Former President Trump’s lawyers clashed with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday over questions about possible misuse of classified documents and whether Trump is seeking a financial settlement with the National Archives and Records Administration over the matter.
On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Todd interviewed attorney Jim Trusty about Trump’s defense in the lawsuit over documents the FBI found while searching the Mar-a-Lago property. talked. Todd asked if Trump believed he should receive financial compensation for keeping the documents, pointing out that former President Richard Nixon was paid $18 million for his tapes.
“Oh, that’s a cheap shot,” Trusty replied.
Todd asked, “He keeps bringing up this Nixon. Do you have any other reason to deal with it?” his reply. “That was the point of the president’s comment.”
When asked if Trump personally packed a box of classified documents, the Trustee reiterated that the former president did not.
“President Trump didn’t sit there with tape and felt-tip pens and say, ‘Let’s sit Indian-style and pack these boxes and send them to Mar-a-Lago.'” he said.
The Trusty also pointed to the discovery of classified documents at President Biden’s private residence in Delaware, claiming that Biden’s documents were “far more malicious and deliberate.”
“Your defense is, ‘Hey, we believe other people have broken the law.’ Todd asked the Trustee, who replied, ‘Of course not.’
“It’s not like someone else broke the law. We did it too. No problem,” said Trusty. “Whether we are talking about New York, Georgia or the DOJ, the common thread is that President Trump is treated differently than anyone in history.”
Trump faces a number of legal challenges, including a Justice Department investigation into possible misuse of classified documents during his tenure. Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity last month that he “had the right to see the documents” and insisted he had done nothing wrong.
When asked about Trump’s comments, the Trustee agreed.
“But I think you misunderstand the Presidential Records Act,” he said to Todd. “You’ll notice he didn’t say, ‘I did this, I owned it.’ He said, ‘I will have the right.’ We are under the Presidential Records Act, which is a criminal law.”