Patterico's Pontifications

11/17/2020

On Prosecuting President Trump: President-elect Biden Wants To Unite, Not Divide

Filed under: General — Dana @ 11:49 am



[guest post by Dana]

President-elect Joe Biden wants to move on and let his Justice Dept. make any determinations about future criminal investigations into the former President Trump:

President-elect Joe Biden has privately told advisers that he doesn’t want his presidency to be consumed by investigations of his predecessor, according to five people familiar with the discussions, despite pressure from some Democrats who want inquiries into President Donald Trump, his policies and members of his administration.

Biden has raised concerns that investigations would further divide a country he is trying to unite and risk making every day of his presidency about Trump, said the sources, who spoke on background to offer details of private conversations.

They said he has specifically told advisers that he is wary of federal tax investigations of Trump or of challenging any orders Trump may issue granting immunity to members of his staff before he leaves office. One adviser said Biden has made it clear that he “just wants to move on.”

Another Biden adviser said, “He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.”

Refreshingly, we are being told that President Biden’s Justice Dept. will operate independently from the Biden and that he will not be participating in advising or instructing the Justice Department on what to investigate or what not to investigate. Whether Biden actually remains out of the loop, so to speak, remains to be seen. But for now, it sounds good:

Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House, aides said, and Biden isn’t going to tell federal law enforcement officials whom or what to investigate or not to investigate.

“His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward,” an adviser said. “But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.”

“He can set a tone about what he thinks should be done,” a Biden adviser said. But, the adviser said, “he’s not going to be a president who directs the Justice Department one way or the other.”

This might be the prudent path to take when considering how to prosecute the former President Trump:

But any prosecution of Trump, no matter how fair, will draw criticism from Trump’s supporters in an already-divided nation. Even non-partisan observers have reason to be concerned by the spectacle of the administration of a new president prosecuting the president who just left office. It’s essential for any stable democracy that elected leaders don’t use their new powers to punish their opponents after they’ve lost. No president has ever done it.

So Biden needs to pursue justice when it comes to Trump—but he also needs to ensure that any prosecutorial decisions about Trump are made in a manner that restores public faith in the Justice Department, rather than making it seem, as Trump has, like just another political arm of the White House…Biden has promised to stay out of any prosecutorial decision, but that won’t be enough.

Biden will have one tool, however, that allows him to pursue justice while also ensuring that the process doesn’t appear to be tainted by politics. That tool is the special counsel—a prosecutor appointed not by Biden, but by his attorney general, who has a measure of independence from the administration. The special counsel should be a career prosecutor who has no connection to Biden or his team, and the Attorney General should publicly state in advance that he or she does not intend to place any restrictions on the special counsel and will follow his or her recommendation.

Surprisingly, President Trump has not tweeted nor responded to any conversation about future prosecutions today…

–Dana

78 Responses to “On Prosecuting President Trump: President-elect Biden Wants To Unite, Not Divide”

  1. A former President Trump or the former President Trump or soon-to-be former President Trump?? Too many possibilities.

    Dana (6995e0)

  2. That tool is the special counsel—a prosecutor appointed not by Biden, but by his attorney general, who has a measure of independence from the administration.

    Obviously good luck with Trump’s fanatics buying that. But yes, I think that’s the way to go. Deterrence. Exposure.

    But Biden’s a fool and a coward if he doesn’t respond to Russia. This will never end until they are challenged directly, in a language they understand.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  3. Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House, aides said, and Biden isn’t going to tell federal law enforcement officials whom or what to investigate or not to investigate.

    BAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Take that, Logan Act!

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  4. If a SC is appointed it needs to be to investigate specific allegations of illegality. A SC should not be appointed just to review everything Trump did and look for crimes.

    Any appointment of a SC should make it crystal clear what specific crimes are alleged and are being investigated.

    Also, prosecutions for false statements and other crimes that wouldn’t exist but for the existence of the investigation should be scrutinized carefully. I actually wish Trump had worked to reform that particular law by making it clear that a statement which never deceived the investigators is not material, but he didn’t.

