Fox News contributor dismisses picture of classified documents in new DOJ filing as a “public relations effort”
Fox anchor Dana Perino: Photographed documents “were placed there. The visual might leave people with the wrong impression.”
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From the August 31, 2022, edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom
DANA PERINO (ANCHOR): A new Justice Department filing accuses former President Trump of trying to conceal classified documents at his Florida home. This as Trump adds Florida's former Solicitor General to his legal team ahead of a key court hearing tomorrow. Let's bring in Jason Chaffetz, a former Utah congressman. It's interesting to me about this photograph -- and then Byron York from the Examiner, he was tweeting about this too -- it's unusual to get information like this. We've been asking for more information.
So, now you have this photograph around, and in a way it looks like this is just how they found the documents, lying all over the floor at Mar-a-Lago which is extremely unlikely. Obviously, these were placed there. But the visual, Jason, might leave people with the wrong impression.
JASON CHAFFETZ (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): The impression I got was that it was a public relations effort. This is not needed in a court document to make the case to the sitting judge. This is put out there knowing that they were going to go out to the media, and I would love to see on the far right side there, there's framed photos of Donald Trump on the cover of "Time" magazine.
What in the world does that have to do with this idea that there are classified documents? And what's behind those classified documents? The idea they spread them across the floor and started taking pictures of them, does not instill confidence in how we're supposed to do justice.
PERINO: Like, how confidential are they?
CHAFFETZ: Exactly, what else are they taking pictures of along the way? This is now how we’re supposed to administer justice in this country.