Elizabeth Neumann, a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official in the Trump administration, has raised alarming concerns about the impact of Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents on the safety and security of the American people.
During an interview on ABC’s This Week, the former Trump official emphasized the potential loss of lives resulting from the former president’s actions during and after his tenure in the White House.
Neumann, who served as the DHS’s assistant secretary for counterterrorism from February 2017 to April 2020, stressed the gravity of the situation, stating, “This causes people to die.This is a very serious top-secret and special access program. When they fall into the wrong hands, people die, and the United States’ security is deeply compromised.”
Neumann further highlighted the revealing evidence presented in the 49-page indictment, which sheds light on the challenges faced by the national security community during Trump’s time in office.
Describing the indictment as a vivid portrayal of the realities endured by the national security apparatus over the four years of Trump’s presidency, Neumann criticized his blatant disregard for rules and failure to protect the country’s most sensitive secrets. This negligence, she asserted, put the lives of military and intelligence personnel at risk.
Regarding Mar-a-Lago, where Trump is accused of storing classified documents, Neumann expressed concern about its vulnerability to foreign intelligence agencies seeking to exploit the potential troves of sensitive information. She pointed out that such agencies are likely trying to discern what may be hidden within the premises.
Former DHS Assistant Sec. for Counterterrorism Elizabeth Neumann tells @GStephanopoulos that Trump indictment paints a “vivid picture for the American public of what the national security community dealt with for four years when he was president.” https://t.co/PJkPNL9usJ pic.twitter.com/NkZHm2pTY1
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 11, 2023
Last week, a grand jury indicted Trump on 37 federal charges related to his handling of classified documents, including national defense information.
The unsealed indictment alleges deliberate deception by Trump, as he knowingly lied and misled authorities to retain classified documents. Additionally, it claims that he showed some of these classified materials to unauthorized individuals on at least two occasions. Startling photographs accompanying the indictment revealed that numerous documents were stored in areas such as a bathroom, shower, and ballroom at Mar-a-Lago.
The charges against Trump include 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, as well as single counts of false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document, concealing a document in a federal investigation, and a scheme to conceal. The potential consequences are staggering, with a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison.
