If Form 1023

[Ken]

I’m glad we have Ken, Esq. to explain the ins and outs of Presidential records laws, the Logan Act, security clearances, and how to handle classified documents.

I’ve already thought to myself that he sure knows a lot about a lot of different things. At the same time I’d much rather see his information (which is usually based on actual facts) rather than snarky comments that add little to the conversation or anyone’s understanding of it.

I mean, whether it’s the Logan Act or the historical position of the church on usury, he’s right there.

Or maybe it’s the topic of how Holdemans should use church funds to lend to schoolteachers to help them buy a car? He’s right there too. He knows more about Holdemans than I do!

Yes, have your fun Josh. It is easier than adding anything intelligent to the conversation isn't it?

As for the presidential records act? It really isn't that complicated. The law defines what is and what isn't a presidential record. Presidents do not get to decide for themselves what constitutes a presidential record, that is spelled out in the statute.

However it is largely self-enforcing. Presidents and their staff are responsible for following the law and making sure that the correct documents are retained. Presidential staff no doubt undergo extensive training and guidance as to what their duties are and what procedures to follow. They probably have big binders full of policies and procedures. But there are always going to be gray areas and so to some extent it is going to be up to presidents (and mostly their staff) to pick and choose which records are subject to the law and which are not. And if they need help doing that there are no doubt staff at the National Archives who's job it is to provide that advice.

Of course, that is with a normal administration and normal presidency that is actually trying to follow the law. From all reports, Trump was not. To the contrary he was willfully breaking it on a constant basis.

[Grace]

[Bootstrap]

According to that video, a Russian oligarch made an allegation in that 1023 form.

Allegation: a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.

As far as I can tell:

- Allegations in the 1023 document surfaced years ago and were previously reported all over the media.
- Rudy Giuliani, during the Trump administration, shared these claims with the Justice Department while Bill Barr was attorney general.
- Former Pittsburgh US Attorney Scott Brady was appointed by Barr to oversee an FBI investigation into the claims provided by Rudy Giuliani.
- As part of the investigation, Brady's team conducted an initial assessment of the allegations in the 1023 document.
- The assessment concluded that there was not enough evidence to substantiate the allegations.

So I don't believe the Comey's claim that the FBI did not investigate this. It looks more like what happened with the Steele Report: when the FBI investigated the Steele Report, they decided a lot of the claims in it were untrue or unproven. I mean, not everything Putin's croneys say turns out to be true. And the Russians are known for election misinformation in both the United States and Ukraine.

I could be wrong, but I haven't yet seen new evidence coming out to prove these claims are true. And in the House hearings, they aren't letting Democrats cross examine the witnesses, they aren't really letting people from the FBI talk and present their case. The Republicans who are questioning the FBI are making lots of speeches and statements that sound just like they have proven things are true, then going on the news to get lots of attention and raise lots of money for their campaigns. They make bold predictions of what they are going to find, they try to smear the whole Biden family with the things Hunter Biden has done. This isn't what I would call a fact-finding process.

So the claims don't seem to be new. There does not yet seem to be new evidence. The claims have been investigated by the FBI, which did not find evidence for them. We may learn something new when the special prosecutor tells us what they found on Hunter Biden.

[Robert]

I’m glad we have Ken, Esq. to explain the ins and outs of Presidential records laws, the Logan Act, security clearances, and how to handle classified documents.

I may need to add sarcasm to the list. This is right on the edge and is quite rude. It does nothing to help discussion and shows little respect for another, something Paul suggests we do. This is a informal warning, but if it keeps happening, it will become formal.