Trump Is Normal on Secrets

Intones the indictment: “The Mar-a-Lago Club was not an authorized location for the storage, possession, review, display or discussion of classified documents.” Who would disagree? But neither are CNN, MSNBC or the front pages of the Washington Post and New York Times.

The prosecutor, Jack Smith, approvingly quotes Mr. Trump’s own criticism of “highly partisan” former officials who use “real or perceived access to sensitive information to validate their political attacks.” Mr. Smith, who may have a sense of humor, can hardly be oblivious to the irony. Joe Biden might not be president if 51 former officials with “perceived access to sensitive information” hadn’t intervened in the Hunter Biden laptop story. Mr. Trump might not have been elected in 2016 if FBI chief James Comey hadn’t seized on likely fabricated “Russian intelligence” as a reason to intervene improperly in the Hillary Clinton email case. Mr. Smith might not be special counsel today if the FBI hadn’t then knowingly promoted fake intelligence from the Clinton campaign to undermine the Trump administration.

Like any president, Mr. Trump’s head is already so full of classified information from four years of daily briefings that he doesn’t need documents to pose a threat to national security. Recall also that President Obama, after Mr. Trump’s surprise win, broadened the distribution of Russia-related intelligence to encourage leaks.

In the indictment, Mr. Trump is seen mugging for Mar-a-Lago guests about his real or perceived possession of national secrets, possibly unique in the annals only because he let himself be recorded doing so. The Justice Department’s own inspector general would refer FBI chief Comey for criminal investigation over leaks. The FBI’s No. 2 would be fired for lying about leaks. Leaks from House Intelligence Committee Democrats and staff were standard fare in the political warfare against Mr. Trump. Even a leaky British ex-spy peddling tall tales on behalf of his political clients complained about FBI leaks.

Americans might also be wondering why they should care. They see top-secret Ukraine war leaks in the news on a daily basis without apparent consequence, thanks to a system that entrusted intelligence to an unvetted 21-year-old National Guard recruit.

Widely noted has been the indictment’s silence on Mr. Trump’s motive for improbably violating the 1917 Espionage Act. This may be the real rub. In hanging on to documents Mr. Trump wasn’t merely hanging on to information, he was hanging on to evidence.

Motives are at work on both sides. Newsweek, citing “two high-level U.S. intelligence officials,” reported a year ago that the “true target” of investigators were documents Mr. Trump had been collecting since early in his presidency that he “apparently thought would exonerate him of any claims of Russian collusion in 2016.”

Perhaps tellingly, Mr. Smith opts not to follow the example of fellow special counsel John Durham, who refrained from piling on the charges, as if his goal wasn’t bullying his targets into submission but simply informing the public about the FBI’s role in the collusion hoax.

The sought-after Trump documents have all been back in the government’s hands since last year and yet Mr. Trump may find little legal leg to stand on. If the indictment is accurate, he waived any “oops” defense when he chose to resist the government’s efforts to reclaim the documents.

But only a conformist and unimaginative press can believe the story ends there. The seven-year battle between Mr. Trump and our intelligence agencies was destined to begin anew if he insisted on running in 2024. This war even supplies him with a motive for running—so he can argue to a jury that he’s being prosecuted only because he’s beating Mr. Biden in the polls. If necessary, he can also hope to pardon himself if he wins. This is hardly the most salutary reason for a reprised Biden-Trump showdown but here we are. If Americans want the intelligence agencies out of politics, finding two different nominees would be the place to start.

A diligent reader will guess my own fondest hope. Out of Mr. Trump’s document pile will come answers to the biggest remaining mystery of 2016, concerning the fake Russian “intelligence” that Mr. Comey used to justify his improper and insubordinate actions in the Clinton email case, which may well have put Mr. Trump in the White House.