# FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence, August 8, 2022, Case Dismissed July 15, 2024 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 8, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329 "2022-08-08T23:18:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/821 "2022-08-13T11:31:32Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Charge him with violating the Espionage Act, and you are handing him another big win, just like the Democrats did with impeachment. > > Charge him with stealing a few papers rightfully the property of the Nation Archives, and that might get an actual deserved conviction. Except that something like 90% of all Federal charges end up with plea deals. If Trump is charged, the most likely outcome is that he’ll plead down a bit. So the real question is what that plea deal will be, and will it involve prison time? > **[Only 2% of federal criminal defendants went to trial in 2018, and most who...](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/06/11/only-2-of-federal-criminal-defendants-go-to-trial-and-most-who-do-are-found-guilty/)** > > Trials are rare in the federal criminal justice system: Just 2% of criminal defendants went to trial in fiscal 2018. Acquittals are even rarer. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/822 "2022-08-13T11:53:51Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Except that something like 90% of all Federal charges end up with plea deals. If Trump is charged, the most likely outcome is that he’ll plead down a bit. So the real question is what that plea deal will be, and will it involve prison time? I don’t think you can say “90% of Fed charges end in a plea deal, so there is a 90% chance Trump will take a plea deal”. I mean, he may, but a past overall average doesn’t predict any specific case, and especially one as atypical as this one. “Never Say Die” is his guiding principle. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/823 "2022-08-13T12:11:42Z")
I wonder which of the two felonies — trying to subvert the election in Georgia, and this — will reach a verdict first. How do they decide the order of trials? Won’t matter - he’ll plea each one down (from life imprisonment or possibly execution) to ten years in Leavenworth, Kansas, to be served consecutively. 20 years is a likely life sentence, at his age. Too bad (for him) the one part of (de facto) Russia that resembles Florida — Crimea — isn’t the best place to settle down just now. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/824 "2022-08-13T12:15:34Z")
Beginning to consider the possibility that if Biden _doesn’t_ act against Trump for this, he (Biden) begins to lose support of political factions within the military. People will argue that, you know, perhaps Trump had a point, perhaps maybe he really is still President if he has these documents and nothing happens to it, just like nothing happened for J6, just like nothing happened re: Mueller. “You know why Trump wasn’t indicted? It’s because he’s still President.” Hell, they’re saying it now, but give Trump the _official_ imprimatur of allowing him to have private access to these documents and belief becomes reality for too many people. Once started, this process **must conclude with an indictment and plea/trial**. And if I can see that, sitting here in my chair in San Antonio, Garland (and Biden, my God, he surely knew the warrant was a thing) must have come to the same conclusion last week when they approved the warrant. For our sake, God, I hope they came to this conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/825 "2022-08-13T12:19:26Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Beginning to consider the possibility that if Biden _doesn’t_ act against Trump for this, he (Biden) begins to lose support of political factions within the military. I think Biden is leaving it to the DOJ. MAGAts already pretend it’s all political. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/826 "2022-08-13T12:20:48Z")
He might be “leaving” the criminal stuff to the DOJ, but the military isn’t the DOJ’s jurisdiction, it’s Biden’s. There is a strong MAGA faction in the US armed forces and the last thing Biden needs is for them to coalesce around an Avignon Presidency. A quiet purge of MAGA may be in order. Perhaps we start with Mike Flynn’s brother? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/827 "2022-08-13T12:24:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > 20 years is a likely life sentence, at his age. If he were to get sentenced to, and placed in, prison for 20 years, I’d honestly be surprised if he was still alive in 5 years. I think without access to social media and without his adoring fans that live to kiss the ground he walks on and with his spineless loyalists that finally take this opportunity to distance themselves from him, his life would crumble to the point that I think his health would deteriorate rapidly. I also truly think that without…and I know this sounds like a ‘ha ha you wear orange makeup’ joke…without his makeup and hair dye, he may actively avoid the little bit of time he could manage to get in front of a camera. I do think there’s a good potential for violence if he’s put in prison and again if he dies in prison by those that consider him to be their messiah. But I also feel like it’ll blow over the very moment the media stops giving them a platform. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/828 "2022-08-13T12:25:08Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Like Trump would be friends with someone name “Barrack”. Trump is friends with anyone who might give him cooperation, good press, and a line of credit. He’s an enemy of anyone who refuses those things. He holds no other principles, is driven by no other motive. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/829 "2022-08-13T12:25:22Z")