    It would be to our countries detriment if each new administration began by appointing SC who investigates the pervious administration. I think that’s true even if the SC is totally a-political. Were a new administration so inclined they would only need to find an a-political, zealous, tenacious, and highly ambitious prosecutor. Such a person would by nature and desire be inclined to act very closely to how a vindictive inquisitor would, even if for more pure reasons.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  5. that said, if they have a reasonable suspicion that Trump, or members of his administration broke the law they should investigate.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  6. Obviously good luck with Trump’s fanatics buying that. But yes, I think that’s the way to go. Deterrence. Exposure.

    But Biden’s a fool and a coward if he doesn’t respond to Russia. This will never end until they are challenged directly, in a language they understand.

    Dustin (4237e0) — 11/17/2020 @ 11:57 am

    Trump fanatics are dishonest and uninterested in facts that fail to prove their priors. What they say, and likely think, isn’t subject to change based on information. There’s little point in providing them information on the assumption they will review it in good faith. I think we need to worry more about people in the middle.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  7. Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House, aides said, and Biden isn’t going to tell federal law enforcement officials whom or what to investigate or not to investigate.

    BAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Take that, Logan Act!

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67) — 11/17/2020 @ 11:58 am

    Hey look, it’s the article you lied about in the previous thread.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  8. Though there are dangers either way, I think the precedent set if a president can commit crimes in office without any concern about ever suffering consequences could be just as pernicious as a precedent of investigating former presidents.

    I am glad Biden is making clear a lack of interest in pursuing investigations, but the theory that there shouldn’t be any at all because it might anger Trump supporters seems problematic. It’s a large scale example of the heckler’s veto.

    Victor (4959fb)

  9. Hey look, it’s the article you lied about in the previous thread.

    LOL

    Nobody knows what thread you’re lying about. Tone down your stalker mentality. It’s creepy, like the guy you voted for.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  10. @4

    If a SC is appointed it needs to be to investigate specific allegations of illegality. A SC should not be appointed just to review everything Trump did and look for crimes.

    Any appointment of a SC should make it crystal clear what specific crimes are alleged and are being investigated.

    Also, prosecutions for false statements and other crimes that wouldn’t exist but for the existence of the investigation should be scrutinized carefully. I actually wish Trump had worked to reform that particular law by making it clear that a statement which never deceived the investigators is not material, but he didn’t.

    It would be to our countries detriment if each new administration began by appointing SC who investigates the pervious administration. I think that’s true even if the SC is totally a-political. Were a new administration so inclined they would only need to find an a-political, zealous, tenacious, and highly ambitious prosecutor. Such a person would by nature and desire be inclined to act very closely to how a vindictive inquisitor would, even if for more pure reasons.

    Time123 (c9382b) — 11/17/2020 @ 12:01 pm

    100% agree with you Time123.

    I’ll go further. There’s a wide chasm between conducting obvious, outright criminal activies versus deplorable gutter political antics. I believe the desire to prosecute Trump and his orbit falls in the latter of that category than the former.

    We’re seeing a level of vindictiveness in the political sphere that is getting alarming (see AOC’s and other publishing “retaliation lists” and the likes)

    whembly (c30c83)

  11. The best plan might be to let investigations and prosecutioms of Mr. Trump proceed at the state level at this point. There is plenty of time to review the findings of various inspector generals and publicize those findings prior to determining if federal prosecutions are warranted.

    John B Boddie (d795fd)

  12. Prosecute him for what? What in the hell do you think he did? Lol this website is laughable, it might as well be little green footballs at this point

    Mr pink (869713)

  13. As a proud life long democrat and socialist let me say and make clear: we don’t want or need you disaffected republictards. Keep voting for Trump, this last election proved we don’t need or want you. Your own party doesn’t want your traitorous asses anymore why should we?

    Mr pink (869713)

  14. “Little Green Footballs”…Omg, bullseye!

    Richard K Mahler (fd2ee5)

  15. @12 @13 Mr pink, most posters here on this site didn’t vote for Trump, including the host and the co-bloggers.

    whembly (c30c83)

  16. I am… ambivalent. On the one hand I would just like Trump’s nightmare of a presidency to fade into obscurity as soon as possible and, as part of that, think we should generally forgo too much investigation. On the other, I’m really concerned that there might be some really egregious, blatant, and harmful violations of the law just barely under the surface and I don’t think you should get away with significant crime just because you are in government.

