is, how difficult it is to run a business and run a household. But instead, we’re talking about some investigation, we’re talking about Donald Trump pleading the Fifth, we’re talking about Donald Trump endorsing some conspiracy theorist.”(Peoples). This disgruntled statement displays how wayward the investigation is perceived by many Americans who can’t help but think if this can happen to an ex-president then anyone can be a victim of an FBI raid. The biggest point of contention by Trump supporters is the fact that in June when an initial visit by FBI agents occurred, he was told to merely add an extra lock to his stored items from the White House to ensure their safety. This recommendation was immediately followed by the ex-president, and he claims he has fully cooperated with the FBI at every junction. It leaves one to wonder if this was just a power play by the FBI or actually necessary for their investigation.

I’m not surprised in the slightest that Trump did something he wasn’t supposed to– after all, that’s what his entire presidency was. How far is too far before his die-hard supporters say enough is enough? An attack on the capital wasn’t enough so this probably won’t be either, but one can dream. If Trump is able to run, he will– after all, he said it was a matter of “when” he would declare his intent to run, not “if”. Out of all the things that could pin criminal charges on Trump, this has to be the most likely. When the news broke of what was taken from Trump’s residence, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Watergate scandal that shook the nation and caused President Nixon to resign.

A former President who incited a riot at the US capitol shouldn’t have access to highly confidential documents a second after leaving office. The fact that the documents were at his private home undetected is even more of a red flag. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Trump kept the documents in an attempt to keep some sort of communication with foreign leaders by flaunting them or even showing them off to guests at his residence. Trump was never “Presidential” in any sense of the word, and was unfit for office from the day he was inaugurated until the fateful day of January 6th. Hopefully, charges are brought against Trump for two reasons: to encourage Americans that their government is just, and so a dangerous and vengeful man won’t have access to the power of the presidency.

Written by Ashlyn Hill

This past week everyone has talked about how dare the FBI to raid an ex-president’s home. They focus on why him… except as a show of power. Why not investigate the current president’s son? Or other democrats? The answer is simple. The federal government is corrupt and not unbiased. It goes beyond Mr Trump’s individual case and is instead at an innate level. The government plays favourites according to who is in power. They are not without corruption or biases. It is laughable that some think that it is monumental the government dared to raid a former President’s house. No one is above the law in theory but in actuality, those who are not in power are not above the law. Some say this means that anyone can be susceptible to an FBI raid but for many, this is already the case. The Supreme court ruling on Egbert v. Boule allows border patrol to enter any home within a 100-mile radius from the border without a warrant. This applies to a substantial number of Americans and yet many are unaware of how vulnerable they are. The FBI raid is just another example of corrupt individuals using their power to display their power over all us individuals. Likely, given the high bar set by the court to prove gross negligence or mishandling of sensitive national information, nothing will result from this raid except for the many headlines and rightful outrage of certain citizens.

Written by Alexis Walker

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