From the NYT just now: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed a special counsel on Friday to take over two major criminal investigations involving former President Donald J. Trump, including his role in events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and his handling of sensitive government documents.
If a special counsel was to be appointed, I can think of no one better suited than Jack Smith. Vast experience prosecuting public corruption cases., treacherous national security violations, and crimes against humanity. Absorbs complex facts instantly. Perfect for Donald Trump.
Andrew Weissman:
Jack Smith, the new Special Counsel, is a very aggressive prosecutor who represents the very best of the Department, who will bring charges if warranted by facts and law.
Merrick Garland doesn’t need to appoint a special counsel for political cover. Garland appointed the special counsel to be transparent, and what that transparency suggests is that Donald Trump is a lot closer to being criminally prosecuted than he was a month ago. Trump knows this which is why he moved his 2024 announcement up.
"Already, Mr. Trump’s supporters have accused the Justice Department under the Biden administration of investigating Mr. Trump for political reasons, and some Republicans have floated the idea of impeaching Mr. Garland if he pursues charges against him."
Trump's supporters are less capable than a bag of rocks, just like their idiot leader. All they know how to do is break things.
Joyce Vance explained on MSNBC why the Garland appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel represented a serious turn in the investigation, “Not just Mr. Smith but some of the prosecutors who have joined this team do not appear to be the sorts of people who would short-circuit their careers, leave lucrative jobs in private practice or in Smith's case, leave his role in The Hague and come to the Justice Department only to say, you know, we think we'll pass on this prosecution. It looks like these folks are for real, that they're serious bout taking a good hard look at the evidence here, and perhaps where there's value added in this process that Merrick Garland has decided to use comes in the day-to-day oversight of the investigation.”
I’m echoing Damn!!! So far Trump has won every time. He just keeps mowing them down. The Clown Car will be full BUT our noble press will print all the investigations with perfectly balanced reporting so no one will be aware there are crazies loose in the House. I’m pessimistic as I sit here and take this in.
John L. Smith seems to suggest this will not slow down the process:
"I intend to conduct the assigned investigations, and any prosecutions that may result from them, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice," Smith said in a statement Friday. "The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch. I will exercise independent judgment and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate."
To my way of thinking, DOJ needs this separate protection as the House Republicans' political conquest efforts begin in earnest now. I am not discouraged. Yet.
What’s the old saw about justice delayed is justice denied? The January 6th mob’s trials are moving forward, but the Orange Instigator can still play golf, marry off his daughter, and run for Prez…so much for equal justice under the law…
I only hope that if I ever devote my waking hours to extorting foreign leaders, stealing from taxpayers, sponsoring riots, desecrating the American government and doing all I can to convert public property to my personal profit I am investigated with the punctilious tenderness wasted on that bloated fraud Trump. I've never seen investigation by concierge before. Everybody ever convicted of any federal offense should be furious, as should everybody who hasn't been.
Thanks, TC. I watched the press briefing and wondered what we can look forward to. So many of us have watched all these seeming inexcusable crimes, wondering if Mr. Garland was ever going to indict.
TC you wrote: DAMN! Didn’t know how to take that word. It might suggest bad news from Merrick Garland or it might mean Merrick Garland is rocking it! So I am pleased to maintain my original position which is: Merrick Garland is rocking it!
If a special counsel was to be appointed, I can think of no-one better suited than Jack Smith. Vast experience prosecuting public corruption cases, treacherous national security violations, and crimes against humanity. Absorbs complex facts instantly. Perfect for Donald Trump.
I kept thinking Merrick Garland was going to pounce on tfg as soon as the close races were settled...maybe waiting for the Walker/Warnock replay Dec 5.,......but I can see that he had to do this latest move to protect the ongoing criminal investigation of tfg. Garland is playing ethical chess and he is not going to give candidate Trump a shield or trumpist/ anti-Biden Rs any easy opening for claims of conflict of interest or a "weaponizing" DOJ.
Hopefully this will not appreciably slow things down because It already feels as if this is the Never Ending Story! If any one of us had done the things tfg has done we would already be wearing orange jumpsuits and pooping in the silver pot in the corner!
Jack Smith's background and career. Prosecuting white collar criminals and war criminals seems a good background for getting Trump:
A quick rundown on the newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith, with whom I wasn’t familiar prior to today’s announcement:
Education
State University of New York at Oneonta
Harvard Law School
Private Career
Vice President and Head of Litigation for the Hospital Corporation of America (2017-18)
Public Career
Specialist Prosecutor’s Office for Kosovo In The Hague (2018-present)
First Assistant US Attorney and Acting US Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee (2015-17)
Chief of the Public Integrity Section of the US Department of Justice (2010-2015)
Investigation Coordinator in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (2008-2010)
US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (roughly 1999-2008)
Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office (roughly 1994-1999)
Laurence Tribe on Smith:
If a special counsel was to be appointed, I can think of no one better suited than Jack Smith. Vast experience prosecuting public corruption cases., treacherous national security violations, and crimes against humanity. Absorbs complex facts instantly. Perfect for Donald Trump.
