Federal court records show a sloppy system for tracking the country’s most important secretsamid a controversy over classified documents involving the president Joe Bidenformer president Donald Trump and former deputy chairman Mike Pence.
Caches of secret documents have been spread through the homes, sheds and cars of intelligence service employees and contractors. However, the penalties for mishandling documents vary widely.
Here’s what else is happening in politics:
-
The blame game: The White House is blames the Trump administration and the GOP to repeal Obama-era rail safety measures designed to avert disasters like the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
-
Distance between the debt limit: Former Vice President Mike Pence said so cuts to Social Security and Medicare may need to be considered at some point during debt ceiling negotiations.
-
Ideological slant at stake: Wisconsin voters decided on two candidates to advance to a general election for one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Courta key race that could determine the future of politics in the battleground state.
-
“The revolution had failed”: That’s what prosecutors claim that the proud boys, driven by desperation to keep Donald Trump in the White House, conspired to stop the certification of the 2020 election.
Stay in the conversation: Sign up for OnPolitics’ newsletter
Ex-Arizona AG withheld reports debunking allegations of 2020 election fraud
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office concluded months ago that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election results in Maricopa County — but the state’s top prosecutor sat on the information and suppressed mitigating details, newly released records show.
An investigative report and two internal memos from 2022 indicate that then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich was aware that his investigators “did not uncover any criminality or fraud” in the 2020 election in the weeks before Brnovich reported that the county’s election system was vulnerable and the process for verification and handling of early votes was broken.
The three documents were released Wednesday by Attorney General-elect Kris Mayes, a Democrat, who described them as “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.” Brnovich, a Republican, did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
–Robert Anglen, Arizona Republic
How federal workers got away with taking classified documents home
A software developer for the National Security Agency took secret documents home in a misguided attempt to work harder for a promotion. A civilian Department of Defense worker studying at the National Intelligence University copied and removed classified records for his thesis. A military contractor shipped entire laptops and hard drives full of secrets home to Texas from Afghanistan.
These were federal criminal prosecutions of federal workers or contractors convicted of mishandling classified documents before caches were found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. In some cases, workers just hoarded documents.
The sloppy handling in some cases lasted for decades, despite the secrets at stake being among the country’s most important. The names of undercover intelligence agents and descriptions of how the country collects its information were included. Adm. Mike Rogers, then head of the National Security Agency, cited “very significant and long-lasting damage” due to uncertainty about whether secrets had been revealed to adversaries.
– Bart Jansen
Georgia Trump Investigation: Foreperson media comments are highly unusual
Public remarks by Georgia Grand Juror Emily Kohrs pierced a veil of secrecy in the investigation into Donald Trump’s 2020 election meddling.
Kohrs, in a series of media interviews, offered tantalizing details about key witnesses and charging recommendations potentially involving a dozen or so people.
Legal analysts said Kohrs’ public comments were, at minimum, highly unusual for any grand jury inquiry and, at most, not very helpful for any potential case the district attorney might bring.
“I’m not aware of any other case in Georgia where a grand jury has spoken to the media about witnesses appearing before the grand jury,” said Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University who has followed the investigation closely.
– Kevin Johnson
More: Georgia grand jury foreman’s public comments add unusual wrinkle
Biden calls Putin’s suspension of nuclear deal a ‘huge mistake’
Russia’s suspension of a nuclear weapons treaty is a “huge mistake”, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, as it marks the one-year anniversary of Russia. Russian invasion approaches.
Biden made the brief comment to reporters as he entered the presidential palace in Warsaw, where he is meeting with leaders from nations on the eastern edge of the NATO alliance.
This was announced by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday he suspends Moscow’s participation in New START, a strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms reduction agreement between the United States and Russia. It limits each side to 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads.
– Maureen Groppe
More: What is the Nuclear Weapons Treaty?
A new record for women will serve in Congress
A historic number of women will serve in the 118th Congress when the congresswoman is elected Jennifer McClellanD-Va., is sworn in.
A total of 150 women will serve in Congress, surpassing the previous record set at the inauguration of the 118th Congress last month, according to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics. In addition, 125 women, 92 democratic women and 28 Black women will serve in the house – new records for each category.
McClellan’s special election victory Tuesday also made her Virginia’s first black female member of Congress.
– Mabinty Quarshie
More: McClellan has just won election to Congress. Black women say it’s not enough
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Updates: In addition to Biden, Trump and Pence, how others brought home documents
