Attorney General Merrick Garland has named a special counsel to oversee the criminal investigation into former president Donald Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club and residence, as well as key aspects of the Jan. 6 investigation.
Garland announced his decision Friday afternoon, tapping Jack Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor who has in recent years been working at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. The announcement comes three days after Trump formally declared himself a 2024 candidate for president.
“Based on recent developments, including the former president’s announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election, and the sitting president’s stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel,” Garland said at a news conference at the Justice Department.
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He insisted the decision would not slow the investigations involving Trump.
A special counsel appointment “is the right thing to do,” the attorney general said. "The extraordinary circumstances presented here demand it. Mr. Smith is the right choice to complete these matters in an even-handed and urgent manner.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 3:25 pm
by RTH10260
In 3... 2... 1...
WITCH HUNT!
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 4:08 pm
by bob
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:01 pm
by Tiredretiredlawyer
A federal prosecutor at the Hague. Hmmmm....
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:33 pm
by AndyinPA
Smith seems well qualified, but I think it's an unnecessary step. But it's early days. Or not. If anyone else had done what DFO did, he/she would have already been arrested.
How much more proof do we need that there are two systems of justice in this country? One for rich people and politicians, and one for everyone else. We didn't need this as more proof.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:42 pm
by bob
AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:33 pm
Smith seems well qualified, but I think it's an unnecessary step. But it's early days. Or not. If anyone else had done what DFO did, he/she would have already been arrested.
But that's kinda the point.
If the Feebs just showed up and arrested him, a large portion of the country would scream witch hunt, banana republic, or worse. (And perhaps do worse.)
Because he is the former president and desires again to be the president, taking measures to avoid the appearance of impropriety is a good idea.
Will these measures actually mollify anyone? Probably not. Because nothing would.
But that's still not a good reason to avoid doing the right thing.
Too also: A special prosecutor can survive a change of administrations. See Dunham, J.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:46 pm
by bob
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:11 pm
by MN-Skeptic
I wonder if Trump will use his speech tonight to declare himself off-limits from prosecution since he is now a presidential candidate?
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgment Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:16 pm
by Dr. Ken
Sorry to be a stickler judgment only has one e in it.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:33 pm
Smith seems well qualified, but I think it's an unnecessary step. But it's early days. Or not. If anyone else had done what DFO did, he/she would have already been arrested.
But that's kinda the point.
If the Feebs just showed up and arrested him, a large portion of the country would scream witch hunt, banana republic, or worse. (And perhaps do worse.)
Because he is the former president and desires again to be the president, taking measures to avoid the appearance of impropriety is a good idea.
Will these measures actually mollify anyone? Probably not. Because nothing would.
But that's still not a good reason to avoid doing the right thing.
Too also: A special prosecutor can survive a change of administrations. See Dunham, J.
At this point it doesn't matter what he did they'll always see it as a witch hunt
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgment Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:20 pm
by MN-Skeptic
Dr. Ken wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:16 pm
Sorry to be a stickler judgment only has one e in it.
Though judgement (with an e) has risen and fallen in popularity in British English, judgment remains the preferred spelling in British legal proceedings and appears more frequently in written work. Today, judgement is an accepted spelling in British English. But, if you stick to judgment, you won’t be judged in the UK or the US.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:33 pm
Smith seems well qualified, but I think it's an unnecessary step. But it's early days. Or not. If anyone else had done what DFO did, he/she would have already been arrested.
But that's kinda the point.
If the Feebs just showed up and arrested him, a large portion of the country would scream witch hunt, banana republic, or worse. (And perhaps do worse.)
Because he is the former president and desires again to be the president, taking measures to avoid the appearance of impropriety is a good idea.
Will these measures actually mollify anyone? Probably not. Because nothing would.
But that's still not a good reason to avoid doing the right thing.
Too also: A special prosecutor can survive a change of administrations. See Dunham, J.
White collar criminal prosecutions against the head of an organization -- even one as disorganized as Trump's post-presidential camorra -- are _hard_. Especially with a defendant who doesn't commit anything operational to writing, who has a track record of managing through hints and winks, like the criminal he is, and who has underlings willing to lie for him.
And while Trump's "declassification in my head" and "whatever I took became personal" arguments are hot garbage, the legal landscape is complex, treacherous, and largely unexplored.
It's the right thing to do.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:30 pm
by Greatgrey
MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:11 pm
I wonder if Trump will use his speech tonight to declare himself off-limits from prosecution since he is now a presidential candidate?