    Isn’t there some isolated island with a decent hotel, a golf-course, and no cell connectivity that he could be exiled to?

    On the whole, Biden’s stance sounds like the rightish approach though.

    Nic (896fdf)

  17. Whembly I’m fully aware they didn’t. They are disaffected reich wingers. Stay over on your side of the pool,
    We don’t want you on ours. I can’t wait until Puerto Rico and DC become states and the electoral college is dissolved and we don’t have to even acknowledge you and the racist parts of this nation again.

    Mr pink (75390a)

  18. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/pair-charged-with-voter-fraud-allegedly-submitted-thousands-of-fraudulent-applications-on-behalf-of-homeless-people/2464168/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_knbc_twt_shr

    Race involved was a write-in campaign for Mayor of Hawthorne… run by the candidate/genius himself and a buddy.

    I thought signature validation was racist and transphobic, yet here is LA County butting in and eliminating the competition for the local union ballot harvesters

    steveg (43b7a5)

  19. I bet you the subject comes up as he selects an AG.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  20. A former President Trump or the former President Trump or soon-to-be former President Trump?? Too many possibilities.

    How about eventually former? There’s some serious undercounts relative 2016 in hard red GA districts.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  21. 16,

    I agree.

    Dana (6995e0)

  22. So, if Barr appoints a SC to look at _____, does that SC continue to operate in the next administration?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  23. I actually wish Trump had [done something intelligent with respect to issue X], but he didn’t.

    A fairly general template.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  24. I think they should offer Trump the Agnew deal: you don’t bother us, we won’t bother you.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  25. How about eventually former? There’s some serious undercounts relative 2016 in hard red GA districts.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 11/17/2020 @ 1:13 pm

    I saw that. Just fuel for the fire. Every election has some shenanigans and hopefully they make some loud examples out of them, even though it will help convince Trump’s voters they were robbed. No “oops” excuse is acceptable.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  26. Who cares what Trump voters want or think? Once Biden expands the SC and the electoral college is gone no one should care. Racist dustbin of history for them all, all 70 million of his enablers. Their cries of getting locked out of Facebook and YouTube will be even funnier when Puerto Rico and DC Have 4 senators, making their racists fascist states of Kentucky and Alabama’s votes pointless.

    Mr pink (75390a)

  27. Bet 1$ that Mr. Pink is a sock puppet.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  28. @22

    So, if Barr appoints a SC to look at _____, does that SC continue to operate in the next administration?

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 11/17/2020 @ 1:15 pm

    Technically, President Biden can terminate the SC on day one. And to honest, I’m okay with that. He’s the president and it need to be *his* DOJ.

    whembly (c30c83)

  29. @22&28,

    Legally yes. Politically it depends on how much such an action appears corrupt. If the SC is Loud Dobs and he’s been tasked to investigate ‘corruption’ Biden can probably do it.

    If it’s a legitimate prosecutor looking into a crime where there’s understood to be a reasonable suspicion he probably can’t.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  30. Georgia manual recount won’t replace official election results
    Georgia election officials said Tuesday they no longer intend to make the results of the state’s manual recount the official tally in the presidential race.

    The decision leaves little chance for election results to change much after the recount concludes Wednesday. Joe Biden led President Donald Trump by 14,000 votes, according to unofficial results.

    The change came after lawyers for the secretary of state’s office reviewed Georgia law and concluded that the new hand count shouldn’t replace the original machine count of scanned ballots, said Gabriel Sterling, the state’s voting system manager.
    ……
    If the audit uncovers serious discrepancies, as it did when 2,600 new ballots were found in Floyd County on Monday, county election officials will redo their original machine counts and then report a new total that will become a part of the official count.

    The new ballots discovered in Floyd County in northwest Georgia will reduce Trump’s deficit to 13,378, Sterling said.
    ……
    Raffensperger has said the manual count has closely matched original counts so far, but some counties haven’t finished their hand tabulations yet.
    …….

