Attorney General Merrick Garland names Jack Smith special counsel in Trump criminal probes

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Fri Nov 18, 2022, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: CNBC

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named former federal prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel for two ongoing criminal investigations by the Department of Justice of former President Donald Trump.

Smith’s appointment came three days after Trump, a Republican, announced plans to run for president in 2024. Trump’s move directly led to Garland’s decison to appoint a special counsel, who will recommend whether criminal charges should be lodged against the ex-president.

The attorney general himself was appointed by Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in his 2020 re-election bid. Biden could again face Trump again in the 2024 election, although the president has not yet made a final decision on becoming a candidate.

The first investigation that Smith will begin immediately handling is looking into whether any person, including Trump, unlawfully interferred with the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election, or the certification of the Electoral College vote in President Joe Biden’s favor on Jan. 6, 2021.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/attorney-general-merrick-garland-to-name-special-counsel-in-trump-criminal-probe-report-says.html

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Article being updated

Previous updates/headlines -

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named former federal prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel for two pending criminal investigations by the Department of Justice of former President Donald Trump.

Smith's appointment came three days after Trump, a Republican, announced plans to run for president in 2024. Trump's move directly led to Garland's decison to appoint a special counsel.

One case that Smith will handle is focused on whether Trump broke the law and obstructed justice in connection with his removal of hundreds of documents from the White House, which were shipped to his residence at Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The other probe is related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by a mob of Trump supporters.

In addition to previously serving as a career DOJ prosector, Smith most recently was serving as chief prosecutor for the special court in the Hague, in the Netherlands. In that post, which he resigned to take the special counsel post, he investigated war crimes in Kosovo.

Attorney General Merrick Garland to name special counsel in Trump criminal probe, report says

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will appoint a special counsel to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against former President Donald Trump in connection with two pending investigations, according to reports Friday.

News of the planned appointment of the special counsel, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal, came three days after Trump announced plans to run for president in 2024. Trump faces multiple criminal investigations. NBC News reported that the special counsel, whose name has not been announced, will make decisions for two Department of Justice investigations of Trump.

One is focused on whether Trump broke the law and obstructed justice in connection with his removal of hundreds of documents from the White House, which were shipped to his residence at Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The other probe is related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by a mob of Trump supporters.

Garland's appointment of a special counsel could tamp down concerns that he would have a conflict of interest if he were the one to decide whether Trump should be proecuted. The attorney general was appointed by President Joe Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in his 2020 re-election bid.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will appoint a special counsel to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against former President Donald Trump, according to a report Friday.

News of the planned appointment of the special counsel, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal, came three days after Trump announced plans to run for president in 2024.

Garland's move could tamp down concerns that he would have a conflict of interest if he were the one to decide whether Trump should be proecuted. The attorney general was appointed by President Joe Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in his 2020 re-election bid.

Biden could again face Trump again in the 2024 election.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

Original article -

Attorney General Merrick Garland expected to name special counsel in Trump criminal probe, report says

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

[Pantagruel]

1. Expect

a raft of "it's about time" posts ....

[blm]

12. No. More like it's too far past time.

[getagrip_already]

20. actually, this is HUGE delay in the process....

First, he has to name the SP. then the SP has to choose staff, and office decorations, have holiday parties, and then begin from square 1.

Even a quick review of available eidence will take months. Then they will have to decide on what charges they may want to pursue, forma GJ, and bring witnesses in.

This is a year long process. Half a garland unit at a minimum.

And then guess what? It will be the heitht of the presidential election season.

This is a disaster to anyone who wants to see an indictment.

[Iwasthere]

32. I agree. Garland should just do it NOW!!!

[old guy]

71. Agree. This is just kicking the can down the road to avoid making a decision IMO.

[wnylib]

92. This is a good strategic move.

The special prosecutor is not a cabinet member, so it puts political distance between Biden and his administration and the prosecution of charges.

