Till Jan. 2018, ANYONE could have easily taped a conversation with DT. With their cell phone.

[pnwmom]

Remember all the fuss DT made a year ago, insisting that the FBI was taping him? But he never did anything about that except complain.

In January, 2018, DT finally got around to banning personal cell phones from the White House, but that was too late because Washington, D.C. has a one-party consent law with regard to recording conversations. So as long as one person consents – such as the person making the recording – the taping is legal.

It’s easy to record in-person conversations with a cell phone in your pocket, in your lap, or on the table. And for the whole first year of his administration, DT allowed WH staff and others to bring personal cell phones into meetings.

I wonder if James Comey ever recorded a conversation with his cell phone? Or one of the Russians in that private meeting? Or Steve Bannon? Who wants to bet that NO ONE has ever recorded a damning conversation with DT?

(Or that DT has never recorded a subpoena-able conversation with them?)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/white-house-bans-personal-cell-phone-use-staffers-guests-n834546

White House staffers and guests will no longer be able to use their personal cellphones in the West Wing, the Trump administration said Thursday.

The announcement came just a day after details from a forthcoming book about the inner-workings of the Trump administration emerged — a development that enraged President Donald Trump and prompted him to threaten legal action against Steve Bannon, the former strategist who is quoted widely in the book.


https://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/washington-record-conversations/

Fact or Fiction: In Washington D.C., It Is Legal to Record Private Conversations Without the Consent of All Participants.

Incredibly, this is a fact!

The District of Columbia has a “one-party consent” wiretapping law. This means that in our nation’s capital, it is not a crime to record a phone call or conversation as long as at least one party to the conversation consents. See D.C. Code § 23-542. However, a person having a conversation via telephone, Skype, etc., with someone in another state may be breaking the wiretapping law in the other state.

Does this mean Presidents can legally record private conversations in the White House?

Yes, they can. After firing FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump tweeted, “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” This led to speculation that perhaps all or some of President Trump’s conversations inside the White House were being recorded. Since then, the Administration has absolutely refused to discuss or confirm whether Trump is recording conversations. But Trump’s associates say he has a long history of recording people.