Jennifer Rubin: Merrick Garland is the wrong man for the job.

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Duty To Warn 🔉
@duty2warn
“Afraid of being accused of partisanship, he chooses not to do his job.”—Jennifer Rubin in her column “Merrick Garland is the wrong man for the job.”

Opinion | Merrick Garland is the wrong man for the job
He is failing to hold those who have disgraced the Justice Department accountable.
washingtonpost.com
9:07 AM · Jun 23, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/23/merrick-garland-is-wrong-man-job/

*snip*

Attorneys who did their jobs professionally would have nothing to worry about in a top-to-bottom review of the department’s conduct. Investigating wrongdoing, rooting out unethical behavior and getting to the bottom of the politicization of the department are central to restoring the Justice Department’s reputation. In allowing miscreants to escape accountability (unless Horowitz snares them in his inquiries), Garland has effectively told his department that there are no consequences for unethical or even illegal conduct.

Moreover, in refusing to examine what occurred in the last administration, he is not protecting career attorneys; he is protecting former attorney general William P. Barr and his political hacks who intervened in prosecutions, looked the other way when a whistleblower revealed the disgraced former president’s attempt to extort Ukraine, played along with phony accusations of election fraud and likely misrepresented facts in the census case that was before the Supreme Court. In a sense, Garland is also sheltering former president Donald Trump from investigation, since the only way to understand the extent of his effort to subvert the election is to examine in minute detail his interactions with the Justice Department.

Garland does the department and the legal profession no favors by allowing former Justice Department political appointees to escape consequences for their conduct (e.g., professional sanctions, prosecution for obstruction of justice). To the contrary, he is encouraging future political appointees to do the bidding of the White House rather than upholding the independence of the department.

It is perfectly appropriate for Garland to direct Horowitz to conduct thorough investigations of wrongdoing over the past four years. However, playing whack-a-mole — waiting for each scandal to surface and then reacting — will not reform the department. It will not remove from the department lawyers who behaved inappropriately or who condoned such behavior.

*snip*

[JohnSJ]

1. While this is an opinion piece, and Garland has only been AG for a short time, currently

Rubin's assessment appears to be on target

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. Who knew I'd ever end up agreeing with Jennifer Rubin so much...

[RegularJam]

17. This right here is the only reason this piece was written.

It works.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

22. No. She took the words out of my mouth. I was already disappointed with MG.

[StarfishSaver]

48. Lol

Exactly

[walkingman]

3. I'm disappointed but not surprised. The "good ole boy" club is alive and well.

As much as media likes to make noise - there are little consequences, no matter how egregious, for those that are members of the club.

[smirkymonkey]

27. +1000

[StarfishSaver]

4. Conservative Republican columnist has decided that President Biden picked the wrong AG

two months after he started the job and she knows this how? (And no, the fact that she hates Trump is not a qualification)

[Grasswire2]

6. It's an "opinion" piece. She's an opinion columnist.

And this is hers.

We do things right in America. We let people express their opinions. We're not afraid of op-eds.

[Elessar Zappa]

8. ...

[GoCubsGo]

10. Yep. Thank you.

It's beyond me why any Democrats put stock in her opinions.

[malaise]

15. THIS

Conservative Republican non-lawyer columnist has decided that President Biden picked the wrong AG

I give a fuk what she says - NOT

[Bucky]

43. She actually is a lawyer.

Before she came to a columnist she worked for big movie studios in Hollywood, fighting against labor unions

[malaise]

49. Thanks for that

Did not know

[RegularJam]

16. Was starting to feel I was the only one who knows the history of the author.

Thank you.

[Hortensis]

34. :) I read and respect her but agree. Columnists can always evolve

with the situation as more information and hindsight become available. AS an influencer, she may just be trying to give this situation a kick.

If she were right, that'd would mean both Obama and Biden were very mistaken in their judgement of his character and fitness to be a suspreme court justice and the rescuer of a post-Trump corrupted and demoralized Department of Justice.

[wellst0nev0ter]

38. This you?

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100213632628

[Bucky]

44. She is a lawyer

She practiced labor law for many years in Hollywood...

...on the side of the studios.

[StarfishSaver]

47. I stand corrected

I'll correct my post

[Sur Zobra]

5. Garland's non action

and defense of Trumpass makes me

[Elessar Zappa]

7. Give me a break.

She has no idea what Garland may or may not be doing.

[StarfishSaver]

9. But she seems to know that he is "afraid" and has "chosen not to do his job."

Apparently she has some special insight, not only into the inner workings of DOJ, but also into the inner workings of the Attorney General's mind and soul.

