{"id":2018126,"date":"2023-08-31T13:41:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-secrecy-and-perceived-political-motives-in-trump-biden-probes-erode-public-trust-analysts\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T13:45:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:45:16","slug":"feds-secrecy-and-perceived-political-motives-in-trump-biden-probes-erode-public-trust-analysts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-secrecy-and-perceived-political-motives-in-trump-biden-probes-erode-public-trust-analysts\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysts say secrecy and political motives in Trump and Biden probes erode public trust in the Feds."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffeds-secrecy-and-perceived-political-motives-in-trump-biden-probes-erode-public-trust-analysts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2018126&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>After \u200dfederal\u2063 officials disclosed previously blacked-out details in the \u2062Florida classified documents case against former \u200bPresident \u200bDonald Trump,\u2064 critics struggled to find justifications for the redactions and the revelations.<\/p>\n<p>Government agencies\u200b are also\u2063 under fire for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/national-archives-wont-give-up-5400-emails-allegedly-sent-by-president-biden-under-pseudonym-5482349\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">withholding information<\/a> about\u200c President Joe Biden and his son,\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fbi-deputy-director-defends-redactions-in-document-given-to-congress-alleging-biden-bribery-scheme-5332307\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunter Biden<\/a>, as House \u200cRepublicans continue\u2062 investigating the Bidens&#8217; foreign business dealings and \u200dan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-secrecy-and-perceived-political-motives-in-trump-biden-probes-erode-public-trust-analysts\/\" title=\"Analysts say secrecy and political motives in Trump and Biden probes erode public trust in the Feds.\">alleged \u200dmultimillion-dollar bribery scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And, most recently, after repeated denials that the Biden administration had any involvement in federal prosecutions of President Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/biden-staffer-met-with-member-of-jack-smiths-team-before-trump-indictment-5481194\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House \u2062visitor\u200d logs show<\/a> that President Biden&#8217;s staff met with \u200ca Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecution\u2063 team\u200c member before President Trump&#8217;s Florida indictment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/comer-accuses-biden-of-abuse-of-power-over-sons-trips-on-air-force-two-demands-flight-records-5483349\">Comer Accuses Biden\u200b of Abuse of Power Over Son&#8217;s Trips\u200b on Air\u2063 Force Two, Demands Flight Records<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/30\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/comer-accuses-biden-of-abuse-of-power-over-sons-trips-on-air-force-two-demands-flight-records-5483349\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/judicial-watch-suing-cia-for-records-on-its-role-in-letter-to-discredit-biden-laptop-5475789\">Judicial Watch Suing CIA for Records on Its \u2064Role \u2064in Letter to Discredit Biden\u2063 Laptop<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/18\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/judicial-watch-suing-cia-for-records-on-its-role-in-letter-to-discredit-biden-laptop-5475789\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Such scenarios\u2063 are contributing to a credibility crisis for the DOJ and other federal \u200cagencies, analysts\u2064 say.<\/p>\n<h2>Negative \u2064Perceptions<\/h2>\n<p>Curt\u2064 Levey, president of the \u200bCommittee \u2063for Justice, told The Epoch Times that people have already become very distrustful of the DOJ in the wake of President Trump&#8217;s indictments and a series of other events.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 28, legal scholar Jonathan Turley <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/public-trust-justice-department-near-152050382.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told \u200bFox News<\/a> that public trust in the DOJ is near an all-time low. Large percentages of American citizens believe \u2064President Trump&#8217;s prosecutions are politically motivated, he noted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In addition, when people learn that the DOJ seems to be withholding information without apparent good reason, \u200c&#8221;it just adds one more reason to be suspicious of the Justice Department,&#8221; Mr. Levey \u2063said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It erodes people&#8217;s faith in the Justice Department when people see \u200bthat &#8230; the government is trying to keep things secret that really have no \u200creason to be secret.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At worst, officials could be &#8220;covering up crime&#8221; by hiding documents and\u2062 statements, Mr. Levey said, \u200ba concern that &#8220;might be\u2064 more applicable to the Biden probe.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But redacting or otherwise withholding information could be &#8220;more innocuous, where they&#8217;re just engaging in an overreaction,&#8221; Mr. Levey said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Then Vice President Joe Biden waves as he walks out of Air Force\u2063 Two with his granddaughter, Finnegan Biden (C) and son Hunter \u2064Biden upon their arrival in Beijing on \u2063Dec.