This is a special prosecutor, not only an investigator. It looks to me like Garland has his prosecutorial evidence, expects indictments, and is ready to turn it over to someone to handle the actual prosecution in order to distance himself from the inevitable complaints of political bias.

The MAGAs will still claim that it's all politics, but with a special prosecutor in charge, the MAGA complaints will not hold up in court filings, which you can be sure Trump will make when he is indicted.

This move tells me that Garland is very serious about prosecuting the crimes and has taken a step to be sure that Trump's announcement of his intention to run will not stop indictments.

[BigmanPigman]

99. A special prosecutor is good since it is

Non-partisan, fully funded, relatively quick and they can 't be derailed by the GQP. Peter Strzok from the FBI said that he thinks the prosecutor will be able to get going in only a few days, no real delay. Seems like a good move to me.

[machoneman]

122. As if the TFG crowd accepts any non-partisan effort as A-O.K. with them. Keep dreaming.........

[BigmanPigman]

126. Very true!

They are true scum and only appreciate and admire other true scums.

[machoneman]

123. Yep, you go it! Garland is protecting his office and the DOJ. No decision is his 'win', for sure.

[iemanja]

66. I hope you read the posts below

Because they don't say what you think they will.

[exboyfil]

2. Doug Jones

That could work.

[certainot]

4. unless its ted cruz or similar the cons will scream bloody murder

[Bread and Circuses]

3. Another sh*tshow. I'm sorry. I'm furious with the stalling

Just indict the OrangeSlob already!
Enough.

Evidence from Jan 6 committee....what use was that if it's not being used?

What evidence does DOJ have and why haven't they acted?

No more special counsels, they don't want to do the dirty work of indicting Trump.
That's the job of the AG .

We F@cking need Robert F. Kennedy serving as AG. May he rest in peace.
He didn't take any crap from the southern racists.

[certainot]

6. yeah this is bullshit. hopefully the Ga investigation will bear fruit soon

[brooklynite]

23. Garland is "stalling". You have evidence for that?

[gab13by13]

45. DOJ was shocked when Ms. Hutchinson testified before the J6 committee.

The J6 committee has been 2 steps ahead of DOJ the whole time.

Failure to indict "individual one" and the 10 other obstruction of justice crimes which the statute of limitations has expired.
Failure to prosecute the Cyber Ninjas.

[brooklynite]

72. Stalling is intentional delay, rather that a work pace that you disagree with.

Still waiting for evidence.

[CivicGrief]

80. They are letting the eel slip away.

This is mainly a forum of opinions, and it is not too far a stretch to see that kid gloves are being used on tfg. So far, he has gotten away with making a mockery of tradition, institutions, and the law. What else do you need to be concerned about where this is going?

Apologies to eels.

[machoneman]

106. Yes, we do. He hired a fuckin' special counsel! As if his hand-picked grand jury can't...

Last edited Sat Nov 19, 2022, 10:20 AM - Edit history (2)

find enough evidence to indict the fat slob. Bullshit I say.

[Genki Hikari]

109. Garland literally CANNOT indict, just because he wants to.

Only a grand jury can indict.

This is the way it's always been.

I don't know where some of you get your ideas about how the federal judicial system works, but it's way out in the land of not-reality.

[wnylib]

96. It's not stalling. It's just the opposite.

Garland is making sure that indictments and prosecution will proceed based on the evidence despite Trump's announcement of his candidacy.

Trump will claim political interference when he is indicted. He already makes that claim. But when he tries to go to court with that complaint (which we know that he will do), his complaint will be weak since it will not be Biden or his administration prosecuting Trump.

[Genki Hikari]

110. Good luck getting the usual suspects to comprehend that

Reality is tough for way too many people in this country.

[wnylib]

115. I think that most people don't think through

how the details play out, step by step to create a larger picture and goal. They zero in on a goal that they want to see accomplished and have an oversimplified idea of how it is carried out.