[Budi]

12. K & R

[agingdem]

20. she was anti-Trump because she hated him more

than she hated Hillary...very noble...and once again we get her "insight" into what's wrong with the Democratic Party and how to fix it...can't stand her...Merrick Garland has been doing his job for a little over 16 weeks...and you're correct ...we don't know what he's doing or not doing but we do know he's doing his job...obviously Jennifer Rubin prefers the bombastic "find me a camera" Bill Barr and his bullshit...

[OnDoutside]

35. True, but putting pressure on Garland is no bad thing.

[StarfishSaver]

37. I don't think Merrick Garland is going to feel pressured by anything Jennifer Rubin writes about him

[OnDoutside]

39. Not by one argument alone, but an opinion piece in a national newspaper like the WP, does create

a conversation. I don't think it will be the last, unless people start to see accountability.

[msfiddlestix]

51. How would we know this to be the case. Rubin is fairly well connected

How could you know what exactly she knows or doesn't know with regard to the main position Garland is taking or has expressed on these matters, behind closed doors or in a meeting room, dining at a restaurant with office or other professional colleagues or dinner party?

My guess she has fairly good insight on what's going on "behind" the scenes, and what is apparent in plain sight.

These past couple of years, she's had fairly high accuracy rate, even when she's openly speculating.

All I'm saying to be clear, is that I'm not dismissing her opinions until I have more information which would discredit her speculative remarks, not because she doesn't work in his office personally dealing with these filings, or even with Justice Dept.

We've seen recent filings which shouldn't have been dismissed, and others he's actively fighting aggressively on behalf of the former guy

I think it's unfair to attack her for her suggesting she isn't qualified to understand or know anything about what's going on in Garland's office. On the other hand if you actually know or have insight to disprove or discredit her speculative points, pray tell!

I'm just saying some things just don't require a Law Degree to understand well enough to know poppycock when they see it.

[brooklynite]

11. President Joe Biden...

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111

Perhaps you should let President Biden know how disappointed you are, rather than just complain online.

[Budi]

14. Saving your post for the next 'opinion piece' 🙄

Thanks

[LanternWaste]

31. Ten bucks says you fail to see the irony in your having said that.

(no more room on the t-shirt... more's the pity)

[RegularJam]

13. I believe he is an excellent choice and haven't seen anything at this point...

To sway me from that opinion.

Rubins piece does not sway me. I wasn't swayed by her when she wrote for the Weekly Standard and I'm not now. I wasn't swayed by her when she promoted the idea that drowning Arabs in the sea would be kin to a divine act. A positive for her is that she no longer feels she is a conservative as Trump ruined the term.

[tritsofme]

18. Whether Jennifer Rubin poses to the right or left on any particular day, she is not very bright

And not a very compelling columnist.

[orleans]

19. link to hartmann report

"Time to Say "You're Fired" to Merrick Garland?
It’s time for the Biden administration to put someone in Merrick Garland’s position who will fight for our republic and the rule of law"

https://hartmannreport.com/p/time-to-say-youre-fired-to-merrick

Link to tweet

[StarfishSaver]

21. Maybe he'll replace him with Thom Hartmann since he seems to think he's an expert

Except he's not, as evidenced by, among other things, his complete lack of understanding of the law.

[H2O Man]

23. +1

I'm a bit surprised Thom would say something that foolish. But not really surprised. Thom does have insight in some areas, but in others -- such as this -- he obviously does not.

I find myself thinking back to an early psychology course I took in the 1970s. The teacher was a psychologist, and an outstanding teacher. I remember one class forused on TV dinners and television. He said there are potential dangers in "instant" things, such as meals, as well as with people becoming used to a television entertaining them for hours on end. He recommended that people take the time to prepare for each day, including at least having hobbies and interests that required them to do more than sit in front of the tube.

[FreepFryer]

24. Russian authoritarianism wants to divide/undermine the Left. Hartmann was supported by Russia Today.

The angle of his commentary is usually very predictable in that context.

[H2O Man]

32. Interesting.

You raise some valid points. Important points. The Russian authoritarians are seeking to exploit tensions that exist within sub-groups in the Democratic Party, and to prevent unity between the Democratic Party and the Democratic Left -- which is the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, including Democratic Socialists, and those to the left of our party. And obviously, the authoritarians in the USA seek to capitalize on those tensions.

I definitely agree with you about RT. Absolutely. I'm reminded of Malcolm X's teaching that not every man who throws worms into the water is a friend of the fish. It is an example of how the authoritarians can apply pressure to tensions -- which are a natural dynamic within large groups of people -- to create cracks. And the Democratic Party is a very large group with a wide range of both individual and sub-group goals and values. There are men and women, young and old, and black, brown, red, yellow, and white people in our party. There are progressives, liberals, moderates, and conservative Democrats. And there is a huge range of economic realities that individuals and sub-groups face daily.

