What happened and why is extraordinarily complex. The investigations are unprecedented in the nation's history. It's not hyperbole to say that the fate of democracy depends on them. Are the investigations not working? We already know in broad strokes what Trump did to bludgeon government officials into launching an attempted overthrow of…
What happened and why is extraordinarily complex. The investigations are unprecedented in the nation's history. It's not hyperbole to say that the fate of democracy depends on them. Are the investigations not working? We already know in broad strokes what Trump did to bludgeon government officials into launching an attempted overthrow of the government. We know the players and much of what they did. And of course, DOJ, the House Select Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee know much more, and they aren't close to finishing their work.
Reality check: the House Select Committee is on the verge of forcing key Trump henchmen to testify. They will be threatened with jail if they don't honor subpoenas. It was suggested yesterday that the committee ratchet up the pressure by referring their refusals to testify to DOJ for criminal prosecution.
We all desperately want the perpetrators punished, especially Trump. A former president has never been prosecuted for such crimes. That means extraordinary care is essential in building the cases, not just for legal reasons but to slowly prepare the public for what's ahead. And prepare for what could be a violent response from traitors who call themselves patriots.
Trump, who is now openly obstructing justice, knows that he faces prosecution on several fronts. Those in his corner who want to topple democracy know this. Their window for succeeding, after failing on Jan. 6, is small and closing. What we need is not speed but airtight cases meticulously built, cases that will end with pronouncements of guilt.
Patience is indeed a virtue, especially in this case but being virtuous is made much easier then there is an occasional reward. In this case, open testimony or, if the subpoena is ignored, actual footage of one of the four going to jail would be such a reward.
I read a tweet last night the Jamie Raskin said they would fine them for not complying. Money is nothing to these people because they continue to grift. It does not hurt them in any way. We have to skip the fines and go straight to jail time. Another option could be to freeze their assets but I don’t think that’s a choice under the law.
I'm not sure about the legal intricacies but, if they were to default on payment of a fine a court might be willing to attach assets. I agree completely with your comments on fines; anything that would be arguably reasonable to a court would be paid out of someone's pocket change.
Absolutely. All four should go to jail, but at least taking one of them would make a difference. The longer trump 'n' club escape justice, the more likely things will just dissolve. The insurrectionists will just laugh and move on to their next government overthrow plan.
I'm reminded of when President Ford pardoned President Nixon (1974) as Ford said it was for the good of the country. Then, there was Pres. Bush Sr. pardoning the six principal criminals (Dec. 1992) working for Reagan in the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush Sr. gave a similar excuse for the pardoning's of those six, something like "so that the nation can move forward." It's all so blatant--the higher the level of crime, the less likely the perps will have to do time.
The other thing we have is a president that will not pardon the antics of the subpoena refusers, something they held onto when defying investigations in the Drump administration. Who do they think will be "saving them" during this round of investigations?
Besides being complex, I’m thinking it is also unprecedented. They’re cutting trail as they go. And working with just a half a deck given what the former admin did to the DOJ
What happened and why is extraordinarily complex. The investigations are unprecedented in the nation's history. It's not hyperbole to say that the fate of democracy depends on them. Are the investigations not working? We already know in broad strokes what Trump did to bludgeon government officials into launching an attempted overthrow of the government. We know the players and much of what they did. And of course, DOJ, the House Select Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee know much more, and they aren't close to finishing their work.
Reality check: the House Select Committee is on the verge of forcing key Trump henchmen to testify. They will be threatened with jail if they don't honor subpoenas. It was suggested yesterday that the committee ratchet up the pressure by referring their refusals to testify to DOJ for criminal prosecution.
We all desperately want the perpetrators punished, especially Trump. A former president has never been prosecuted for such crimes. That means extraordinary care is essential in building the cases, not just for legal reasons but to slowly prepare the public for what's ahead. And prepare for what could be a violent response from traitors who call themselves patriots.
Trump, who is now openly obstructing justice, knows that he faces prosecution on several fronts. Those in his corner who want to topple democracy know this. Their window for succeeding, after failing on Jan. 6, is small and closing. What we need is not speed but airtight cases meticulously built, cases that will end with pronouncements of guilt.
Patience is indeed a virtue, especially in this case but being virtuous is made much easier then there is an occasional reward. In this case, open testimony or, if the subpoena is ignored, actual footage of one of the four going to jail would be such a reward.
Agree. It's time to quit threatening jail time if the subpoenas are not honored – it's time to incarcerate for ignoring subpoenas.
I read a tweet last night the Jamie Raskin said they would fine them for not complying. Money is nothing to these people because they continue to grift. It does not hurt them in any way. We have to skip the fines and go straight to jail time. Another option could be to freeze their assets but I don’t think that’s a choice under the law.
I'm not sure about the legal intricacies but, if they were to default on payment of a fine a court might be willing to attach assets. I agree completely with your comments on fines; anything that would be arguably reasonable to a court would be paid out of someone's pocket change.
We deserve to see perp walks.
Absolutely. All four should go to jail, but at least taking one of them would make a difference. The longer trump 'n' club escape justice, the more likely things will just dissolve. The insurrectionists will just laugh and move on to their next government overthrow plan.
I'm reminded of when President Ford pardoned President Nixon (1974) as Ford said it was for the good of the country. Then, there was Pres. Bush Sr. pardoning the six principal criminals (Dec. 1992) working for Reagan in the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush Sr. gave a similar excuse for the pardoning's of those six, something like "so that the nation can move forward." It's all so blatant--the higher the level of crime, the less likely the perps will have to do time.
If this isn't wrapped up before the 2022 elections it will all be a moot point because there's a huge chance we lose democracy then.
The other thing we have is a president that will not pardon the antics of the subpoena refusers, something they held onto when defying investigations in the Drump administration. Who do they think will be "saving them" during this round of investigations?
Besides being complex, I’m thinking it is also unprecedented. They’re cutting trail as they go. And working with just a half a deck given what the former admin did to the DOJ
Prior to inadvertently hitting the post button, I was typing “from A to Z.”
I am so thankful you took the time to explain that so clearly and completely. Thanks again.
Thank you, Michael. You put the situation into perfect perspective, from Ato