[machoneman]

120. Oh, and how did Comey's step-by-step review turnout for you? Happy with the results?

[wnylib]

125. ???

Apples and oranges.

Comey had no grounds for charges against Hillary and admitted to that. But he did have a political ax to grind as a Republican who opposed Hillary and lacked objectivity. I know Obama said that he didn't hold Comey responsible for the re-investigation right before the election, but I do.

Obama said that pressure from Republican leaders on Comey to release a new statement on Hillary accounted for his action. If Comey didn't go public, Republican party leaders would. But Comey could have come forward himself with a statement of attempts to coerce him to release info for political reasons. He could have spoken about "new" e-mails, which turned out to be mostly duplicates of ones already examind, in a broader context.

While I deplore Trump's tactics, I think karma caught up with Comey when he was fired. He played the political game, especially at the end of the campaign, and then seemed surprised later that, once his soul was sold, he could not buy it back or maintain independence from Trump after having served him so well in getting him elected.

Yes, I am assuming motives about HOW Comey reported on the reopening of the investigation. That's because I read his book, which I took out from the library because I would not spend money on it. He came across to me as an insufferable self-serving, self-praising, and egotistical opportunist.

But what has that got to do with Garland appointing a special prosecutor in the Trump investigations? Hillary's e-mails were basically trumped up - literally "trumped" - political theater. OTOH, we have seen with our own eyes what Trump did on J6 and have learned from the J6 committee how he and others planned it. And we know that Trump stole classified documents and stored them in an unsecured location.

So, what remains is tying Trump's specific actions to specific criminal laws, with documentation and testimony that will hold up in court. Garland supervises several departments as AG. So, his appointment of a special prosecutor to work on nothing but the Trump cases should speed things up. A grand jury has already been reviewing evidence before Smith's appointment. I expect to see at least one indictment, and maybe more, by June, or before that.

[machoneman]

121. The reality now is ala' the Comey indictment, trial and jailing of TFG..oh wait, that never happened

either now did it? How soon that reality for many people, even here, forget.

Seems Garland is following the same path. Without an air-tight 100% guaranteed case, it seems like he'll punt just like James Comey did. Sad indeed. Prove me wrong Garland, I dare you!

[Yonnie3]

5. Wall Street Journal today

https://www.wsj.com/articles/garland-to-name-special-counsel-to-determine-whether-trump-should-face-charges-11668796152

WASHINGTON–Attorney General Merrick Garland will appoint a special counsel to determine whether former President Donald Trump should face charges stemming from Justice Department probes, according to a person familiar with the matter.

A formal announcement, which is expected by Friday afternoon, would come three days after Mr. Trump announced another bid for the presidency and would mark the naming of the third independent prosecutor in five years to examine issues involving Mr. Trump. The exact scope of the special counsel’s remit and who it would be couldn’t be determined.

(More to come)

ON EDIT:

I note that the WSJ article is being updated. Follow link to see updated story.

[agingdem]

31. Merrick Garland is not Bill Barr..

and it's not a "whether he will be charged", the special counsel's brief is narrowing down the specific charge/charges..this woulda/coulda/shoulda crap is the Wall Street Journal making an assumption...

Barr bullied a malleable Mueller..Garland is letting the Trump know he can announce his run every damn day of the week..he's still in Garland's sights...

[gab13by13]

47. No one ever said that Garland was Bill Barr

nor does anyone want him to be.

What is being done to find the missing top secret documents that are still out there.

Christopher Wray lied to Congress about J6 and nothing has been done to him.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

51. I'm SURE the government is going to let you know EXACTLY what happened to TOP SECRET documents

Apparently you don't know what "Top Secret" means.

[Genki Hikari]

111. It's like some people can't grasp

That anything involving the handling of TOP SECRET documents would not be discussed in public. Because that would, you know, defeat the purpose of TOP SECRET classification.