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  31. @29 I think the media will support President Biden’s efforts to shut down a Trump-initiated SC, as any attempts to assert legitimacy would be hand-waved hard.

    whembly (c30c83)

  32. Refreshingly, we are being told that President Biden’s Justice Dept. will operate independently from the Biden and that he will not be participating in advising or instructing the Justice Department on what to investigate or what not to investigate. Whether Biden actually remains out of the loop, so to speak, remains to be seen. But for now, it sounds good:

    Any coordination will take place on a tarmac.

    Hoi Polloi (66077a)

  33. Any coordination will take place on a tarmac.

    Hoi Polloi (66077a) — 11/17/2020 @ 2:07 pm

    hahahaha

    fair point though

    Dustin (4237e0)

  34. Any coordination will take place on a tarmac.

    No, aboard the Amtrak to Delaware.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  35. I’ve wavered back and forth between prosecuting and not prosecuting Trump.
    Prosecuting Trump would be a herculean distraction for a Biden administration, and it would give Trump all kinds of PR oxygen.
    But on the other hand, Trump would be a tweeting distraction regardless. It’s really damned if you, damned if you don’t.
    However, bottom line, Trump broke federal law multiple times over. It would be an injustice to not pursue this lawbreaking, and Biden is looking at this from a political, not legal, perspective.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  36. A former President Trump or the former President Trump or soon-to-be former President Trump?? Too many possibilities.

    President-reject Trump.

    Easy.

    Dave (1bb933)

  37. Oh if I cared that Biden be effective, I’d agree with those saying prosecuting Trump is a huge distraction. But because I want Biden to be ineffective, I agree with those saying prosecuting Trump is a matter of justice and would be a huge distraction.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  38. But because I want Biden to be ineffective

    You like virus, Comrade?

    Dave (1bb933)

  39. You like virus, Comrade?

    Dave (1bb933) — 11/17/2020 @ 2:44 pm

    I was just making a joke, but I think you’ve got me on that.

    Biden’s administration will have less success if Trump is in legal trouble, up to some fantasy point where Trump is actually exposed, future misconduct deterred, and his fanboys get real quiet.

    I do think Biden will be endlessly distracted by Trump, and it will impact COVID somewhat, and probably really impact things overseas at times. He should do the best he can with a special counsel but I’m not optimistic.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  40. 34, make sure there are no Cassandra Crossings along the way.

    urbanleftbehind (ae4aab)

  41. Biden knows that but for Trump he would have remained an obscure reference in the history books, a mere Vice President, barely remembered even by his contemporaries and not for long. Trump made him the 46th President and nobody more than Trump.

    He is now demonstrating a sense of gratefulness, of grace, of charity, if not to Trump who has no concept of those things, to a Divine Providence Who commands us to love everyone including our enemies.

    Or maybe he knows that there are plenty of others with their knives out just waiting to cook Trump’s goose for him and he does not need to lift a finger.

    nk (1d9030)

  42. Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House,

    Is anybody really buying that? If so I have a nice bridge for sale you might be interested in.

    Mattsky (55d339)

  43. Not every AG agrees to be the President’s knee-puppet. For every Holder and Barr, there’s an Ashcroft and a Sessions and Presidents who want competence and the appearance of integrity in their administrations appoint the second kind.

    nk (1d9030)

  44. Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House,

    Is anybody really buying that? If so I have a nice bridge for sale you might be interested in.

    The Senate should call the bluff and present the President-elect with a list of three or four names of Republican AGs from which Biden can make his appointment. Tell him that if he truly wants an independent AG then the candidate certainly can’t be selected from among Democrat loyalists.

    JVW (ee64e4)

  45. Janet Reno was no friend to Bill Clinton.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  46. Fat Boy Christie would be my Karnak/MAD magazine back inside cover answer to #44.

    urbanleftbehind (80747d)

  47. The Empire Strikes Back:

    Lori Loughlin will do more time than Richard Nixon ever did… or Donald Trump ever will.

    ‘You ahead, in a Ford; way ahead, in a Ford…’ – Louis Armstrong, Ford Motor Compny commercial, 1967

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  48. 41.Biden knows that but for Trump he would have remained an obscure reference in the history books, a mere Vice President, barely remembered even by his contemporaries and not for long. Trump made him the 46th President and nobody more than Trump.

    No. 78 million voters did.

