Summary

Special Counsel Jack Smith is in discussions with the Justice Department on how to conclude federal cases against President-elect Donald Trump, following DOJ policy that prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.

Trump, previously indicted for election interference and the unlawful retention of classified documents, has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

These prosecutions have been complicated by a recent Supreme Court ruling that grants presidents partial immunity from prosecution.

Additionally, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case, questioning the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment.

  • Spiritsong
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    22 hours ago

    Non American here, but we’ve seen how things unfolded when something parallel-ly similar happened. I think its time for Americans to see that just like any other nations that their leaders talk about “we need to remove them because they’re corrupt and they’re impeachable in their own country”. I think Americans on whatever ends need to realise that morals have bottomed out, and what they have is a legal system, not justice system.

  • @[email protected]
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    1076 hours ago

    “These prosecutions have been complicated by a recent Supreme Court ruling that grants presidents partial immunity from prosecution.”

    So…Biden can just take out Trump before the new year, right?

    • @HandBash
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      32 hours ago

      As long as it’s done officially lmao.

    • @Wilzax
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      396 hours ago

      And the slim but heavily armed majority of this country will definitely see that as legally justified self defense and have no choice but to accept it peacefully! Right?

      • Chozo
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        143 minutes ago

        They’re not the only ones armed, you know.

      • Miles O'Brien
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        43 hours ago

        As usual, the mere threat of potential domestic terrorism wins.

        We don’t negotiate with terrorists, we hand them the country. And sit quietly when they start destroying things. Like good sheep.

      • @apfelwoiSchoppen
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        256 hours ago

        Let them try. We can’t and shouldn’t be handcuffed by their potential very illegal action.

        • @[email protected]
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          121 minutes ago

          I don’t think Speaker Johnson would be any better. Nor whoever gets president pro tem of the Senate, nor Secretary of State Elon Musk or whoever. That’s how far you’d have to go before you got Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, assuming she hasn’t been replaced by then. After that it’s Secretary of Defense, who would probably be impartial regardless of party registration.

          And for any major event, usually at least one or two of the top people are kept in a secure, undisclosed location, to prevent a decapitation strike.

      • @AbidanYre
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        22 hours ago

        Vance doesn’t have the cult of personality backing him at least.

    • @arin
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      45 hours ago

      And Vance

    • @pigup
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      25 hours ago

      Biden will pee his diapers and save his own ass. He is no one’s hero. It’s the boomer way.

  • @Sanctus
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    406 hours ago

    No justice. It makes me wail with the screams of a thousand suns.

  • Flying Squid
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    306 hours ago

    Trump will just fire him if he doesn’t, so it doesn’t really matter.

    • @[email protected]
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      125 hours ago

      You could pretend justice is still working and then make him do it. Even if it’s a waste of time, even if the Supreme Court will quash it. It doesn’t matter in that the end result guaranteed, but there’s value in making authoritarians be authoritarian.

      • Flying Squid
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        54 hours ago

        That would require Biden getting off his ass.

        • @[email protected]
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          43 hours ago

          It would be a different world if he’d done that four years ago and appointed someone to be AG that was willing to enforce the law against powerful people even if it caused conflict. Merrick Garland may be the single person most to blame for this result behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. But we sure did clap back at those Republicans, didn’t we?

      • Billiam
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        14 hours ago

        there’s value in making authoritarians be authoritarian.

        Why? It’s not like Trump is an unknown quantity at this point. They knew what he was when they voted for him, after all his previous authoritarian remarks- being even more open about it isn’t going to change any minds.

        • @[email protected]
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          33 hours ago

          Because it’s a public influence campaign to influence resistance to his worst impulses (by politicians and the public) and position the Democratic party as righteous. People don’t just see one authoritarian thing and believe he’s authoritarian, it’s a conclusion you build up over time and need to maintain. And just preemptively rolling over for expediency gets you nothing. There’s no cost for doing this. Learned helplessness isn’t a strategy.

          • Billiam
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            32 hours ago

            If Smith is still there when Trump is coronated, everything about those cases is immediately black-holed. Theoretically, if Smith folds early, he can release everything he’s done to the public.

            He might, or he might not. But if Trump fires him, he won’t have control of the information any longer.

    • @subterfuge
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      216 hours ago

      Trump will fire him anyway, then throw them to the leopards.