Summary
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report concluded that Donald Trump avoided prosecution for January 6-related charges due to his reelection.
The DOJ determined that prosecuting a sitting president violated constitutional protections, despite evidence strong enough to secure a conviction.
Smith noted that Trump’s return to office directly halted legal action and criticized existing DOJ policies and judicial interpretations, which shielded presidents from accountability.
The report underscores how voters, by reinstating Trump, indirectly prevented his criminal prosecution for actions threatening democratic institutions.
I understand the desire of people who don’t want to see accusations like this be used as a political weapon, but the pendulum is swinging too far in the opposite direction here. Trump is using his status as a political candidate and now president-elect to sidestep the judicial process entirely.
It’s one thing to say you can be president even from a prison cell if the electorate so wills it. It’s another to say that because he was voted to be president, we can’t even put him up for a trial to determine guilt or innocence by a jury of his peers.
And now we’ll probably never know the answer to that.
It’s a completely fucked up situation to be sure. He was already found guilty of 34/34 felonies he was charged with. MAGA reaction? Put a bumper sticker on their car that says “I’m voting for the felon” right next to their thin blue line sticker. These insurrection charges should have been brought up years ago, but I’m not sure it would have changed anyone’s opinion. Like you said, we’ll never know.