“Justice delayed is justice denied.” No one knows the old axiom better than Donald Trump, who has been able to delay case after case, partially through the ubiquitous use of NDAs, using the presidency to delay any consequences from the Mueller investigation, and then the ridiculous motions in front of Judge Cannon. The last “delay” tactic was critical because Trump and his team want the investigations put well back after the mid-terms.

According to The Guardian, Trump’s attorneys are now scared at how blindingly fast the 11th Circuit and Special Master Judge Raymond Dearie have moved:

Trump’s goal in requesting a special master was multi-pronged from the start, according to sources familiar with the matter, and the principal – though publicly unstated – aim was to apply the brakes on the criminal investigation, after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago took Trump’s lawyers by surprise.

The lawyers wanted more time to find out what the FBI had and whether the files would put the lawyers at risk, given that Trump’s earlier lawyers signed off on having given all the documents back. The lawyers never imagined it would move this fast, gaining them only a two-week delay:

Trump effectively secured a two-and-a-half week pause in the criminal investigation from the time that Cannon enjoined the department on Labor Day to the appeals court ruling on Wednesday – a delay that former US attorneys said would not have materially affected the case.

In criminal investigations that rely on witness testimony, they said, extended delays might become problematic should the department be unable to make headway for more than a couple of months since memories fade and witnesses might start to struggle to recall specific details.

Memories fade, and witnesses struggle to recall specific details… justice delayed is justice denied. And thus, the courts ensured that Trump wouldn’t get away with a ridiculous delay this time.

****

[email protected], @JasonMiciak, with Nicole Hickman