Place him in house arrest at Maralargo. No electronic media access. 4 visitors, approved, a week. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/830 "2022-08-13T12:35:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@JKellyMap](#): > > > > 20 years is a likely life sentence, at his age. > > If he were to get sentenced to, and placed in, prison for 20 years, I’d honestly be surprised if he was still alive in 5 years. I think without access to social media and without his adoring fans that live to kiss the ground he walks on and with his spineless loyalists that finally take this opportunity to distance themselves from him, his life would crumble to the point that I think his health would deteriorate rapidly. > > I also truly think that without…and I know this sounds like a ‘ha ha you wear orange makeup’ joke…without his makeup and hair dye, he may actively avoid the little bit of time he could manage to get in front of a camera. > > I do think there’s a good potential for violence if he’s put in prison and again if he dies in prison by those that consider him to be their messiah. But I also feel like it’ll blow over the very moment the media stops giving them a platform. I think the opposite. I can’t speak as to his lifespan, but I think Trump would love prison. He’d be the God King. The other prisoners would worship at his feet and beg for the privilege of doing his laundry. He’d find the adulation and adoration he always wanted……and since he’s always had a thing for poorly cooked food, he’d probably even like the cuisine. I’m basing this opinion largely on what I’ve read about the prison experiences of guys like Bernie Madoff and Jordan Belfort. Rich guys that pull off major scams tend to be treated as heroes in prison. This is partly because they have money and connections on the outside so it doesn’t hurt to suck up to them, and partly because the convicts like the mythology, as it were, of the bad guy that blended in and got rich scamming the system. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/831 "2022-08-13T12:40:59Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I can’t speak as to his lifespan, but I think Trump would love prison. He’d be the God King. The other prisoners would worship at his feet and beg for the privilege of doing his laundry. He’d find the adulation and adoration he always wanted……and since he’s always had a thing for poorly cooked food, he’d probably even like the cuisine. I find this to be an acceptable outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/832 "2022-08-13T12:44:43Z")
Could a potential decision on whether or not Trump goes to prison ultimately end up in the Supreme Court? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/833 "2022-08-13T12:45:22Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > can’t speak as to his lifespan, but I think Trump would love prison. Hence house arrest at MAL. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/834 "2022-08-13T12:49:58Z")
Bring back the pillory. > **[Pillory](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillory)** > > The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks. > The word is documented in English since 1274 (attested in Anglo-Latin from c. 1189), and stems from Old French pellori (1168; modern French pilori, see below), itself from medieval Latin pilloria, of uncertain origin, perhaps a diminutive of Latin pila... ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/835 "2022-08-13T12:51:17Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > “Never Say Die” is his guiding principle. But that’s just the thing - execution **is** a possibility! This may be the first time in his life Trump is faced with consequences he can’t just buy or bully his way out of. The people in charge of these kinds of classified documents are not noted for their willingness to let things slide. The moment he finally realizes how badly he’s fucked this up, he’s going to panic, and start begging for any plea deal they’re willing to offer. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/836 "2022-08-13T12:52:57Z")
I think if anything he’ll probably get the Bernie Madoff suite, but any incarceration or restriction of his movements will be seen as martyrdom to his fans. Whatever, just keep him away from elected office is all I ask for. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/837 "2022-08-13T12:56:43Z")
I’ve got it – a special offer from Mike Lindell, “My Pillory”! You asked for it… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/838 "2022-08-13T12:59:27Z")
> [@Ziberian](#): > > Sure it does. The majority of Covid deaths in the past year+ were anti-vaxxers, & anti-vaxxers are almost always Trump supporters. Red-staters were well in the lead even before the vaccines became available. Which is really remarkable when you consider that diseases naturally spread faster in high-population-density areas. They were really going out of their way to get infected. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/839 "2022-08-13T13:08:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > If he were to get sentenced to, and placed in, prison for 20 years, I’d honestly be surprised if he was still alive in 5 years. I think without access to social media and without his adoring fans that live to kiss the ground he walks on and with his spineless loyalists that finally take this opportunity to distance themselves from him, his life would crumble to the point that I think his health would deteriorate rapidly. The only thing he could look forward to would be his conjugal visits, where they leave him alone with a fringed flag. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329/840 "2022-08-13T13:10:51Z")
I went on Fox News website out of curiosity regarding their response to the latest news. You’ll feel comforted to know that Tucker Carlson is investigation cattle mutilations. Its about time! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-search-and-seizure-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-residence-august-8-2022-case-dismissed-july-15-2024/969329.md?page=43)