Laurence Tribe now applauds the decision to appoint Jack Smith.

[pnwmom]

Link to tweet

Whatever might’ve been true in theory, AG Garland’s choice of Jack Smith for this special role is more likely to accelerate than delay these vital federal prosecutions. I was where Neal Katyal is — until focusing more concretely on the exact state of play. I now applaud this step

Link to tweet

Any momentary delay up front as strategy is calibrated will be more than offset by smoother sailing down the line as the cases are prosecuted by Jack Smith, because there’ll be no need to run tactical decisions by the AG once Smith is in place at the helm of the related cases.

Link to tweet

The canine metaphors are fun but a bit of a distraction: When this Mr. Smith goes to Washington, he will become the fiercest, fairest leader of a prosecutorial team that until now has lacked a leader dedicated to the crimes leading to Jan 6 and those landing in Mar-a-Lago.



Andrew Weissmann 🌻
@AWeissmann_
·
6h
I was described by Steve Bannon (and, sigh, many others) as a pit bull. Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy. So tenacious and fearless. And apolitical and ethical.

[Cha]

1. Good! That's what I've

seen reading about Jack Smith from those who know him and have worked with him.

TY!

[onetexan]

2. I'm keeping an open mind how the SP w play out

Initially i was dejected, thinking Garland was punting & not strong enough to make the call himself. Reading about Jack Smith now gives me pause & hope that he w expeditiously move the case along & nail the SOB. The more delays the less time we have given candidates are starting to campaign for 2024, and the closer the Con gets to a nomination the worse it becomes.

Aloha Cha! Freezing here in DFW so having coffee to warm myself & wake up 🌞

[wnylib]

11. Freezing in DFW? Be glad you are not

in western NY where I am.

[onetexan]

17. Goodness i was not aware of the walloping of snow up there

Thundersnow! Stay indoors where its nice & warm, & i hope u have a fireplace and not lose electricity like down here last year when Tx grid went kaput.

[wnylib]

21. Fortunately, my area only got about 2 feet of snow,

but it came down pretty thick and fast. And the temp dropped to around 18 degrees F. Winds here were only around 25 mph. Other areas got 5 feet of snow and 40 mph wind.

[Hortensis]

23. Love your perspective. "Only about 2 feet."

Reminds me of when 2" shut down the entire Atlanta metro area. Freeways, not just the many hilly roads. Our son was the only one in their subdivision with snow chains and thus had the only vehicle able to make the steeper upgrades to the tops without sliding back down or, especially, do the twisty downgrade at the entry without sliding off into the homes on the right.

[Cha]

18. Aloha, onetexan!

I just don't get in to all that negativity about AG Garland. Neve have.

I' could say a lot more but I'll leave it at that.

Hope you're warm by now.. have a great weekend!

[treestar]

3. That'll cause some cognitive disruption

for anyone quoting Tribe from before, because he taught Garland and knows therefore what Garland should be doing in this case.

[pnwmom]

12. Not really. It's not a slam against the person he taught. It's just that Tribe finally realized

that this will allow one fully-enabled prosecutor to focus on Trump and nothing but Trump.

Before, Garland had to divide his attention between the Trump cases and the whole rest of the job of running the department, which never went away, despite the importance of the Trump cases.

[gab13by13]

4. Tribe is praising Smith,

but isn't that also a shot at Garland? What is tribe saying here?

The canine metaphors are fun but a bit of a distraction: When this Mr. Smith goes to Washington, he will become the fiercest, fairest leader of a prosecutorial team that until now has lacked a leader dedicated to the crimes leading to Jan 6 and those landing in Mar-a-Lago.

[Irish_Dem]

5. Yep, a big shot at Garland.

"a prosecutorial team that until now has lacked a leader dedicated to the crimes leading to Jan 6 and those landing in Mar-a-Lago."

Many of us here have been saying the same thing and gotten blasted for it.

[dalton99a]

6. +1

[pnwmom]

10. It's not a shot at Garland. Before, Garland had a million things on his plate

in addition to the cases against Trump. He had a whole department to run besides the Trump cases.

Jack Smith will be dedicated -- entirely focused on -- the two major cases on Trump, and anything that comes up related to them.

[wnylib]

13. +10,000

You nailed it. Garland knows that there is a "there" there. But he also has other obligations that he can't shirk. Appointing a special prosecutor ensures that the investigations and potential indictments get undivided attention from an expert.

Here's why the Trump investigations and potential indictments are different from all previous investigations of elected officials that either fizzled or never took place. Trump is the only president in the history of the country who attempted a violent coup and fully intends to install himself as dictator if he can pull it off. Never before have we faced such a serious threat to our nation from within. No Democrat or sane Republican (the few that still are around) will ever be content to let this slide. Not Biden, Garland, Smith, Cheney, Kinzinger, or the millions who voted for Biden.

We all know what's at stake.

[bigtree]

7. let's remember this when describing the investigation in the future

...the fiercest, fairest leader of a prosecutorial team... now dedicated to the crimes leading to Jan 6 and those landing in Mar-a-Lago.

I happen to think it's an absurd characterization of the team who has done all the heavy lifting, will still be doing the heavy lifting. But at least I agree that Garland has hired someone to hopefully expedite the work he's already done, the work he's doing.

[pnwmom]

9. I think Tribe is merely pointing out that Garland had to DIVIDE his attention between

the Trump cases and all the work of the department he heads -- while Smith will be able to "dedicate" himself to going after Trump, with nothing else distracting him.

So the word "dedicated" doesn't relate to motivation -- but to the ability to FOCUS. Garland couldn't only focus on the Trump cases. Smith can.

[wnylib]

14. Totally agree!

[pnwmom]

8. That's not how I read it, but I can see why you did. I think what Tribe

was referring to, when he said how Smith would be "dedicated" to the task, was that Smith would have no other focus but the Trump cases, while Garland has had to run the WHOLE department on top of managing the Trump cases.

[wnylib]

15. Yup.

[moondust]

19. +1

More than 850 Capitol riot arrests in addition to the DOJ's regular caseload. Busy.

[onetexan]

20. This!!

[Hekate]

16. This is very encouraging

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. K&R

[Hortensis]

24. Glad that he's come "around," to his where he was months ago.

A lot of people listen to him.

Today: Months ago, I urged appointment of a special counsel. More recently, I thought it was too late. Now that I see the details, I think Garland has done exactly the right thing and that Smith is exactly the right prosecutor to take it on. Full speed ahead!

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.

Yes!