Biden says he won't order an investigation of Trump, president's legal troubles remain

[mdbl]

Source: usatoday.com

President-elect Joe Biden downplayed the prospect of pursuing investigations of President Donald Trump after he leaves office.

"I will not do what this president does and use the Justice Department as my vehicle to insist that something happened," Biden told NBC News' Lester Holt in an interview Tuesday.

"What I'm focused on is getting the American public back at a place where they have some certainty, some surety, some knowledge that they can make it," the president-elect said.

Others in Biden's orbit have made similar comments. “Joe Biden is not going to tell the Justice Department who to investigate or who not to investigate,” incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/25/biden-wont-order-investigation-trump-but-legal-troubles-remain/6419769002/

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He's not going to use the justice dept, but hopefully they will do their jobs irregardless. We need to ensure this doesn't happen again in four years with either trump or some other law breaking ninny.

[drray23]

1. well yes he is right.

Like every other president before Trump he will maintain separation between the white house and justice department. Of course, this does not preclude the AG from doing so. Likewise president Biden can not tell congress they should not investigate and make criminal referals. It will just happen.

[flibbitygiblets]

2. Biden won't tell DOJ what NOT to do either. As is appropriate.

A return to the norms is called for. If anything, Biden should do whatever is possible to enforce those norms, which ironically, the Republicans would probably support, now that the shoe is on the other foot.

[PatSeg]

3. Exactly

He won't direct them to do anything, but he won't stop them either.

[onetexan]

7. exactly! He stays out of the DoJ. Let them do their job investigating every shady character in the

Con's administration.

[paleotn]

9. +1,000

The firewall is being rebuilt between Justice and the rest of the executive branch. But that also means Justice is set free to follow the evidence of wrong doing. And there's a whole shit ton of that.

[grumpyduck]

4. I like the quote.

"I will not do what this president does and use the Justice Department as my vehicle to insist that something happened," Biden told NBC News' Lester Holt in an interview Tuesday.

He just said he would not go there -- he didn't say he would stop DOJ from doing so,

[Cha]

12. I've read he's actually said that he

"wouldn't stand in the way of the DOJ investigating trump"..

[grumpyduck]

15. Great!

[RussBLib]

5. I think, I hope, Biden knows T****'s transgressions cannot go unaddressed

We did that with Bush, and ended up with Trump.

Some people need to go to jail, or at the very least, be threatened with jail, before they will do the right thing.

[olddad65]

6. Drain the swamp that trump created

[mopinko]

8. petty comment, but

please dont say- irregardless.
i dont care what webster says, it isnt a word.

[paleotn]

10. Regardless, many people use it.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Double negative, ir and regardless. Maybe its use was intentional? I know, I'm reaching pretty far with that.

[mopinko]

11. i try not to be the word nazi, but...

[paleotn]

13. No, you have a very good point....

Technically it means the opposite of what those who use it are trying to convey. I had a high school English teacher, Ms. Phipps, who would slap my knuckles if I used something like irregardless. Not actually, but we all lived in various levels of fear of Ms. Phipps. She use to say the three p's in her last name stood for pen, pencil and paper and we better bring all three to her class.

[mopinko]

14. sounds like a great teacher. sadly,

stern taskmasters have gone out of style.
prolly how we got here.

[Polybius]

22. How do you feel about the word till?

That has rapidly become a word in the past 30 years, replacing until. There's another somewhat new word too, but I can't remember.

[mopinko]

23. use it all the time.

could be cuz i'm a farmer, but...
i'm all for the language evolving, as long as it towards clarity.

[Polybius]

24. I thought of two more

Gimme and lemme. I use those all the time and get called out sometimes. It drives some folks bonkers lol.

[mopinko]

25. use them too.

also- mebbe, lotsa, prolly.

i love it when someone is so bereft of a good argument and they have to call me on no caps.

[ChazII]

27. 'til is what I was taught

as the contraction of until. I was also taught that till is what a farmer does.

[mopinko]

28. i used to use til

but i got tired of seeing that little red line under it. i guess i should stop that.
esp as i am a farmer. i dont till, tho.

i also dont use apostrophes unless it is necessary. i mean, dont, wont, cant, perfect good words.

[whistler162]

26. It ain't not a word

who knew.

[mopinko]

29. websters decided to accept it this year.

one more thing that is so wrong bout 2020.

[Rizen]

16. I hate to say it but investigations and scandals work

Case in point: Hillary Clinton. Why are we fighting with kid gloves? Trump actually is a criminal. I don't want to see him back in 2024.