But try to get that through to people bound and determined not to grasp the obvious.

[agingdem]

52. we have no idea what's being done..

this DOJ doesn't leak...and it's up to Joe Biden to fire Wray and do it soon...I wouldn't have a problem if he canned Jeremy Powell as well.

[CivicGrief]

78. I agree.

I'm sick of the fear about what Republicans think. But, of course, this really is the fear of how the corporate media will spin this and attack Democrats. At this point, who gives a shit? The deck is already stacked against Democrats. Maybe some forceful decisions could change the perception of weakness. But, but, but . . . But what?

[Genki Hikari]

112. Not only don't we know what's done about TS docs

We WILL NOT know what becomes of that.

Do people not understand how TS works?

At all?

[machoneman]

124. He could be worse. Why? He knows he has the goods but is fearful of the MAGATS and his legacy.

[blm]

7. Sorry to hear. Oathkeepers weren't seditioning on their own.

And those classified documents didn’t ship themselves to Trump’s house.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. Wonder if Trump announcing has made him feel this is the only way to properly handle it?

How I feel about it will depend a lot on who is chosen to conduct it, and whether scope and funding are appropriate.

[wnylib]

103. Garland stated that Trump's announcement

was the reason for appointing Jack Smith as special prosecutor.

Here is Smith's background. He is well qualified.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Smith_(lawyer)

[Grasswire2]

9. Sorry. If there is no source, it didn't happen.

No link, no source.

[sop]

24. I'm watching the Breaking News on MSNBC as I type this.

[brooklynite]

28. CNN, MSNBC, WSJ, Washington Post all reporting.

[Lucky Luciano]

10. I guess we wait another two years.

[jalan48]

13. Maybe we can drag it out until the 2024 election and then, "let the voters decide".

[gab13by13]

35. You bet! GOTV.

This should inspire Democratic voters in Georgia.

[JohnSJ]

14. If this is accurate, it is extremely disappointing. What have they been doing for two years.

I will will until after the Georgia runoff, but if this is how Garland “goes after trump”, he should resign.

He is afraid of being accused of “conflict of interest” according to the article.

What he should be afraid of is being an incompetent AG

[gab13by13]

19. You know, 18 months ago I suggested a special counsel,

and I was criticized; 1. Garland can handle this. 2. A special counsel will take too long to hold Trump accountable.

This is extremely frustrating news.

Now a Trump trial can't happen until 2026 - 2027.

I hope this is just something additional to guard against Magats winning in 2024.

[JohnSJ]

34. Well, it appears you were right. If this is accurate, Garland needs to be raked over the coals, and

I think he will

The first question asked will be, what have you been doing for the last two years?

There is no excuse for this

Mueller was a waste of time, and so will this be, and when this happens again, and it will, I will lay the blame squarely at the door of the DOJ

Shame on them

[gab13by13]

15. Fuck No,

18 months ago was the time to appoint a special counsel.

Garland doesn't have the stones, Go get em Fani.

[Easterncedar]

16. Dammit

Way to dodge the responsibility.

And Kyle Rittenhouse gets invited to the Capitol.

And MBS is declared immune.

My young self who believed in justice is stone cold dead.

[CivicGrief]

17. We're on the road to nowhere.

DOJ has waited for an excuse not to indict.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. Garland to Name Special Counsel to Determine Whether Trump Should Face Charges

Link to tweet

[PSPS]

21. More proof that they're just running out the clock until they all die.

[Samrob]

67. Yep. Waiting for the universe to unfold as it should. One never knows but someone out there

is getting pissed off.

[gab13by13]

22. So what does the wait and see crowd think of this?

[sop]

26. Curious to know as well.

[jalan48]

36. The Faith based folks don't worry about these things.

[Genki Hikari]

113. No, it's the reality based people who haven't been panicking

About what Garland has been up to. Those of us with experience dealing with the legal system aren't surprised at all that it's taking so long.

