Why top-secret documents need to be protected

+ the Espionage Act covers a lot more than spying US Edition - Today's top story: How the exposure of highly classified documents could harm US security – and why there are laws against storing them insecurely [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 June 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Former President Donald Trump’s arraignment in federal court Tuesday was obviously a historic moment for this country. Twice impeached and twice indicted, he is the only former American president federally charged with crimes. As you’ve no doubt learned by now, he is accused of taking, and then storing in various unsecure locations in Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, documents belonging to the National Archives. The Justice Department says Trump repeatedly refused to hand them over when federal archivists requested he do so. Whether he was just careless, wanted the documents as trophies or had more nefarious motives is unclear. Whatever his motivations, though, storing those documents in the way the government alleges he did is serious. Gary Ross, a scholar of U.S. intelligence at Texas A&M University, [helps us understand why](. “Historically, foreign spies have attempted to enter highly secure U.S. government buildings to obtain classified information,” he writes. “If (they) knew Trump stored classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, they may have attempted to enter the property. In 2019, a Chinese business consultant entered the resort and initially got past Secret Service agents.” That woman, who was carrying multiple electronic devices, ultimately was stopped in the main reception area, Ross notes. I wonder how many other business consultants got through in the many months the documents were still on the property. Don’t you? Lorna Grisby Senior Politics & Society Editor Boxes containing classified documents are stored in a bathroom of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club. Department of Justice [How the exposure of highly classified documents could harm US security – and why there are laws against storing them insecurely]( Gary Ross, Texas A&M University The indictment identifies categories of risk to the United States and its allies due to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. A scholar of intelligence studies examines four of them. Special counsel Jack Smith prepares to talk to reporters on June 9, 2023, after the indictment of former President Donald Trump. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images [Trump indictment unsealed – a criminal law scholar explains what the charges mean, and what prosecutors will now need to prove]( Gabriel J. Chin, University of California, Davis There are 38 felony charges against former President Donald Trump, and while it’s unlikely, he could potentially be sentenced to serve 400 years if found guilty on all of them. Former President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in early June 2023, as an investigation continued that led to his indictment on federal charges. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images [Trump charged under Espionage Act – which covers a lot more crimes than just spying]( Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago; Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago Spy cases are rare. More typically, as in the Trump indictment, the act applies to the unauthorized gathering, possessing or transmitting of certain sensitive government information. [Russians are using age-old military tactic of flooding to combat Ukraine’s counteroffensive]( Liam Collins, United States Military Academy West Point The ongoing war in Ukraine has forced the Russian military to reassess its ability to defend its territorial gains. The flooding of the Dnieper River gives the Russians a natural defense. [Prosecuting a former president is not an easy decision. A criminal law professor explains why]( Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard University One of the bedrock principles of the American legal system is that no one is above the law. When it comes to indicting a former US president, political factors must also be weighed. [‘If you want to die in jail, keep talking’ – two national security law experts discuss the special treatment for Trump and offer him some advice]( Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago; Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago If you were Trump’s lawyer, what would you advise him to do now? Two national security specialists have some words for and about the former president after his federal indictment. [A jury of ex-presidents? No, but Trump’s fate will be decided by 12 citizen peers, in a hallowed tradition of US democracy]( Stefanie Lindquist, Arizona State University Like all criminal defendants, Trump will enjoy the protection that a jury will offer from abuse by government prosecutors. [Trump indictments won’t keep him from presidential race, but will make his reelection bid much harder]( Stefanie Lindquist, Arizona State University With a federal indictment of former President Donald Trump, currently a presidential candidate, a legal scholar explores what the law says about the consequences of such an unprecedented act. [Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama and protects landmark Voting Rights Act]( Rodney Coates, Miami University At a time when state legislatures are enacting laws that restrict who, when and where people can vote, the US Supreme Court ruled to protect voting rights. - [In the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ruled states should decide the legality of abortion, voters at the state level have been doing just that: 4 essential reads]( Lorna Grisby, The Conversation In the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, giving decisions about the legality of abortion back to states, voters and state legislatures have made their preferences on abortion clear. - [Why a federal judge found Tennessee’s anti-drag law unconstitutional]( Mark Satta, Wayne State University The law passed by Tennessee legislators that banned many drag performances violated the First Amendment. A legal scholar explains the judge’s decision in the case. - [The overlooked story of the incarceration of Japanese Americans from Hawaii during World War II]( Olivia Tasevski, The University of Melbourne When US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, he paved the way for the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the mainland and Hawaii - [Four strategies to make your neighborhood safer]( Ishita Chordia, University of Washington Crime is spiking and you’re scared. Here are strategies to get past the fear and diminish the threat of crime in your community. - [Silvio Berlusconi had a complex relationship with US presidents: Friend to one, shunned by another]( Jason Davidson, University of Mary Washington The former Italian prime minister died on June 12, 2023, at the age of 86. Throughout his terms in office he cultivated closer ties with the US – with mixed results. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](