He’s gonna declare himself to be a SovCit and he won’t partake.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:50 pm
by chancery
Here's a good short blog post reviewing the pros and cons of appointing a special counsel for Trump. The author is Randall Eliason, who is respected by lawtwitter people who I respect. He spent more than eight years in the DOJ's Public Corruption/Government Fraud section, including two years as chief of the section.
As expected, on Tuesday Donald Trump announced he is running for president in 2024. As I wrote in my last post, his candidacy will not shield him from the assorted pending criminal investigations, despite what he may hope. But now that Trump’s candidacy is official, I’d like to elaborate on my other argument in that post: that attorney general Merrick Garland should now appoint a special counsel to complete the federal investigations of the former president.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:11 pm
I wonder if Trump will use his speech tonight to declare himself off-limits from prosecution since he is now a presidential candidate?
He’s gonna declare himself to be a SovCit and he won’t partake.
Can't run for president if a sovcit.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgment Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:52 pm
by Kendra
Dr. Ken wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:16 pm
Sorry to be a stickler judgment only has one e in it.
True, but don't the folks in the UK spell it with an extra e?
New: Former US Attorney Barb McQuade told me earlier about Garland appointing a special counsel: “This suggests that they think there’s a very real possibility of charges. If they were going to close the case, it would be closed by now.”
@BarbMcQuade
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:33 pm
Smith seems well qualified, but I think it's an unnecessary step. But it's early days. Or not. If anyone else had done what DFO did, he/she would have already been arrested.
But that's kinda the point.
If the Feebs just showed up and arrested him, a large portion of the country would scream witch hunt, banana republic, or worse. (And perhaps do worse.)
Because he is the former president and desires again to be the president, taking measures to avoid the appearance of impropriety is a good idea.
Will these measures actually mollify anyone? Probably not. Because nothing would.
But that's still not a good reason to avoid doing the right thing.
Too also: A special prosecutor can survive a change of administrations. See Dunham, J.
I defer to those who are lawyers here.
But I still get angry when I think people get treated unfairly because of the law, or the way it's written.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgment Day (one way or the other)
Dr. Ken wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 6:16 pm
Sorry to be a stickler judgment only has one e in it.
True, but don't the folks in the UK spell it with an extra e?
[/quote]
Reminds me of an old BBC commercial narrated by Eric Idle telling us, if we subscribe, we'll learn how English is supposed to be spoken.
Mr. Idle was my favorite Python.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:12 pm
by p0rtia
Watched Garland's presser again.
His body language struck me as that of a person who has his back against the wall. On the defensive but lashing out to protect himself. Mentally shut down. Aloof. Arrogant.
That's what I saw.
Possibly I am biased, because I think he's handled this case as badly as humanly possible and today assured that TFG will be allowed to run out the clock.
The most irritating thing I heard to day was that Garland couldn't appoint a SC until TFG announced, which is why he didn't appoint one a year ago. Bull shit.
Garland himself saying that TFG running changed the field is the worst possible thing to say.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:13 pm
by Foggy
He's gonna tell us (again) that he's the single most abused Earthling in the entire history of Earthlings, and we are going to be really sad for him.
Nobody treats him fairly. Everyone is out to get him. With everybody in the whole United States out to humiliate him and imprison him and make him eat vegan food and live under freeway bridges and other horrible things, it's a good thing he's the best and most popular president in our history, and everybody in the whole United States loves him so much. When they're not out to humiliate him and imprison him and ... y'know what? Forget it.
He's a victim every single minute that he's not crushing his enemies beneath his boot heel. That's the rule. Every single minute that he's not crushing his enemies beneath his boot heel, he's a tragic, tragic victim crybaby whiner with no self-respect whatsoever. He's an awful coward, too also.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:14 pm
by raison de arizona
Well, in Garland's defense, no one had the slightest clue tfg might run again before Tuesday. Or something.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:21 pm
by p0rtia
raison de arizona wrote: ↑Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:14 pm
Well, in Garland's defense, no one had the slightest clue tfg might run again before Tuesday. Or something.
It's already blowing up in his face. So TFG is running. So is Biden. If Biden is running, no investigations of him--or Hunter--without a SP.
Good god.
Special Counsel Jack Smith: Judgement Day (one way or the other)
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2022 7:34 pm
by p0rtia
Judge Cannon would approve of this move. More evidence that TFG is above the law.