THIS IS HOW THE LEGAL SYSTEM OPERATES, way too often.

Maybe if you'd been a victim of a crime, like I was, you'd know just how tortuously slow the system works. And, yes, my case ended up being federal because the perps crossed state lines to commit their crimes. I had already waited 18 very long months to get even that plea deal. It would have been another year--at a MINIMUM--if I'd refused to accept it and insisted on my day in court. That MINIMUM 1-year wait, on top of the 18 months I'd already slogged through, was the reason I agreed to the plea deal. I needed the closure. I needed to be able to move on with my life.

That's why people like me aren't surprised at all at the glacial pace things have moved at. I expected it to take that long. Because it almost always does take that long. That's called REALITY, and facing it.

So now how do we classify the usual people running around like Chicken Littles thinking the sky's falling?

[BumRushDaShow]

39. The evidence continues to be collected

so this shouldn't really change anything except for who will take more direct charge of the investigations instead of Garland, who some on DU think is the SOLE employee of DOJ (which in reality has 115,000 personnel) -

[gab13by13]

50. The decision to indict a former president rests with the AG,

it has never been about the evidence, the evidence is there for numerous crimes.

[BumRushDaShow]

60. What?

It's called "delegating".

Read this - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2996974

There was an earlier interesting analysis on MSNBC a couple months ago -

[republianmushroom]

75. true

[gab13by13]

25. I knew when Garland failed to indict Meadows he would not go after the top brass.

Will Bill Barr be the special counsel?

[tishaLA]

27. I've been patient and supportive of AG Garland

But this has me at the end of my tether. If he was going to do this, he should have done it months ago because it's not like whatshisname was making a secret of his intentions.

[hlthe2b]

29. Cop-out and cowardly, IMHO.

I hoped desperately for more from Garland. He ultimately is not extricating himself from decisions nor from political accusations since he will ultimately oversee any chosen Special Prosecutor.

I respect Garland (and no this is criticism, not an attack on a prominent Democrat for those who take offense AND I have defended him for months now) but I join Laurence Tribe, Steve Vladeck, Andrew Weissman and many many more in registering my disgust.

[iemanja]

64. add mine to that.

[Paladin]

68. I fully agree with you. (nt)

[Iwasthere]

30. "Tamp down concerns that he would have a conflict of interest"?

Wait, WTF? GUTLESS AG. Step up Garland. Just do it. JESUS FUCKI!G CHRIST!! I cant6take much more of this. Tempted to move to a small island 1000s of miles away for awhile

[sop]

37. What conflict of interest?

Since when it is a conflict of interest for the DOJ to prosecute crime? What a crock!

[kimbutgar]

33. Just as long as its not Mueller

I hope Garland picks a real bull dog no bull shitter to go after the orange maggot.

[gab13by13]

41. I hope Syd Powell and John Eastman aren't on the short list.

[kimbutgar]

46. That would be ghastly and hopefully not likely

[Ponietz]

59. Bullshit Durham needs a job

[Tomconroy]

38. It does seem like if this decision has been made it should have happened a while ago.

[BumRushDaShow]

54. I think what happened

is that this thing got complex real fast (the NARA documents issue being the latest), and thus it needed a "dedicated" person to oversee the multiple investigations and not the AG directly.

You still have -

Russia/foreign money probe
(that is still bubbling... I literally just saw this early this morning) -

GOP operative convicted in scheme to funnel Russian money into Trump campaign


Shawna Chen

Photo of Jesse Benton speaking

Jesse Benton, spokesperson for the Ron Paul campaign, speaking to reporters on Jan. 1, 2012. Photo: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

A former senior aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was convicted Thursday after being found guilty of helping to funnel illegal foreign campaign contributions from a Russian national into former President Trump's 2016 campaign.

