Morning Joe: Strip Security Clearances From GOP Trump Documents Defenders!

June 13th, 2023 4:18 PM

Mika Brzezinski Joe Scarborough MSNBC Morning Joe 6-13-23 Are you a Republican congressman or senator who doesn't agree with the liberal media about the seriousness of the charges against Donald Trump regarding his handling of classified documents? Well then, your own security clearance should be stripped!

That's Morning Joe's position, as propounded on Tuesday by Willie Geist and Joe Scarborough. Joe said the Trump Justice Department never attempted to indict Hillary Clinton for misuse of classified documents, so they're clowns to object to selective prosecution with the Trump indictment.

SCARBOROUGH: These clowns come in with this, well, what about Hillary, what about the Corvette, what about whatever? Again, Biden and Mike Pence returned the documents. This guy steals nuclear secrets and lies about it

WILLIE GEIST: This is the Speaker of the House, who I don't think he believes any of this. But if he does believe it, and he doesn't think what he saw in that indictment is a big deal, then we ought to wonder if he should have access to classified information --

SCARBOROUGH: Well, he shouldn't . . . Seriously, these people are unfit to serve, and certainly unfit to have any classified information. All they're doing, they think they're owning the libs. They think they're defending Donald Trump. All they're doing is condemning themselves! For Americans to say, we can't trust these clowns!

Note: Al Sharpton led off by saying that Trump is "a small guy in a big chair." He then added this acerbic adage: "you can put a crown on a clown, but it doesn't make him a king." 

Interestingly though, Sharpton, who has tried to separate himself from his incendiary past, backed off the obvious implication of his adage. Rather, he noted that Trump is "not a clown, but he certainly has not risen to being president or presidential."

But back to the Scarborough/Geist suggestion that Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans who don't agree with their take on the seriousness of the charges against Trump should be stripped of their security clearances.

What's next? Criminally charging McCarthy et al. under the Espionage Act as accomplices after the fact? 

Morning Joe suggesting that GOP members of Congress should have their security clearances yanked was sponsored in part by GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the Meningitis B vaccine, Ring, Volvo, and Google

Here's the transcript.

MSNBC
Morning Joe
6/13/23
6:03 am EDT

AL SHARPTON: First of all, he can't be lawyered or coached, so let's forget that. He's going to be his own worst enemy there. But I, I, I think it's sad for the country. But it was inevitable for Donald Trump. Those of us that knew him, knew that Donald Trump does not believe the rules apply to him. He was a small guy in a big chair.

You know, it reminds me of the adage that you can put a crown on a clown but it doesn't make him a king.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Right.

SHARPTON: He's going to make the domain a circus. And that's what has happened. He's not a clown, but he certainly has not risen to being president or presidential. And because he brought those bad habits and traits with him, he is now being criminally tried. And I think, probably, will be convicted.

SCARBOROUGH: You know, you know, who, who, who is a clown, Willie? One Republican after another after another who actually don't even think, or won't even admit, that taking nuclear secrets and hoarding them, and taking some of the most secure things -- according to people in the Trump administration who worked around national security saying this is worse than any of us could have eever expected. 

Which means that Republicans on Capitol -- people like Lindsey Graham, they understand that, too. But all they can do is say what about Hillary? Right?

By the way, just for the record here, the Obama State Department looked at Hillary in that, and said, no, she didn't do anything overt and deliberate that, that hurts national security. The Obama Justice Department did the same. 

Oh, wait a second. The Trump Justice Department had four years. Let me say that again. They had four years to bring charges, and they never did. The State Department had four years to, to write a scathing rebuke of, of Hillary Clinton: never did!

They could have charged her over four years if she had done something that broke the law. They didn't do that.

And yet these clowns come in with this, well, what about Hillary, what about the Corvette, what about whatever? Again, Biden and Mike Pence returned the documents. This guy steals nuclear secrets and lies about it.

WILLIE GEIST: Nuclear secrets. War plans. We'll say it a million times: there is no comparison between what Donald Trump did -- is alleged to have done -- what Mike Pence did, what Joe Biden did, and even what Hillary Clinton did.

And yet, you have people like Speaker Kevin McCarthy, again -- these aren't the back-bench bomb throwers. 

SCARBOROUGH: Right!

GEIST: Who you expect to hear. This is the Speaker of the House, who I don't think he believes any of this. But if he does believe it, and he doesn't think what he saw in that indictment is a big deal, then we ought to wonder if he should have access to classified information --

SCARBOROUGH: Well, he shouldn't.

GEIST: -- if he thinks anybody --

SCARBOROUGH: None of these people --

GEIST: -- should be able to pass everything around.

SCARBOROUGH: If they think, Jonathan Lemire, that they should be able to get nuclear secrets, somebody could take it home and it's okay. If Lindsey Graham thinks that Donald Trump having nuclear secrets and has, has the most important classified documents on America's weaknesses, on war plans,and that's cool?

Seriously, these people are unfit to serve, and certainly unfit to have any classified information. All they're doing, they think they're owning the libs. They think they're defending Donald Trump. All they're doing is condemning themselves! For Americans to say, we can't trust these clowns!