It’s time for ‘America Now’ to deliver live American news.
Moderator) What news do you have today?
A letter from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) revealed that former President Donald Trump took home over 700 classified documents after leaving office. Two incumbent Representatives lost in the New York State Primary Election.
Host) America Now, this is the first news. It turns out that there was a significant amount of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, the home of former President Donald Trump.
Reporter) Yes. It has been confirmed that Trump took over 700 classified documents to his home when he left the White House after leaving office last year. This was revealed through a letter released on the 23rd by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It is attracting attention because it is a letter that shows how the FBI’s search and seizure of former President Trump’s home, which has recently been controversial, was carried out.
Moderator) When and to whom was the letter sent?
Reporter) This is a letter sent by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to Evan Corcoran, a former President Trump lawyer, on May 10, this year. The letter was written in the name of Debra Steidel Wall NARA Acting Authorities. In a letter, Acting Director Wol said in the 15 boxes of data that former President Trump returned in January of this year, “There are about 100 documents marked as confidential, a total of over 700 pages.”
Moderator) There is a lot of content, but there was also very sensitive information?
Reporter) Yes, acting Wol explained that there were documents classified as ‘Special Access Program (SAP)’ in the data recovered in January. SAP is one of the most secure of the top secrets, and can only be viewed in secure government facilities, not in residences such as Mar-a-Lago.
Moderator) But are you saying that these documents should have been returned to the government at the same time as the president resigned?
Reporter) That’s right. The ‘Presidential Records Act’ requires the president to submit to NARA at the end of his term, as he considers all public data to be the property of the government. However, acting Wall said that Trump’s side insisted on “privileging the president of confidentiality” and demanded permission to keep some of the documents. Wol refused, however, and said in a letter that the Ministry of Justice wanted access to the records. He noted that he wanted to look at the possibility of “potential damage resulting from the way records were stored and transported.”
After that, did the Ministry of Justice actually conduct additional investigations?
Reporter) Yes, in January, former President Trump voluntarily returned documents to NARA’s request to return documents. However, when it was revealed that it contained a lot of confidential information, additional materials in Mar-a-Lago were returned in June. And on the 8th of this month, the FBI conducted a search and seizure of Mar-a-Lago with court approval. A total of 26 boxes of data, including 11 boxes of classified documents, were obtained from the Mar-a-Lago underground storage space and former President Trump’s office.
Reporter: Why didn’t ex-President Trump return these confidential documents?
Reporter) Former President Trump claims that the data were declassified before the end of his presidency on January 20 last year. However, they did not provide documented evidence of declassification.
Moderator) But I wonder why the NARA side even released a letter to former President Trump like this.
This is because journalist John Solomon, who supports former President Trump, disclosed the contents of the letter the day before, claiming that President Joe Biden was involved in the investigation. In response to this, NARA released the full text of the letter on the 23rd. The White House has repeatedly stated that President Biden is not involved in the investigation. However, former President Trump and Republicans insist that the search and seizure of Mar-a-Lago is a politically targeted investigation.
Moderator) Shall we take a closer look at the investigation details of the Ministry of Justice?
Reporter) The Ministry of Justice is making it clear that the investigation is looking into whether former President Trump’s handling of classified documents is illegal. In the search warrant, the FBI raised the possibility that former President Trump had violated three laws, including the Aspionage Act, and it turned out that the court approved it. The Counterintelligence Act, enacted in 1917, made it a crime to leak information that could harm national security. However, former President Donald Trump and Republicans are protesting, saying the search and seizure of the former president is unprecedented.
Moderator) A statement explaining the grounds that made the search and seizure possible will also be released soon, right?
Reporter) Yes. As some media outlets requested the court to release the FBI’s statement, the court ordered the government to submit an edited version of the statement, obscuring sensitive content, by the 25th.
Host) America Now, the next news. Ahead of the November midterm elections, another primary election was held on the 23rd?
Reporter) Yes. The primary elections, which select candidates to represent each party in the November 8 midterm elections, are drawing to a close. Primary elections have ended in about 40 states, starting with Texas in March. On the 23rd, primaries were held in the eastern states of New York and southeastern Florida.
Moderator) First, let’s take a look at the results of the New York State primary.
Reporter) Yes, in New York State, two incumbent congressmen have lost. Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Caroline Mulroney face off in the Democratic primary to represent the House of Representatives District 12. Senator Nadler defeated Mulroney, a 30-year House mate, to run for the November midterm election.
Moderator) By the way, if you are a current member of the Commonwealth, don’t you have your own constituency? How did the two incumbents get to the primary?
Reporter) Yes, as a result of the redistricting, two districts in the Manhattan area merged, creating an unusual situation in which two incumbent members of the same party are competing for the primary. A lot of attention was paid to the rivalry between the two senior Democratic lawmakers. Senator Nadler previously won official support from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. As the district is a region where the Democratic Party is strong, Assemblyman Nadler’s victory is expected in the midterm elections in November.
Moderator) Who is the other active member of the National Assembly who lost the New York primary on this day (23rd)?
In New York State’s 17th District, Congressman Mundair Jones lost to former federal prosecutor Daniel Goldman. As a first-time member of the House of Representatives, Jones set the record for being the first black congressman to openly identify as gay. However, he did not run for re-election.
Moderator) Besides these members, were there any elections in New York State of particular interest?
Reporter: Yes, it was a by-election held in the 19th District of the U.S. House of Representatives. It was a special election to fill a vacancy created when Congressman Antonio Delgado became Lieutenant Governor of New York in May. Democratic nominee Pat Ryan defeated Republican nominee Mark Molina. Although New York State has a strong Democrats overall, District 19 is classified as a contention area. In the last presidential election, President Joe Biden won by just 2 percentage points in the region.
But in the end, the Democratic candidate won?
Reporter) That’s right. Since the area is a contested area, there were also views that it would be a barometer for the midterm elections in November. In particular, the promises made by the two candidates also drew attention. Democratic candidate Ryan advocated guaranteeing the right to abortion during the election campaign. That’s because Republican nominee Molinaro was focused on revitalizing the economy. Therefore, the media also evaluated that the by-election for the 19th district of New York would be a test bed to gauge how much influence the Supreme Court’s ruling on the abolition of the universal right to abortion would have in the midterm elections.
Moderator) We looked at the results of the major primary elections in New York State. Shall we go to Florida now?
In Florida, the primaries for governor received the most attention. The question was who would be elected as the Democratic nominee against incumbent Ron DeSantis, who is widely supported by the Republican Party. DeSantis, along with former President Donald Trump, is now considered the most powerful Republican contender in the future.
Moderator) Who was elected as the Democratic nominee for governor?
After a contest between Secretary of Agriculture Nikki Pride and Congressman Charlie Christ, who dreams of becoming the first female governor of the Democratic Party, Christie won. Congressman Christ is a Republican who served as governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. She is now active, changing her party to Democrats. Florida is also one of the most contested states between Democrats and Republicans. If you look at past Florida governors, there are more Democrats, but since 1998, no Democratic candidate has ever won a gubernatorial election.
Moderator) America Now, I’ll listen until today.