Driving the news: Jessie Benton, 45, orchestrated a scheme to conceal the illegal foreign donation with another GOP operative, per the Justice Department. Benton, the husband of Paul's niece and a veteran Republican staffer, faces up to 20 years in prison. His attorney told the Washington Post Benton "maintains his innocence and plans to appeal."

(snip)

https://www.axios.com/2022/11/18/trump-campaign-jesse-benton-russia

Efforts to overturn the election (with multiple working parts)

--Calls to state officials to change votes
--Fake Electors
--Attempts to influence the VP

January 6 insurrection

NARA classified documents mishandling

[FakeNoose]

42. Geoffrey Berman, former US Attorney at SDNY, might be a good suggestion

He might be acceptable to the GOP, but I don't believe he'd accommodate any bullshit from the MAGAt crowd.

[gab13by13]

55. Why does the SC have to be acceptable to the Magats

who are complicit in the insurrection?

[FakeNoose]

70. He doesn't

[bluestarone]

43. Am i disappointed? YES, but

I will hold back until i see exactly who is CHOSEN special counsel. THEN i will decide how i feel about this.

[vlyons]

44. I'm disappointed.

Overly careful and cautious seems more like foot dragging to me. I guess I should see it as an opportunity to practice patience. Frankly, my patience with Garland has long past run its course.

[Grimelle]

48. One thing for sure

this will certainly slow the investigation which will suit TFG just fine,

[sop]

49. Tee up the football again, Lucy.

[happy feet]

53. Sigh

So sick of bending over backwards to try to satisfy the right that Trump investigations are not politically motivated. NOTHING will satisfy them. It feels like running again and again into a brick wall to try to appease the un appeasable. Garland has the facts and law...but, you know,

Another two years, Trump gets re elected and you know the drill.

He's admitted to stealing the documents....what more does one need? Meanwhile, TFG STIILL has more stolen documents.

and unarmed black people still get killed by police for "being black"...police serve as judge, jury and executioner. TFG has the smoking gun in his hand and we can't even get an indictment.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just sick to my stomach at the injustice of it all. The scales of justice totally bend in favor of the rich and powerful.

[Novara]

56. WE WILL NEVER SEE JUSTICE

This motherfucker will get away with everything and he will steal 2024.

Goodbye democracy.

[Prairie_Seagull]

57. Choosing a special council "is an action" of sorts.

Certainly does not make him look less guilty. I agree with above that it should have happened before. It is running now and the last thing we want is for this to seem political. Think of the money it could raise if he could seem a martyr to the man.

[lark]

58. Merrick Garland is the biggest disappoinment ever, just sold our Democracy down the river.

Who will be responsible for not protecting us and for turning us over to a right wing cabal who will destroy us - Garland!

WORST, MOVST DANGEROUS MOVE TO OUR COUNTRY BY A DEMOCRAT - EVER!

[brooklynite]

73. Joseph R. Biden, President

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Let us know when you've shared your outrage with his boss.

[lark]

79. Yeah, I have a temper sometimes and pop off.

Biden can't stop it and he certainly wouldn't fire him. Actually, upon actual reflection instead of pure reaction at the delay, I can see why he thought he it had to be done. Pisses me off big time that he let tfg outmaneuver (love spellcheck) him and didn't move faster. But, whatever, done is done. Just hope this Smith guy isn't a Repug apologist like Mueller. He was an enormous disappointment and Smith has to do better or this country is dead as we know it.

[brooklynite]

81. "Just hope this Smith guy isn't a Repug apologist "

Again, you seem to be saying that Garland can't or WON'T address the matter responsibly and pick someone competent.

[lark]

118. Garland didn't address the matter responsibly by not jumping on it.

He dithered and dithered and did nothing until the J6 committee shamed him into action. If he had jumped on it with both feet immediately, there would already be a decision before asshole committed. In fact, it's like Garland was waiting for that. SMDH!

It's not competence, it's political leanings. Does Smith think this is an existential moment or does he think what's been done is ok? If he's a secret right winger, or listens to right wingers, this will definitely be slow walked and he will find a way not to prosecute.