Each of these divisions have tensions within them. And those result in the targets that authoritarians identify as the points to apply pressure to, to create divides. Yet, as Dr. King taught by example, the use of creative tensions can benefit society. By not only hearing, but listening with an open mind, the use of creative tensions can actually unite people of different backgrounds and daily realities. And when we are united, we see positive results, including Obama's being elected (twice), the 2018 mid-terms, and the 2020 elections.

Around the time Senator Obama became president, there were divisions in the party, but people took that step towards higher ground in a largely united way. This provided an important model. When Democrats in a town near me were experiencing the authoritarian instincts of a mutant Tea Party supervisor and two board members -- who made the national and international news with their effort to destroy the cemetary of a tiny Sufi settlement, despite it being 100% legal by state and local law -- they asked me for help. Not only did we protect the cemetery, but in two year's time, we had elected a Democrat as town supervisor, and a majority on the board. This was accomplished by uniting Democrats with the Democratic Left and some republicans who were repulsed by recent events. It was a very tense time, but tension can be used creatively.

I can't say that I have kept up with Thom Hartman in recent years .....actually, since he was on RT. I have no idea if he still is, or if RT still exists. I'm not a fan of it. But going back to earlier times, I liked Thom, and respected him as a serious thinker. With today's technology, it would seem that creating a pod cast would provide a better option than being on RT.

[FreepFryer]

33. I haven't seen Hartmann seek unification of the Left. Just agitprop polarization within & without

I appreciate your thoughtful reply, h2o.

[Bucky]

45. My understanding is Hartman left RT quite some time ago

[FreepFryer]

52. When you do business w Russia Today you know right away who and what they are.

He knew better than to take their support for his political messaging to the American Left.

[agingdem]

25. how about Mika and Joe...they were Trump's biggest fans before

they reinvented themselves as anti-trumpers..or Charlie Sykes, and what about the Lincoln Project bunch...aren't they qualified to tell Merrick Garland how to run the Justice Department and as an added bonus opine on how sucky the Dems are and how to "fix" us..

[The Magistrate]

26. It Is Unfortunate, Ma'am

That Mr. Garland has done two things which certainly oughtn't have been done. They can be fixed, and perhaps will be, but that they have been done does suggest the man's priorities do not match the circumstances.

There is no adequate excuse for continuing to argue that the United States should be the defendant, not Donald Trump, when Donald Trump is being sued for defamation of a woman he certainly raped, who had the temerity to say he did. None whatever. Trump ought to have had to defend that defamation suit all on his lonesome --- there is no serious argument his statements were part of his official duties.

There is no adequate excuse for withholding the Barr memo the judge says ought to be released. It was not a memo of legal advice but of political advice. It was not advice on whether there were grounds to do something, but advice on what excuse to use for executing a course of action previously decided on, and justifying that excuse.

I am aware of the 'institutionalist' arguments for the course Mr. Garland has taken in these matters. I reject it, in both cases.

Utterly.

[Boomerproud]

30. K&R Magistrate.

👍

[lagomorph777]

28. He's gotta go. He's fighting for the team that kept him off of SCROTUS.

He's definitely the wrong man.

[Vinca]

29. Too early to judge him. If it's status quo at the end of the year, I'll agree.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

36. We need a vengeful partisan MFer just to get back to normal

being kind or thoughtful or just middle of the road ain't gonna cut it.

Garland should have cleaned house from the jump.

Between Sessions and Barr they did MOST of what Trump wanted (ARE U F'ing kidding me) Can you imagine the crap they messed up at Justice?

[lagomorph777]

46. Damn right! We have a lot of catching up to do.

[Blasphemer]

40. Anyone who expected any different wasn't paying attention...

It's not Garland's temperament and Biden knew that. At any rate, I think his appointment to AG was more about getting a younger judge on the DC circuit (and then Supreme Court) than anything else.

[Bucky]

41. Criticism of a Democrat from Jennifer Rubin sounds like an endorsement to me

I'm happy that Jennifer Rubin is a harsh critic of Trump and Trumpism, but I suspect it's only because of Trump's sly embrace of anti-semitism, rather than the incompetence, the corruption, or the blunder headed economics. After all, she has always had a good word for Netanyahu.

Her main objection to Garland seems to be his respect for the rule of law.

[Politicub]

42. Oh, to be a person who gets paid to be a contrarian. Must be a great gig,

if you can get it.

It is so easy to complain.

[roamer65]

50. President Biden will decide if Mr. Garland is not doing the job well.

Not some two bit columnist.

He serves at the pleasure of the President, not yours Ms Rubin.