'Does Donald Trump think he should get paid?' Chuck Todd battles Trump lawyer over presidential records

'Does Donald Trump think he should get paid?' Chuck Todd battles Trump lawyer over presidential records
Image via screengrab.
Bank

NBC host Chuck Todd accused Donald Trump's attorney, Jim Trusty, of "misrepresenting the law" after the former president suggested he should be paid $18 million to return classified documents belonging to the U.S. government.

On Sunday, Todd asked Trusty why Trump had told Fox News host Sean Hannity that "they ended up paying Nixon $18 million" for presidential records.

"He seems to, and you seem to be, I think, maybe unintentionally misrepresenting the law when you talk about Nixon," Todd said, noting that the Presidential Records Act was passed after President Richard Nixon left office.

"The law was effective with the Reagan presidency in 1981," the host told Trusty. "Does the former, does Donald Trump think he should get paid? Is that what's going on here? Because Nixon got paid $18 million."

"That's a cheap shot," Trusty snapped.

"He keeps bringing up this Nixon thing," Todd pointed out. "What other reasons is he bringing it up?"

Trusty argued that Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were better examples.

"They acknowledged that they had classified documents, probably to the tune of thousands," he said. "Never any criminal tools, never any criminal referrals. So look, this has a rotten underpinning in terms of bureaucrats being politicized, followed up by an all too eager DOJ to criminalize something that's not a crime."

"That was the point of the president's comments," Trusty insisted.

Watch the video below from NBC or at this link.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2023 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.