Garland did this for no gain for him or the Justice Dept. He got no cover and stalled an investigation already significantly underway. He also retained approval rights for any indictment. I get he thought he should do this, and it was what he needed to do, but these half measures serve no one but injustice.

[dpibel]

83. Which would make exacly what difference?

Is this, like, your approved ticket to express an opinion?

"First, you must write to the President. Then you may express dismay on DU."

[brooklynite]

85. Not stopping anyone from commenting as they see fit.

I'm equally allowed to comment on pointless angry rants.

[dpibel]

87. Oh, for sure

I would never want to try to stand athwart your right to non sequitur.

[Dan]

61. Maybe in the future we should support females Attorney Generals, they're

The only ones with balls to do the job.

[Novara]

63. Damn right.

Appoint Black women. They're the ONLY ones willing to go after the obvious criminality.

[jalan48]

65. I'm seeing the same thing. The women are standing up. Sally Yates would be a good choice.

[iemanja]

62. I don't have anything favorable to say about this.

I'm angry.

[ancianita]

69. Okay, Garland has convinced me. Seriously.

Special Counsel will stand as a firewall for the DOJ.

If you listen to Maddow's ULTRA, you can see how the guilty powerful have derailed and terminated justice against their seditions. The DOJ might be tougher than those past, but that doesn't mean the fact free "impeacher pack" won't be out there bullying the DOJ as it has in the past.

So Garland's move is a good thing.

[republianmushroom]

74. after 20 months this announcement

22 months and counting where is the DoJ ?

[Harker]

76. Maybe it will be a very special counsel...

One that briskly reviews the mountain of evidence, and says, "we're good to go."

[orangecrush]

95. Yeah, like Mueller!

[Historic NY]

77. Must be the former Federal Prosecutor from Nashville...

Must be this guy

Smith has been with the department 16 years, including five years as chief of the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., before coming to Nashville in 2015.

While working in Washington, Smith oversaw the corruption cases against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, former Arizona U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Convictions against McDonnell and Silver were later overturned.


[link:https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/08/04/jack-smith-resigns-nashville-federal-prosecutors-office/540429001/|]

[James48]

82. Indict already!

I thought there were multiple grand juries already hearing evidence to produce the indictments. What happened?

[William769]

84. Kick & highly recommended.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

86. Mierda! Garland does not have the ganas to indict, arrest El criminal

.. malfeacence on Garland's part! He should resign bc he lied to the American public ..said, he'd follow that facts, that no one is above the law. The facts have been laid out, supported by evidence, what else does he need!

Garland was not ready on day one, there seemed to be a learning curve to manage over 100,000 employees, approx 40B budget-& a fine career judge he must have been, a professional prosecutor he seemingly is not. Thanks Garland for kicking this can down the mountain..now SC will have to revisit the entire frcking case, evidence, witnesses. Aye, que cobarde! So ffg s given a reprieve--isn't that a wonderful Xmas "gift" for the rule of law.

Note: something I read early on about Garland revealed his stance..read that he has attended 10 out of 11 Federalist Society events-- imo thought he could not possible support Biden's admin., apply the rule of law..feel like when NY AG Bragg..dismissed case against trump when two prosecutors resigned saying there was enough evidence to indict the ffg. Anyway.. we know how Muellar investigation turned out.. nada!



Translation
Ganas: wherewithall; slang: balls
El criminal aka odious traitor#45
Cobarde:

[mysteryowl]

88. Ugh! I see more delays

What a bummer.

The DOJ needs to take action vs more research.

I don't like this at all.

[bagimin]

89. At least it's not the Jack Smith

from "You Asked For It" for you old-timers, like me.

[Lasher]

90. Garland punts.

In the long run we are all dead. - John Maynard Keynes

[Mr. Evil]

91. What a shitshow.

Garland needs someone else to decide whether to press charges against TFG!? He's the fucking attorney general for crying out loud! And then he waits this long to do it!?

