Donald Trump has never operated like most people and he certainly has never operated like any normal political figure you can name. He got in the political game to augment his “brand” with a plan of founding Trump TV with Steve Bannon, post election. Then the impossible happened and he actually won and had to perform in the job of president for four years — the “job,” not the “role.”
It was a disaster, to use his favorite word. But he’s all fired up and ready to go for another four years, assuming he can get his party’s nomination again and right now that’s debatable. And why is that? Because he’s got to keep the donations flowing and he’s also got to throw a monkey wrench into the DOJ’s investigation of him. He has no choice.
It’s been proposed recently that in order to not seem partisan, that the DOJ appoint a Special Counsel to act independently to investigate Trump’s stolen documents. It simply may not work and especially if Trump declares his 2024 candidacy in a few days, which he is very likely to do. New York Times:
“Our justice system is faced with one of its greatest challenges of its more than 250-year history,” said Claire Finkelstein, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the founder of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law.
“There is no reason, under federal law, that a former president or a presidential candidate can’t be indicted,” Ms. Finkelstein said. “But the nature of our politics has become so polarized that there is no criminal investigation, no indictment, no legal action that won’t be perceived as just another part of the poisonous partisan politics in the U.S. today.”
Very simply, as soon as Trump announces his candidacy, any action by the DOJ, Special Counsel or otherwise, will be interpreted in the context of the upcoming election and as the DOJ being weaponized. Looking at it from that perspective, Trump would relish the special counsel. It would provide him with one more foil.
“Once Trump is more than a former president, but a declared candidate for the presidency, it’s smart for the department to evaluate whether a special counsel is appropriate,” said Andrew D. Goldstein, a prosecutor who worked on the obstruction investigation into Mr. Trump conducted by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
And we all recall how the Mueller investigation went.
Now the department could appoint someone with broad oversight over the current investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of sensitive government documents after he left office, which includes questions about whether Mr. Trump or his aides intentionally misled investigators and tried to obstruct the inquiry.
Justice Department officials had hoped that they could weigh the evidence themselves and make a convincing case based on the facts and the law. By hewing to the rules, they hoped to show that the justice system worked, even in the face of Mr. Trump’s multipronged attacks.
But it is not clear that appointing a special counsel will shore up the public’s faith in the department.
Trump will make the Special Counsel, should one be appointed, the central foil in his newest “witch hunt” saga. He would love to have a Special Counsel so he can play the victim card.
And maybe the DOJ should give it to him. The substance of the New York Times piece is that to create a legitimate Special Counsel is going to be well nigh impossible, because who is going to be somebody that Trump would agree is not out to get him?
But assuming such a person can be found, maybe this would be the best thing that could happen. The Special Counsel’s report could come out right before the 2024 election, perhaps. It could be a blockbuster. God knows the evidence is there. Or, it could fizzle like the Mueller report did, which was also thought to be a blockbuster at the time.
We don’t know. All we can safely say at this time is that Trump doesn’t fear the Special Counsel, he relishes it, because he sees it as part of the new plot line he’s developing for The Apprentice: White House Edition 2.0.
OK, so how can he announce if he hasn’t filed? Then there’s the little matter of money. He has none, at least in terms of campaign cash (I understand his “Leadership PAC” funds are untouchable for that, and besides, that’s what he’s living on/paying lawyers with, right?) Is Garland ever going to actually DO anything?
The answer is: he will break the law and use his $250 million he has already collected any way he wants. What’s one more blatant act of criminality to him? To paraphrase many movies, who is going to stop him? You?
And the answer to when Garland will do something- isn’t that obvious by now? In the words of the great New York Times cartoon- “how about never? how does never work for you?”
He has set the mid-term results for his “decision”. If we Voters
win & defeat him, he will provide a later date for any announcement. He moves promised actions like a chess player. (Remember his promise of his tax returns — which he is still trying to prevent?”) If we win, he will move the date out further, until indictments force him to either declare (knowing he will not win) or leave town. He loses control of Save America Pac AND the RNC paying his legal fees when he commits legally.
If the Justice Dept. doesn’t indict former guy, there will no longer be any reason for anyone to obey the law. This country will descend into anarchy. Oh well. It was nice, occasionally, while it lasted.
There are numerous, excellent reasons to vote this time around. Making sure the criminals do not regain the house or senate might be the best reason of all.
“But the nature of our politics has become so polarized that there is no criminal investigation, no indictment, no legal action that won’t be perceived as just another part of the poisonous partisan politics in the U.S. today.”
If that is true then this is too.
“But the nature of our politics has become so polarized that there is no criminal investigation, no indictment, no legal INACTION that won’t be perceived as just another part of the poisonous partisan politics in the U.S. today.”
So the choice is between an act of comission or an act of omission?
Given such a choice, legal precedent says you should act, so that Justice is SEEN to be done, and the legal facts established in a Court of Law, under oath, and penalty of perjury.
Mueller did a good job, but he expected Congress to do theirs (and they didn’t), and Barr lied his hefty rear end off about what Mueller found.
It makes absolutely no sense for the DOJ to try to appear non-partisan at this point. No matter what DOJ does, the MAGAts are going to misconstrue it; go forward and they’ll call it a partisan attack; do nothing and they’ll declare vindication.. Just STOP trying to appease “both sides” and do what you know is right! Time to grow a pair and stop being played for a fool.
I don’t think they’ll do one thing to him, he got away with it, as always. And I haven’t heard one word about a bill passing that would stop another potus from doing the despicable things he’s gotten away with. If they don’t set some laws on another potus, our country is nothing but a 3rd. world country. Trump is really ignorant of civics, but he’s smart at getting away with lawlessness. I guess anyone who has a cult has some kind of smarts. It’s jut the mentally ill part that is scary.
“he’s smart at getting away with lawlessness” – taught by a crooked father, and has spent his ENTIRE life being a crook, so yes he is ‘smart’ in the things that keep the grift going. He is the nearest thing to the devil I have ever seen – the only thing we have not seen him openly do is murder by his own hand. He’s much too slick to let anything get too close to him, just uses other stupid people to do what he wants via manipulation – now that’s evil ! Those of us who are not caught in his web are just getting exhausted ! Russia is boasting they are again interfering in the election process so while they want to keep us guessing & make us nervous, I’m hoping that at least the FBI etc know what to look for ! God Help Us ! It’s beyond my comprehension how anyone could be such a TRAITOR to their own country & we seem to be powerless to stop him !
Could we pray him away?