“Willful retention”
Willful: obstinately and often perversely self-willed, a stubborn and willful child. 2: done deliberately: intentional, willful disobedience. Retention: The continued possession, use, or control of something. Put those two words together, and you have: Willful retention.
These words are important. They appear in a document unsealed on Thursday, part of the procedural document explaining the search of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence. If one takes those words at face value, what it says is this: Trump held on to these documents in complete disobedience of what he was supposed to do and he knew it. And he continued to possess them even when told they needed to be returned.
And those two words — willful retention — will play a significant role in any indictment that comes Trump’s way. Because there is very little, he can use it to defend his “willful retention.”
Not that Trump has not tried. He has thrown out lame defense after lame defense, many of which make no sense and which clearly show the widening pit of desperation Trump is getting lost in.
Anybody innocent does not need to do that. For example, if I accused you of stealing my care on Tuesday at 1:00 PM, you could say you didn’t. You were nowhere near my car at that time.
And if you were told you had essential documents in your possession and that it was illegal for you to have them, you would likely return them as quickly as possible. That’s what sane people do. That is what people without guilt — who have nothing to hide do.
On the other hand, a guilty person struggles and stammers and tries to turn things around. They’re caught, you see. They’re trying to hide from their willful retention. Only Donald Trump’s attempts to hide will not work and are guaranteed to cause him nothing but angst because one can’t run from the truth.
One can undoubtedly TRY. But the truth has a way of reeling one back in, yanking one away from the quicksand of their lies and forcing them to take a good long look in the mirror. And Trump’s mirror holds nothing but willful retention.
