Yahoo News: A Trump Indictment Over Mishandling Classified Documents Possible

Following a Department of Justice search of former U.S. President Donald Trump's sprawling mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, the oddsmakers at BetOnline have been keeping busy.

Gambling911.com can report a sharp rise in searches for Trump Indictment odds as well as Which Non-Extradition Country Trump Might Go To and even odds on whether Melania will divorce him.  In recent days there is an influx of folks seeking out betting odds on the Mar-A-Lago mole.

Trump was still favored NOT to be indicted even though the potential mishandling of highly classified materials may suddenly have taken precedence over anything related to possible election interference and any role he may have played in the January 6, 2021 attack on the nation's Capitol.  The former President has denied any wrongdoing as it relates to all matters.

The warrant obtained by the FBI to search former President Donald Trump’s office and residence at Mar-A-Lago was unsealed and made public on Friday afternoon.  The revelation in regard to a search for evidence of violations of the Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. Section 793 was probably the most eye-popping.

Section 793(d) of the Espionage Act states “Whoever, lawfully having possession of…any document…relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation…willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it on demand to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it” is guilty.

Trump has since claimed he de-classified all the documents found at Mar-A-Lago. Mitchell Epner of Yahoo News says that might not matter.

Section 793(d) is not restricted to classified materials. Rather, it covers any document “relating to the national defense” that contains information that the possessor has reason to believe would be detrimental to the United States if made public. Here, the search warrant return states that documents seized from Mar-A-Lago include “classified/TS/SCI documents” (meaning Top Secret or Secure Compartmentalized Information), “Top Secret Documents,” “Secret Documents,” and “Confidential Documents.”

An indictment of a former President of the United States would be unprecedented.  A prison sentence upwards of 17.5 years for a U.S. President borders on the unthinkable.  Still it is a possibility, and bettors can have their say.  

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com