The news of the FBI search of former Republican President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence has been practically all anyone can talk about all week.
And it only became more dramatic when it was revealed the FBI was specifically seeking documents about nuclear weapons—which would constitute an act that was not only existentially dangerous for the world but also treasonous.
Amid the uproar, presidential historian Michael Beschloss took to Twitter to remind us that there is a historical precedent for stealing classified documents about nuclear weapons—and it ended with a pretty dramatic turn of events.
\u201cRosenbergs were convicted for giving U.S. nuclear secrets to Moscow, and were executed June 1953:\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
Beschloss tweeted about the infamous case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a New York City couple who were convicted and executed for espionage in 1953 after they shared classified information about American nuclear weapons and other munitions technology to Soviet Russia in the 1940s.
Julius Rosenberg had been an Army engineer privy to top secret developments of missile, communications and other technologies, and was recruited to spy for Soviet Russia in 1942.
When his handler learned Ethel Rosenberg's brother David Greenglass worked on the Manhattan Project, the U.S.'s project that developed nuclear weapons, she was brought into the scheme as well to recruit her brother.
The Rosenbergs subsequently recruited others who worked on similar military projects, and the group's espionage led to the Soviets developing their own nuclear weapons with a speed that shocked the American government at the time.
The scheme fell apart in 1950 when a German scientist involved was found out, touching off a domino effect of members of the plot informing on each other to the FBI, eventually leading them to the Rosenbergs.
The prosecuting attorney in their case, Roy Cohn, went on to represent Senator Joseph McCarthy in his 1950s crusade against those he accused, frequently with manufactured evidence, of being Communists sympathetic to America's enemies, destroying the accuseds' lives and getting them blacklisted from Hollywood and politics.
And in a fitting bit of "small world" coincidence, Roy Cohn went on to represent Donald Trump during his early career.
Obviously the Rosenberg case has layers of relevance to the current drama surrounding Trump. But it has angered conservatives, who have seized upon the tweet with accusations that Beschloss is advocating for Trump's execution.
It's far more likely Beschloss meant only to underline the gravity of the crimes Trump may have committed, a message that resonated with many others on Twitter.
\u201c@BeschlossDC It's a testament to how serious a crime that is. \n\nI despise Trump, but I love this country, therefore I sincerely hope he did not do that. Yes, it would ensure his incarceration, but the risk to America is too great.\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC TREASON: Penalty: Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is\u00a0DEATH, or not less than five years' imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to DEATH). Any person convicted of treason against\u00a0the U.S.\u00a0also forfeits the right to hold public office in the U.S. \ud83d\ude01\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC @shelleybleu IF, if, Trump has stolen classified nuclear documents you KNOW they aren\u2019t like a stolen old master painting stored in the basement for personal private viewing. Trump couldn\u2019t resist sharing. Russians perhaps?\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC Even the most extreme politics has a Red line you don\u2019t cross!\n\nTrump crossed that line by a mile!!\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC The Rosenbergs were my first thought after hearing about the search warrant.\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC I almost hit like. That would not be appropriate. But I see your point.\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC This is SERIOUS on steroids\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
\u201c@BeschlossDC @SarahBCalif The Trump name will someday stand for the same thing the Rosenberg name does. Espionage and Treason.\u201d— Michael Beschloss (@Michael Beschloss) 1660266019
Trump's close relationship with Russia and his son-in-law's cozy ties to Saudi Arabia have led to widespread speculation that the potential presence of nuclear documents in Trump's trove might be part of a similar sale of state secrets to an adversary.
Time will tell, but whatever Trump's trove turn out to contain, it seems likely we're in for quite a ride.
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