Andrew Weissman:
Jack Smith, the new Special Counsel, is a very aggressive prosecutor who represents the very best of the Department, who will bring charges if warranted by facts and law.
Merrick Garland doesn’t need to appoint a special counsel for political cover. Garland appointed the special counsel to be transparent, and what that transparency suggests is that Donald Trump is a lot closer to being criminally prosecuted than he was a month ago. Trump knows this which is why he moved his 2024 announcement up.
"Already, Mr. Trump’s supporters have accused the Justice Department under the Biden administration of investigating Mr. Trump for political reasons, and some Republicans have floated the idea of impeaching Mr. Garland if he pursues charges against him."
Trump's supporters are less capable than a bag of rocks, just like their idiot leader. All they know how to do is break things.
Joyce Vance explained on MSNBC why the Garland appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel represented a serious turn in the investigation, “Not just Mr. Smith but some of the prosecutors who have joined this team do not appear to be the sorts of people who would short-circuit their careers, leave lucrative jobs in private practice or in Smith's case, leave his role in The Hague and come to the Justice Department only to say, you know, we think we'll pass on this prosecution. It looks like these folks are for real, that they're serious bout taking a good hard look at the evidence here, and perhaps where there's value added in this process that Merrick Garland has decided to use comes in the day-to-day oversight of the investigation.”
I’m echoing Damn!!! So far Trump has won every time. He just keeps mowing them down. The Clown Car will be full BUT our noble press will print all the investigations with perfectly balanced reporting so no one will be aware there are crazies loose in the House. I’m pessimistic as I sit here and take this in.
John L. Smith seems to suggest this will not slow down the process:
"I intend to conduct the assigned investigations, and any prosecutions that may result from them, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice," Smith said in a statement Friday. "The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch. I will exercise independent judgment and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate."
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/politics/justice-department-trump-special-counsel/index.html
To my way of thinking, DOJ needs this separate protection as the House Republicans' political conquest efforts begin in earnest now. I am not discouraged. Yet.
There's some reassuring analysis here in this post by Josh Marshall at TPM:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/garland-appointing-jack-smith-is-just-fine
You can bet public opinion is not going to be really happy about this
Special Counsel, considering how
Mueller's got so heavily redacted it
was basically worthless. I'm really
disappointed. More wasted time
and delay. Didn't they move faster
on Nixon?
What’s the old saw about justice delayed is justice denied? The January 6th mob’s trials are moving forward, but the Orange Instigator can still play golf, marry off his daughter, and run for Prez…so much for equal justice under the law…
If the Special Counsel has to start from scratch (are there even any more lawyers left?), can the Jan6 Cmte hand over their findings to him?
I only hope that if I ever devote my waking hours to extorting foreign leaders, stealing from taxpayers, sponsoring riots, desecrating the American government and doing all I can to convert public property to my personal profit I am investigated with the punctilious tenderness wasted on that bloated fraud Trump. I've never seen investigation by concierge before. Everybody ever convicted of any federal offense should be furious, as should everybody who hasn't been.
Thanks, TC. I watched the press briefing and wondered what we can look forward to. So many of us have watched all these seeming inexcusable crimes, wondering if Mr. Garland was ever going to indict.
TC you wrote: DAMN! Didn’t know how to take that word. It might suggest bad news from Merrick Garland or it might mean Merrick Garland is rocking it! So I am pleased to maintain my original position which is: Merrick Garland is rocking it!
Triple damn....
Damn ! But this gives me hope !
Laurence Tribe
@tribelaw
If a special counsel was to be appointed, I can think of no-one better suited than Jack Smith. Vast experience prosecuting public corruption cases, treacherous national security violations, and crimes against humanity. Absorbs complex facts instantly. Perfect for Donald Trump.
I kept thinking Merrick Garland was going to pounce on tfg as soon as the close races were settled...maybe waiting for the Walker/Warnock replay Dec 5.,......but I can see that he had to do this latest move to protect the ongoing criminal investigation of tfg. Garland is playing ethical chess and he is not going to give candidate Trump a shield or trumpist/ anti-Biden Rs any easy opening for claims of conflict of interest or a "weaponizing" DOJ.
Hopefully this will not appreciably slow things down because It already feels as if this is the Never Ending Story! If any one of us had done the things tfg has done we would already be wearing orange jumpsuits and pooping in the silver pot in the corner!