[orangecrush]

93. It's Mueller time!

It's fucking Mueller time

[SheltieLover]

94. Since hd specializes in war crimes, Darth & W come to mind.

[calimary]

97. Well, I HOPE this means something.

But we’ve been down this road before.

And maybe it’s because we’ve never been up against a foe as slippery, sneaky, and devious as the donald. We’re out there carefully playing by the rules, but we’re playing against a guy who doesn’t even acknowledge that there ARE rules. And if he did, he’d state that no rules apply to him.

Seems to me we need more folks on our side thinking OUTSIDE the proverbial box. When one side plays carefully and meticulously by the rules, and the other side doesn’t (and this other side doesn’t even acknowledge that there ARE any rules - certainly none that apply to him), then maybe we need to revise our playbook.

To have the “fair play” we all seem to want (or say we want), that means both sides have to recognize and comply with the playbook, and accept that the rules apply across the board, with NO exceptions. Since we don’t have that dynamic in play, it doesn’t make sense to play on what was previously accepted as a level playing field. Because there ISN’T ANY!!! And if there were, our team would be alone out there trying to play on it. And the other side would be out in the parking lot, slashing all our tires.

[electric_blue68]

98. Wow ... go off line for a few hours and Bam! ...In turbulent times not unexpected. Idk how I...

feel about this just yet. 🤔

[BumRushDaShow]

100. This guy (vs the individual US Attorneys)

will be taking the evidence collected the past 2 years, and would be doing (or directing) the actual prosecutions when the time comes.

People are fantasizing that Merrick Garland is the one who goes into hundreds of coutrooms and personally argues cases in front of a judge.

[electric_blue68]

104. Ah, ok. Ty (I'll still take a look later) ...

you are being ? facetious about some people thinking AG Garland is going to argue the case, right?

[BumRushDaShow]

107. It seems that some people do think that

but hopefully the legal pundits on teevee will explain this whole process better.

All I know is that at 6:30 pm EST tonight, I am expected to be sitting in a movie theater getting ready to watch "Wakanda Forever".

[noahx]

101. Trump will try to pardon himself

we must not allow him to win in 2024.

[Conjuay]

102. Jack Smith

does sound like al alias, doesn’t it?

[machoneman]

105. Bullshit move to delay any indictment and protect no one but Garland. We should have...

expected such a weasel move after Comey!

Want a delay:? In business, start a committee. In criminal matters, hire a special counsel.

Bullshit all the way through!

[Cha]

108. Mahalo, BRDS! & AG Garland!! nt

[LudwigPastorius]

114. 20 seconds after this announcement, Kevin McCarthy was...

on the phone to his minions ordering them to begin drawing up impeachment articles against Jack Smith.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

116. Trump explodes at special counsel appointment: 'I am not going to partake in it'

Former President Trump on Friday blasted the Justice Department’s appointment of a special counsel to oversee its probes on him, saying he would not “partake” in the investigations.

Trump, in an interview with Fox News Digital, suggested the appointment of a special counsel was politically motivated, despite Attorney General Merrick Garland saying he was making the announcement in an effort to ensure independence around Trump-related probes ahead of a possible 2024 rematch with President Biden.

“I have been going through this for six years — for six years I have been going through this, and I am not going to go through it anymore,” Trump said. “And I hope the Republicans have the courage to fight this.”

“I am not going to partake in it,” Trump added. “I’m not going to partake in this.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-explodes-special-counsel-appointment-214319874.html

[electric_blue68]

117. Ooh, drumphf. You Poor, Poooor Besieged "Victim"...

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

STFU!!!!!!!!

[onetexan]

119. I have a feeling this SP Jack is going to be alot tougher

Than Garland, and why he's borrowing Smith's fierceful & forceful hand to strike the blow.