FBI search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago (Update: Trump Indicted!)

[Torie]

A nice summary of the state of prosecution play at the DOJ, including the matter of whether or not to have install a special prosecutor if Trump announces for POTUS shortly after the election, and the issue of beating Trump to the punch as it were by indicting him before he declares. Myself, if Trump declares this November, it is more about his viewing that as a shield from the DOJ than anything else, at least as to the timing of his announcement.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/03/politics/doj-trump-investigation-expansion-special-counsel/index.html

[emailking]

Weissman says appointing a special counsel would slow things down, would not stop criticism (e.g. Mueller), and it's hard to see how anyone would be better to handle this than Garland himself. He says Garland is required to consider the Special Counsel regulations and discussions about that may be what's driving this reporting. And he thinks a Special Counsel won't be appointed.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Alright Garland. Trump has already said he has an announcement at Mar-A-Lago planned for Tuesday. Time to carry out the greatest gate-crashing of all time.

[Torie]

Andy McCarthy thinks the DOJ indicting Trump is now a done deal. Why? It's a game of 3-D chess in his Byzantine mind. You see, the Trump lifeline was that Biden-Dem world wants to keep Trump alive and politically viable so he gets the Pub nomination again. Prosecuting him is inimical to that. But then Trump went after DeSantis and Youngkin, and that ended his viability to securing the nomination. The damage he did to the Pubs in the midterms is just frosting on the cake. His deranged attack on the twin new Pub stars is not.

So now Biden world can't have Trump to kick around no matter how much they might want it. He's politically dead now. So there is no reason now to hold back. And yes, it will be papergate. The other paths are too legally problematical. But then I already told you all that.

Warning: the article is long and convoluted.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/11/trump-makes-his-indictment-a-certainty/

[emailking]

Garland doesn't care about any of that, and I'm surprised McCarthy thinks he does.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1592173066087432195

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1592248515543326720https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1592248520668753921

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1592248515543326720https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1592248520668753921

It's a pretty safe bet that Trump's ego is the motivator for everything he does. Not much of a revelation here. I predicted awhile back that his motive would be dumbest, most simplistic thing possible instead of some sort of intricate game of espionage or subversion.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1593252364869283843

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

It's a pretty safe bet that Trump's ego is the motivator for everything he does. Not much of a revelation here. I predicted awhile back that his motive would be dumbest, most simplistic thing possible instead of some sort of intricate game of espionage or subversion.

Absolutely.  But I think the DOJ would like a better motive than that if they plan on bringing charges.

[emailking]

Well in the Kingsbury case she apparently never did anything with the classified documents she kept at home for 12 years, just kept them. Although Raskin got her to plead guilty.

[emailking]

Special Counsel has been named for this and J6 per NBC news.

[emailking]

DOJ to announce special counsel for Trump-related Mar-a-Lago and January 6 investigations

Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to announce Friday that he has appointed a special counsel to oversee investigations into the retention of national defense information at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and key aspects of the criminal investigation into January 6, 2021, according to a senior Justice Department official.

Both investigations implicate the conduct of Trump, who on Tuesday declared his candidacy in the 2024 presidential race, making him a potential rival of President Joe Biden.

Justice Department officials have been debating for weeks whether to appoint a special counsel, CNN previously reported.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/politics/justice-department-trump-special-counsel/index.html

[GeorgiaModerate]

I think this is a good decision, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now.  It will remove any accusations against Garland for the decision to indict (or not) being politically motivated, and a special counsel investigation is more transparent than an ordinary DOJ one.  For one thing, the special counsel is required to submit a report to Congress explaining their findings and decisions.

[emailking]

Garland says he's appointing the Special Counsel because of Trump's announcement and Biden's stated intention to run.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1593686559811047424

[emailking]

Garland has given Smith prosecutorial powers so he doesn't have to make a recommendation to Garland and hope he goes along with it.

[Alben Barkley]

I think this is a good decision, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now.  It will remove any accusations against Garland for the decision to indict (or not) being politically motivated, and a special counsel investigation is more transparent than an ordinary DOJ one.  For one thing, the special counsel is required to submit a report to Congress explaining their findings and decisions.

But ultimately the special counsel reports to Garland, the DOJ, and the Biden Administration and was appointed by them in the first place. It’s naive to think it will actually stop accusations of the decision being politically motivated.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/hugolowell/status/1593692729543954437

[emailking]

One advantage of a Special Counsel is, if Trump becomes President, he can't just fire him. He'd have to prove wrongdoing.

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1593686559811047424

Poor Donny was announcing his bid to avoid this, and his low energy speech didn't work. Sad!

[Torie]

I think this is a good decision, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now.  It will remove any accusations against Garland for the decision to indict (or not) being politically motivated, and a special counsel investigation is more transparent than an ordinary DOJ one.  For one thing, the special counsel is required to submit a report to Congress explaining their findings and decisions.

Garland had to do it, inasmuch as his boss says he intends to run for re-election and Trump is running. I do think Trump announced to force this. I don't think it will be mitigate his exposure however. In fact, it may enhance it.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Good thread here from Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor:  https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1593708363828940807.html

[Torie]

Good thread here from Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor:  https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1593708363828940807.html

You just like it because he agrees with you.  

Moving right along, I also largely agree with it, except for the bit about it being a mistake to appoint a special prosecutor earlier. That gives Trump a gravitas that I don't think there was a compelling reason to give him. Plus, when he's running triggered the move, it actually gives an appearance of even more fairness. This assumes of course that Smith is an excellent choice, and I think he is.

I very much admire Garland. He is smart, careful, analytical, understated, disciplined, and fair. My kind of guy. Garland for POTUS!

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1593732858966904833