While some of us on the left remain incredibly disappointed that DOJ didn’t just do its job and prosecute Trump itself or – if a special counsel was needed, DOJ could have appointed one back in May when the matter was referred from the National Archives to the FBI and DOJ knew it had a problem with two cases, some on the Right see it as a terrible sign. It is an understandable reaction. Until very recently, the appointments were called “special prosecutors,” and, as Ken Starr showed us, when a special prosecutor is appointed, they’re damn well going to prosecute something.
But one person on the Right was particularly upset that Garland brought in a special counsel and that would be Donald Trump, who reportedly “exploded.” From The Hill: [1]
“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.”
It is not clear what the Republicans could fight. Perhaps defund the entire DOJ and FBI.
In year three of those “six years,” Trump had ten counts of obstruction of justice and perjury ready to be charged, and, indeed, Robert Mueller expected them to be charged once Trump left office. The only reason Trump wasn’t charged was that he was president. Everything he got away with as president seems to amount to nothing because he never ended up behind bars.
“I am not going to partake in it,” Trump added. “I’m not going to partake in this.”
Well, I guess that’s that. It’s over. Trump refuses to play along and be a part of it. Never mind. Call Jack and tell him that Trump doesn’t want to do it, don’t waste the miles.
The former president on Tuesday had formally announced he is mounting another White House campaign for 2024.
“I have never heard of such a thing. They found nothing. I announce and then they appoint a special prosecutor,” he said Friday. “They found nothing, and now they take some guy who hates Trump. This is a disgrace and only happening because I am leading in every poll in both parties.”
The really interesting question is whether Trump actually believes any of the stuff that he says or whether he wants to believe it and is trying to talk himself into it? It is really tough to tell. “They found nothing.” Then why is his team filing all these motions to say that “what they found” was properly declassified (it wasn’t) and allowed to be in Trump’s possession? If there is one thing that we all ought to be able to agree upon is that “they” definitely found something.
And with respect to January 6th? It’s not so much that they found something. It’s that they found “everything,” and it all leads back to Trump, who has refused a subpoena to come to talk to them about it. Trump fought his own detail to get the car going up to the Capitol to lead a fight into the building in an attempt to steal the election, and it looks like it might even go uncharged. Trump is lucky. In other, less sophisticated countries, if you try a coup, you’re all in. You either end up president or hung. There is no halfway, no lawyers.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, with Nicole Hickman