    You bought him; you own him.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  49. You bought him; you own him.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 11/17/2020 @ 5:00 pm

    😢

    So sad Trump lost.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  50. @50. Freedom of choice; you’ve made America great again, Dustin. 😉

    “He chose… poorly.” – Grail Knight [Robert Eddison] ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ 1989

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  51. Breaking-Trump fires top DHS official who refuted his claims that the election was rigged

    You bought him, you own him.

    nk (1d9030)

  52. @53. Trump fires top DHS official who stated election was ‘most secure’ in U.S. history.

    Proof?

    FIFY
    _____

    The Empire Strikes Back:

    Normalcy…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNQAbF33gFM

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  53. Some comrades were saying about independent Attorneys General …?

    nk (1d9030)

  54. Breaking-Trump fires top DHS official who refuted his claims that the election was rigged

    You bought him, you own him.

    I didn’t vote for Trump or Biden, so I didn’t buy or own either.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  55. Heh! It was not directed at you, Rip.

    nk (1d9030)

  56. @57-

    No problem.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  57. The corrupt criminal traitor orange has 64 days left to do a lot of harm to America. Can’t the Florida Citrus Growers Association maybe step in and exercise a little quality control?

    nk (1d9030)

  58. Go back a couple years and imagine reading this post, about whether the next president encourages Trump to be prosecuted.

    Savor the details guys.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  59. “ Lori Loughlin will do more time than Richard Nixon ever did… or Donald Trump ever will.”

    – DCSCA

    Always trust predictions from DCSCA.

    Leviticus (9d3248)

  60. @61. trust- and verify:

    ‘Less than a year before Richard M. Nixon’s resignation as president of the United States, Spiro Agnew becomes the first U.S. vice president to resign in disgrace. The same day, he pleaded no contest to a charge of federal income tax evasion in exchange for the dropping of charges of political corruption. He was subsequently fined $10,000, sentenced to three years probation, and disbarred by the Maryland court of appeals.’ -source, history.com

    Probation.

    Lori even has more time in the pokie, behind bars, than frigging Spiro Agnew.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  61. “ Lori Loughlin will do more time than Richard Nixon ever did… or Donald Trump ever will.”

    So Gorbachev dies and goes to Hell. “It really does exist after all”, he marvels. “Oh, well, at least I’ll be with my heroes, Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev.” “Not so fast”, says the Devil. “Those guys are not here. They’re up there.” “But, but, but …” sputters Gorbachev, “how is that possible? They were bigger killers, torturers, and tyrants, than I could ever even begin to be.” “Look, comrade”, says the Devil. “Sin is forgiven. Stupidity stays on your record permanently.”

    nk (1d9030)

  62. @44 Yup. If it’s a Democrat AG, then it’s a Holder clone.

    whembly (c30c83)

  63. @45

    Janet Reno was no friend to Bill Clinton.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/17/2020 @ 4:51 pm

    I’m sorry… what?

    whembly (c30c83)

  64. @44 and @64 You wouldn’t expect an R to pick a D for AG and say that anything else is a sign of excessive influence and/or corruption. In fact, you’d probably be mad about it. So that’s a silly standard.

    Nic (896fdf)

  65. @66: We wouldn’t expect a D to pick a D and then accept credulously that the D wants the DOJ to function independently from the WH either. But, it’s being reported that way by NBC with a straight face, so it must be legit.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  66. For all the scorn heaped on the Trump DOJ, note that it put a stop to the shakedown slush funds created by Holder and the Obama/Biden DOJ. Let’s see if an “independent” DOJ under Biden brings that corrupt practice back.

    https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/trump-justice-department-settlement-slush-fund/

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  67. @67 And yet you would believe that an R picking an R wants the DOJ to function independently if that was what they stated. That’s why it’s a silly standard.

    Nic (896fdf)

  68. And yet you would believe that an R picking an R wants the DOJ to function independently if that was what they stated.

    You wish I would believe that. The DOJ is part of the executive branch. It is not independent, nor should it be. Any R who says otherwise is spewing nonsense.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  69. @70 Ah, you don’t care if the DOJ is run with political interference, then? Interesting.

