You're right, it provs nothing beyond how sloppy he was in handling the documents.
But it DOES raise questions, especially if they're unable to find the documents that belong in those folders. The 10,000 or 11,000 oter documents they found didn't have classification markings on them, but a review might determine that they were in fact classified.
I have no idea how you fix this. You would think that somewhere in the bowels of the NSA there's a master list of classified material, but maybe not. Maybe after this, one will be created.
Whatever stop gaps ARE in place (if any) weren't needed until now. Who would think a POTUS would grab a bunch of classified information on his way out the door, and then refuse to give it back? Even the unclassified stuff isn't his to take. If you go to a Presidential Library, there will be tons of documents available, but they are under the control of NARA, not the former President.
This also raises the question of whether there are additional documents squirreled away at Bedminster or Trump Tower. Don't be surprised if those two locations get searched as well. |