\u200d 4, 2013. (Ng Han Guan\/AFP via Getty\u2063 Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Principle Versus Practice<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. government \u2062says a\u00a0&#8220;presumption of openness&#8221; guides its records-release decisions (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/media\/1212566\/dl?inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>). Yet the government&#8217;s actions appear to often conflict with that principle. \u200dMr. Levey\u200c noted government agencies tend to clamp down on\u2062 information more than necessary.<\/p>\n<p>At the same \u200dtime, officials also have been known to divulge \u2064details that arguably should be exempt from disclosure. That practice raises concerns about hidden motivations that could\u200b be driving\u2064 such decisions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Mr. Levey and former \u2062Trump White House staffer Kash Patel both\u00a0had trouble figuring\u2064 out why the DOJ would hide, then disclose, certain statements\u2064 in\u200c the Florida case against President Trump. He has pleaded not guilty to \u206440 federal charges alleging mishandling of classified information, citing court rulings declaring that presidents possess absolute authority to declassify documents.<\/p>\n<p>The former\u200c president has also pointed out that no charges have been filed against President \u200dJoe Biden, who remains under investigation for possessing classified documents from his time as vice president, when he lacked the authority to declassify \u200bthose records.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Local \u2064law \u200benforcement officers in front of the home of former U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug.\u200d 9, 2022. (Giorgio Viera\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After months of records disputes between President Trump and the National Archives \u200dand Records Administration, the FBI swooped in on President Trump&#8217;s \u200cresidence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. During the raid on Aug. 8, 2022, the FBI confiscated records. \u2062Three days earlier, an unnamed FBI agent had filed an affidavit\u200c outlining why\u2064 a judge should allow the\u200c search.<\/p>\n<p>Although large swaths of the 32-page affidavit remain blacked out, officials\u200c created a less-redacted version, dated July 5, about a\u2062 month after President \u2062Trump was indicted. A judge released that record on July 25, unveiling about 2,400 previously-obscured words (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23932801-less-redacted-version-of-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-times-maggie-haberman-attacks-president-trump-over-white-house-reporters-having-to-work-early-on-christmas-eve\/\" title=\"NY Times\u2019 Maggie Haberman Attacks President Trump Over White House Reporters Having to Work Early on Christmas Eve\">mar-a-lago<\/a>-search-warrant-released-7-25-2023-copy?responsive=1&#038;title=1&#8243; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;>pdf<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>After reviewing the differences between the original affidavit and the less-redacted one, Mr. Patel said:\u00a0&#8220;These side-by-side comparisons \u2064show me the\u2062 DOJ had zero justification \u200bfor releasing \u200dmy name.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At the same\u200d time, the DOJ also seems\u2063 to have no \u200djustification for masking other information \u2063in the document, he said, \u2062because he\u200d did not see any wording that was &#8220;classified,\u2063 or denotes any personally sensitive information.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Disclosure Despite \u2063Death Threat<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Patel has stated that the DOJ&#8217;s release of his name &#8220;intentionally jeopardized&#8221; his safety. The disclosure came while\u2063 the FBI was investigating a \u200bdeath threat against him.<\/p>\n<p>He and President Trump were the only people whose names the DOJ disclosed\u200c in the affidavit when it was first publicly released last year.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>This image from video shows Kash Patel, former chief\u2062 of staff for the \u2062U.S.\u200c secretary \u2064of defense and a former federal prosecutor. (Screenshot\/EpochTV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;This DOJ knew about that death threat and ongoing FBI investigation\u200b and left\u2062 my name in for the\u2063 world\u200b to see, but redacted all these details below,&#8221; Mr. Patel told The Epoch Times recently. &#8220;It\u2019s violative of the law.&#8221; He also said it&#8217;s an\u200b example of the &#8220;two-tiered system of justice&#8221; that targets political enemies while\u2063 allegedly\u2064 giving preferential treatment \u200bto\u2064 political allies.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ declined to respond \u2062to specific questions about these redactions\u200d and revelations \u2062in an\u2063 Aug. 29 email to The \u2063Epoch\u200c Times.<\/p>\n<p>But court records show DOJ prosecutors filed documents under seal and redacted passages &#8220;to comply with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-to-shield-financial-records\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid To Shield Financial Records\">grand jury secrecy rules<\/a> and \u200bto protect \u200dinvestigative sources and methods.&#8221; Other reasons cited include safeguarding the names of certain people, including witnesses, law-enforcement agents, and people who have not been criminally charged.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Over-Redactions&#8217; May Be Overreactions<\/h2>\n<p>However, some\u200d of\u200b the recently revealed statements in the affidavit fall outside those categories.<\/p>\n<p>One particularly puzzling example of \u2062a hidden-then-revealed statement: &#8220;It was [the former president&#8217;s] practice to store accumulated documents in boxes, and that continues to\u2064 be his practice.&#8221; It is unclear why this statement needed to\u2064 be redacted, as storing paper records in boxes is a common practice.