[moriah]

17. It's the appearance of impropriety generated by a President pushing the DoJ.

Presidential directives to their AG and DoJ should be more broad in scope. Like: "Do not prosecute states for regulating cannabis" and "Defend any anti-ACA lawsuits vigorously".

Not "Investigate this individual", which is the line Trump crossed.

Also, directives to a Congress should be given in broad strokes, too. Biden may personally think the way to stop the state/federal conflict over cannabis regulation is to move it to Schedule II, but currently Schedule II narcotics are federally required to have certain prescription requirements. That would actually make states have to redo their current medical regulation scenarios, and make recently passed adult-use recreational voter initiatives as well as not-so-recently passed ones null and void.

So the directive to Congress needs to be: "Figure out a way to let states regulate cannabis", not telling them exactly what that solution should be. The result may not be exactly what he said he wanted on the campaign trail, but that's the job of the legislative branch -- to make law. His is to approve or kick back a law for revisions.

It will be nice to have a President who actually respects the separation of powers instead of thinking the office really should come with as much power as a dictator's throne.

[Paul Politerude]

18. Kamala, it's Time to Light a Fire Under Joe's Ass

Both Kirschner and Olbermann are right!

[Hotler]

19. Please tell me the president elect is not going to let the leader and henchmen

of an attempted fascist coup of this country walk.

[DinahMoeHum]

21. He won't. The AG will be handling that.

Biden is the chief executive, the AG is a senior/executive vice-president.

It's not Biden's job to manage investigations. That's the AG's job.

[Hotler]

31. I'm worried Joe will tell the AG to stand down. nt

[DinahMoeHum]

32. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

n/t

[LiberalLovinLug]

33. All signs point to you being wrong about that

From more than one comment from the President Elect. Sounds like he has his preference. - Which IMO will be his first mistake of his term.

No AG will start investigations and prosecutions against political rivals without his or her Presidents approval. Ain't gonna happen.

No matter what they say for public consummation.

AG candidates have interviews, probably long after those candidates are aware of the new Presidents preferences in that regard. Any new AG will understand the President's wishes, more specifically the party, even if indirectly. Especially on this major direction for the AG to take. The political ramifications are too huge for it simply to be at the whim of one person.

[ucrdem]

34. He really doesn't need to. The crimes will surface and the wheels will grind.

I'd worry more if Biden started tweeting "lock 'em up."

p.s happy Turkey day!

[LiberalLovinLug]

35. I hope you are right, and I'm wrong

But the "wheels of justice" do not grind on their own. There is always a human element to turn the power on.

Bush Jr. and some in his admin were guilty of illegally spying on Americans, Illegally using torture, lying about yellow cake uranium and other fabricated evidence to convince the American public they needed to sacrifice their sons and daughters, not to mention a million + innocent Iraqis. And personally enriched themselves from it.

Obama wanted to "move forward". No way Eric Holder, the next day, starts up an investigations against the Bush admin. And no one expected him to after hearing Obama. We hear the same language from Biden, who worked close with Obama. I feel sick, because I think Trump, and all his sycophants will get off scott free. And brag about how the evil Democrats had nothing on them. It will be a huge mistake.

I think top Democrats, including Biden, are afraid of Biden's first term being consumed with prosecuting Republicans. Which they know will be used against them by Fox News etc. framing it as undeserved, and only done for political reasons. And, even if they get convictions, just as many R's will be convinced of Trump's guilt as were after the Rs in the Senate voted not to remove Trump after impeachment.

So I can understand those reasons from the Democratic leadership. But IMO, it is worth the risk of angering Fox News, News Max etc and continuing to stir up the red hats, and risking losing in 2022 or 2024. For the long run picture. I think eventually, when the full extent of Trump and his cohorts crimes are made public, that public will swing back to Democrats. With a new respect that they chose country over party.

Happy Turkey Day

[ucrdem]

36. I don't think they'll get off scot free.

Bushler somehow remains generally popular though in my view I fully agree, his crimes are monumental. I don't see Trump having the same long trail at all. Also Biden is the insider here, meaning he knows the ropes far better than Trump and is an attorney to boot. And I have no doubt after those last two debates that he completely despises Trump and has no natural sympathy or political brotherhood to stay his hand. So while justice probably won't be swift there's plenty of appetite for making it a sure bet. JMHO!

[IsItJustMe]

37. Good cop Bad cop

Let somebody else do the heavy lifting.

[Demonaut]

20. irregardless is not a word, regardless is, and I agree

[whistler162]

30. Appoint Letita James as US AG

and watch the Trump clan curl up and cry.