OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
CNN’s Jake Tapper had quite the meltdown on Tuesday afternoon after President Donald Trump left a Miami courthouse to visit a popular Cuban restaurant after his court appearance on federal charges stemming from his handling of classified documents.
Trump arrived at the Versailles restaurant in Miami, where he posed for photos with supporters, flashed a thumbs up, and appeared to be in good spirits.
Trump plead “not guilty” through his attorneys in federal court on Tuesday. The federal judge granted Trump a pretrial release with no special conditions with the exception of no contact with witnesses. Special Counsel Jack Smith has charged Trump with 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents. If he is found guilty on all counts, Trump — who is President Joe Biden’s chief rival in next year’s presidential election — could face decades in prison.
During CNN’s live coverage of Trump in the restaurant, Tapper became irritated and asked the control room to stop airing footage of Trump.
“I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad. That is enough of that,” he whined.
WATCH:
Jake Tapper asks CNN control room to stop airing footage of President Trump visiting a Miami cafe after his arraignment.
“I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad. That is enough of that”
— Martin Walsh (@MWalshUS) June 13, 2023
Earlier, one of Trump’s attorneys ripped Biden’s Justice Department and said that her client was “100 percent” allowed to possess the classified materials he’s been indicted for having.
Christina Bobb told Newsmax that Trump’s authorization comes from the Presidential Records Act while going on to blast the way he’s been treated by the DOJ and FBI compared to President Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom also had classified materials in their possession — though as vice presidents they are not covered under the same act.
“The difference in how they handled the raid of Mar-a-Lago versus Joe Biden, it’s night and day difference,” she said.
She then referenced an incident that occurred in August 2022, recounting how she was forced to wait outside Mar-a-Lago for several hours under the scorching Florida sun while the FBI conducted a search inside the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
I was forced to stand outside on the circle drive at Mar-a-Lago in August in Florida in 80, 90-something degree heat for about eight to 10 hours while the FBI went through all of the rooms,” she said.
“Donald Trump was 100% authorized to keep everything he kept. And it was actually the Department of Justice that actually had to return materials because they took things they were not allowed to possess and had to return them,” Bobb noted further.
“President Trump had every right to have possession of those documents. And the only statute that applies to Donald Trump on this is the Presidential Records Act 44 U.S.C. Section 2203 Alpha, which specifically says the president and only the president is the one who has authority to make this call,” she told Newsmax.
“I think their case is dead on arrival,” she predicted.
The Presidential Records Act (PRA), codified in 44 U.S.C. Section 2203, is significant legislation that governs the handling of official records belonging to presidents and vice presidents, particularly those generated or received after January 20, 1981.
The act played a crucial role in changing the legal status of presidential records from private to public property, establishing a comprehensive framework for the management of these records.
A fundamental principle of the act is that presidents exercise control over their records. Upon assuming office, a president retains complete authority over their records and has the discretion to determine which records are no longer of administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value.
However, before disposing of any records, the president must first consult with the Archivist of the United States to discuss the proposed disposal.