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Levey, whose organization \u200bseeks to ensure that government \u2063leaders uphold constitutional principles, couldn&#8217;t think of a valid reason to justify withholding that statement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s commonplace to see such \u2064over-redactions,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s not to justify\u200d it, but that&#8217;s sort of how the\u2063 process often works. &#8230; It&#8217;s just very typical for the \u200cgovernment to over-redact.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Still, Mr. Levey pointed out that U.S.\u200c Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart reviewed\u2064 the information that was withheld &#8220;and \u2063found it reasonable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The judge may have seen good reasons for keeping \u2062certain information under wraps, Mr. \u2064Levey said. &#8220;Or perhaps the judge is doing what judges often do &#8230; being very\u200b deferential to the government,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A\u2063 file photograph \u200bof a judge&#8217;s gavel. (Andrew \u2064Harnik\/Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Biden, Trump Probes Escalate Secrecy<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Levey said he has noticed a trend.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s always been this \u2063reflexive desire\u200d for secrecy, and I\u2062 think I&#8217;ve seen an increase in it,&#8221;\u200b he said. &#8220;But I wouldn&#8217;t want to \u200bsay that I&#8217;ve seen a general pattern in the legal system. I think it&#8217;s\u200d &#8230; more with these highly\u2063 politicized recent cases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Everything released about \u2064the President Trump cases could serve as &#8220;ammunition \u200cfor Republicans or for\u2062 the media,&#8221; Mr. Levey said. \u2062Thus,\u2064 the DOJ is being more cautious, Mr. \u2064Levey believes.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Trump cases are\u00a0&#8220;part of a larger picture that ties in with the Biden investigation in the House.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You have to scratch and claw,&#8221; and file court actions &#8220;just to get\u200b any sort of openness from the Justice Department,&#8221;\u2063 Mr. Levey \u2063said.<\/p>\n<p>The same could be\u2063 stated about other federal agencies.<\/p>\n<p>The Southeastern Legal Foundation announced on Aug. 23 that it had\u2062 filed a lawsuit to force the National Archives to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/national-archives-wont-give-up-5400-emails-allegedly-sent-by-president-biden-under-pseudonym-5482349\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release about 4,500 emails<\/a> that President Biden is believed to have sent during his vice \u200dpresidency.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation says he sent emails\u2063 under fake \u2062names\u2014Robin Ware, Robert L.\u200b Peters, and JRB Ware\u2014to &#8220;forward government information and discuss government business with his son, Hunter Biden, and others,&#8221;\u00a0The Epoch Times reported.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. James Comer\u00a0(R-Ky.), chairman of\u2064 the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, has publicly cited those email accounts and has sought unredacted\u2062 email exchanges that President\u2062 Biden exchanged with \u200bhis\u2062 son and \u200dbusiness partners during his vice \u2064presidential\u2063 tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Comer and other Republicans have reported hitting resistance while probing \u200dthe\u200b Bidens&#8217; \u200dactivities. President Biden \u200bhas denied involvement in his son&#8217;s foreign business dealings.\u2064 Republicans say they have unearthed information that seems to contradict those denials.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Chairman of\u2063 the Full Committee on Oversight and Accountability Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) \u2063speaks during a hearing with IRS whistleblowers about the Biden Criminal \u2062Investigation at the U.S. Congress in Washington on July 19, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Mar-a-Lago Photo Revealed<\/h2>\n<p>Among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/feds-used-8-search-warrants-in-trump-classified-docs-case-court-filings-5423313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eight search warrants<\/a> used in the Florida case against President Trump, the one dated Aug. 5, 2022, remains \u2062the only one disclosed \u2064thus\u2063 far.<\/p>\n<p>The less-redacted version \u200cof that search warrant affidavit, dated July 5 but not unsealed until July 25, includes passages describing where President Trump&#8217;s documents were kept.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The door to <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal officials recently revealed previously redacted information in the Florida classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. Critics are now questioning the reasons behind the redactions and the subsequent revelations. Additionally, government agencies are facing criticism for withholding information about President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, as House Republicans persist in their investigation into the Bidens&#8217; foreign business dealings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1196,"featured_media":2018127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2018126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2018126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2018127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2018126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2018126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2018126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}