    Nic (896fdf)

  70. @63. “So Biden dies and goes to Hell. “It really does exist after all”, he marvels. “Well… folks, here’s the deal, at least I’ll be with my heroes, Teddy, Bob Byrd, CornPop and all those crusading popes.” “Not so fast”, says the Devil. “Those guys are not here. They’re up there.” “But, but, but …” stutters Joe, “how is that possible? They were bigger killers, torturers, and tyrants than I could ever even begin to be.” “Look, you thieving plagiarist”, says the Devil. “Sin is forgiven. Stupidity stays on your record permanently.”

    FIFY

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  71. FIFY? Uh-huh! Idée fixe.

    nk (1d9030)

  72. What would happen would be dependent on who the (almost unaccountable) Attorney General is.

    If he wants a Republican, at least for a while, there’s always William Barr.

    Sammy Finkelman (f6c6ee)

  73. Good idea Sammy.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  74. Three things, comrades:
    1. The Attorney General is not the President’s attorney, he is the attorney for The United States of America;
    2. Unitary Executive or non-Unitary Executive, the Justice Department is a creation of Congress and it only has those powers and abilities that Congress has granted it; and last but by no means least,
    3. The Attorney General is bound by the same codes of ethics and rules of professional conduct as all other attorneys generally and prosecutors especially.

    So, yes, the Justice Department can and should be independent of the White House when representing its client, The United States of America, and that’s the deal.

    nk (1d9030)

  75. @76

    Three things, comrades:
    1. The Attorney General is not the President’s attorney, he is the attorney for The United States of America;

    He’s the AG for the Executive Branch. Every power that the AG has, comes from the Office of the President. While the AG isn’t the personal attorney of the President, the AG *is* the lead attorney for the President’s directive acting within the bounds of presidential powers.

    The AG literally serves at the pleasure of the President… not for the United States of America. As such, the AG must be aligned policy-wised with the President.

    2. Unitary Executive or non-Unitary Executive, the Justice Department is a creation of Congress and it only has those powers and abilities that Congress has granted it; and last but by no means least,

    Not quite.

    It’s difficult for Congress to pass statutory laws governing the DOJ…technically, they can if they have a veto proof Congress, but without that Congress needs the consent from sitting President to sign such laws.

    But, because DOJ is a creation of Congress AND provides fundings, congress has oversight over the department.

    FWIW, regardless which party holds the Whitehouse, the occupants has ALWAYS applied the “Unitary Executive” philosophy. (the courts generally does as well).

    3. The Attorney General is bound by the same codes of ethics and rules of professional conduct as all other attorneys generally and prosecutors especially.

    That’s absolutely true. The difference is that the AG is also a political appointee, and as such CANNOT be viewed as apolitical.

    Outside of clear violation of the law (ie, impeachment worthy), the AG can only be held accountable from voters by voting for/against the President.

    So, yes, the Justice Department can and should be independent of the White House when representing its client, The United States of America, and that’s the deal.

    nk (1d9030) — 11/18/2020 @ 8:02 am

    That’s not the deal.

    President ought to have a “hands off” philosophy on his own DOJ. There’s real good reasons for this.

    But, that’s far different than advocating that the DOJ *is* or *should* be independent from the Whitehouse. The president is the “boss” and is accountable for everything that the DOJ does. So, some level of oversight is required.

    We do NOT want an unaccountable 4th branch of government, which is what people are really saying when they say the want the DOJ to be independent of the Whitehouse.

    whembly (c30c83)

  76. 16.I am… ambivalent. On the one hand I would just like Trump’s nightmare of a presidency to fade into obscurity as soon as possible and, as part of that, think we should generally forgo too much investigation. On the other, I’m really concerned that there might be some really egregious, blatant, and harmful violations of the law just barely under the surface and I don’t think you should get away with significant crime just because you are in government.

    What did long-time government guy Gerald Ford do? Exactly what long-time government guy Biden will do.

    He wants his time in office to be about him- not Trump.

    The henchmen may be in jeopardy – a la The Big Dick’s staff- but revisit Nixon’s fate– and that of Spiro Agnew. ‘Justice’ prevailed w/o imprisonment. Tossing ex-presidents and ex-VPs into the pokie is a very bad PR when you’re trying to peddle the USA way around the world.

    DCSCA (797bc0)


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