This is infuriating.
Nothing has changed re: Trump’s status as a regular citizen, and the DOJ’s memo only applies to sitting presidents. The DOJ and Jack Smith were prosecuting criminal conduct. In winding down these cases now, they are voluntarily refusing to prosecute someone they believe is a criminal when their role was to do so on behalf of the people. Likewise, the judge is voluntarily abandoning his duty to expediently seek justice on behalf of the people.
The proper course here would be to continue to treat him as a regular criminal, not delay anything, and on January 20th, decide then if you want to quit.
This preemptive compliance is doing 90% of Trump’s work in creating an authoritarian state where he is above the law. Don’t just roll over, you hacks, do your jobs.
There’s actually a good video by Legal Eagle on this issue. Basically if they keep the cases open, the new DOJ can dismiss the case with prejudice in January (since it will be impossible to finish the case before due to appeals processes and similar), and if they drop the charges without prejudice, the crimes will be past statute of limitations in 4 years, so it’s impossible for trump to face any consequences now. But if they stop the prosecution now, at least they might have a chance to do a concluding report a la the Mueller report just better, documenting the crimes and evidence. It’s shit but theoretically the best outcome possible now.
The problem is it’s not clear who could enforce a judgment on him. If DC police tried to arrest him, they wouldn’t get through the door. Him being president makes it very difficult, as a practical matter, to actually punish him in any way.
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Seriously, if he’s got 2 months before being king FUCKING DO IT NOW.
They won’t. There’s no point. The Trump SCOTUS will throw anything they do out. The only thing that Biden could do is use the powers SCOTUS granted the presidency to round them up, throw them in a gulag, and declare the election null and void. And he won’t do that.
Because that will ensure a civil war. We might get it anyway, but that would just accelerate it.
Lay that blame at Gutless Merrick Garland’s feet.
He fucken got away with it
So said we all. We knew he wouldn’t face justice.
If the rule of law doesn’t apply to him then does the rule of law apply at all? It makes it all seem meaningless when you look at it.
This just further cements that there are multiple different levels of law depending on your money/wealth/power/influence. Any normal individual does this, with this much proof, and they would’ve seen the inside of a jail cell before the cuff-marks faded away.
Always has been, always will be.
Clavell’s novel Noble House woke me to this. It’s about the English occupying Hong Kong and the drama between them and the Chinese, the cultures and economies.
This Chinese dude is bitching about the fucking stupid English notion of “equal before the law, rich or poor”.
“Why else would I strive to be rich if I’m to be treated as a peasant?!”
Much to think on there.
(Clavell wrote the Asia Saga books, starting with Shogun. I highly recommend them.)
Assess the situation?!
The president is not, nor should, be above the fucking law. Where are the checks? Where are the balances? This country was literally founded on this idea (among many others)! Set the right precedent and put this fucking crook in jail!
In 1776 they definitely would be checked. We lost our way. Money outweighs principles. Money was important back then, but it wasn’t above (known) principles. We did have slavery and suffrage. It would be nice that those did not exist in our history. But those are eventually changed.
This crap is not what we were founded on. The Republicans are not patriots. They are cowards.
Ignore the fact that after 1776 people tried to make George Washington King and the only reason we didn’t have a king now is because Washington turned it down in favor of a huge portion of the gdp.
People really need to abandon the mythology that the founding fathers were incredible thinkers with profound morals compasses when most were drunken criminals with some good ideas in-between objectively horrible ones.
That’s a niche fact that “some” wanted him to be a king. And that he was the only one to design the structure of government. A congress was seen as an unrealistic possibility and that a king could be better. So it’s just a huge what if. That didn’t even happen.
The founding fathers has principles. They had separated to break free from their oppressive leaders and create their own system. The Republicans have exploited this system and leveraged it to promote the worst possibilities.
It’s not beneficial to all citizens and they are sad people that will ruin the world if they are not stopped.
Principles that we know are flawed, like slavery, owning your wife so on so forth. It’s mythology dude they were fucking messes.
Guys guys…I think we have a loophole. We can crime so long as we have a PAC and run for president.
It may be unethical to parden yourself, but the founding fathers didn’t make it illegal so…
This isnt the last word. Smith is working out “the appropriate course for this case”, and the judge is giving him until Dec 2. We will hear from him again, before Trump takes office.
He’s a smart guy, he may figure out a way to make these last few months interesting.
Nothing will happen. I appreciate the optimism, but you’re kicking your acceptance further down the road. If they were actually going to hold the fucker to account, they’d have done more by now. At this point? Attempting to prosecute the president-elect just weeks before he steps into power to ‘save America’? That’s just giving the conspiracy nuts validation to start shooting.
He’s got you by the pussy I’m afraid.
All I know is he’s smarter than you or I am. I have no illusions that Trump will ever get what he deserves, but I’ll at least wait to see what actually happens in that filing before raging.
All I know is he’s smarter than you or I am.
You must have bananas for brains
OK, Smith is smarter than anyone in this comment chain. Are you a fucking angry child?!
Bet you could do better than a highly educated and experienced hard-ass like Smith! Why don’t you give his office a call? Offer your wisdom?
The Friday news dump returns.
America: running for president is the get out of jail card, because all levels of government are afraid to be seen as partisan/political
