this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2024
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Summary

Special counsel Jack Smith dropped 44 federal charges against Donald Trump, citing DOJ policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

The charges, including election interference and classified documents retention, could be refiled after Trump’s presidency.

Critics, including Rep. Dan Goldman and former Capitol officer Aquilino Gonell, decried the move as a miscarriage of justice, asserting it places Trump above the law.

Trump and allies celebrated the decision as a victory, with Vice President-elect JD Vance vowing to prevent similar prosecutions.

Democrats fear Trump will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago

When justice is not done, sometimes justice will be done.

[–] [email protected] 204 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (4 children)

The United States is a fucking joke. The nation supposedly founded on the rejection of a king believes that one person is literally not subject to US law. I could not have more contempt for, or feel more shame about being an unwilling participant in the unprincipled hypocrisy of this absolute shit hole of a country.

Fuck the oligarchs that run this place. Fuck the fascist Republican Party. Fuck the cowardly Democrats. And fuck the moronic, fear-riddled people.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 days ago

The average lifespan of an empire is 250 years.

The USA is 248 years old.

These facts are unrelated and I don't remember why I brought them up.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That is the biggest and most obvious show of the corruption of the US American "justice" system. It was long known as the best "justice" money could buy, but this is open disregard of any legal principle.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 days ago

Strictly speaking, it makes sense that you don't ask the DOJ to prosecute their boss, considering if DOJ threw the case, he could not be prosecuted again later due to double jeopardy.

Instead, presidents are to be judged by Congress through impeachment, since Congress is supposed to be independent.

Does not really change anything since congress is too broken by partisan politics to do anything, but I just wanted to point out where the issue really is.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Democrats sat on their ass for 4 years and bailed Trump out.

[–] HellsBelle 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yup. Jack's hands were tied by SCOTUS.

It is good that he didn't dismiss the charges with prejudice tho 'cause that means they can be brought again.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

Dropping them now actually prevents a Trump Admin appointee from getting them dismissed with prejudice. it sucks that trumps delay tactics let him run out the clock, and it's unclear of Garland was malicious or incompetent in how long he delayed appointing Smith. Hopefully we come out the other side.

[–] [email protected] 181 points 6 days ago (3 children)

sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

The charges, including election interference

🤡

Election interference is legal if you do it so well you win.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago

This is honestly the biggest joke of them all.

Get ready for way, way more election interference.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

In fairness, that's election interference over the last election. It just took a whole cycle to conclude that he definitely did do it. There's no way he did it this time though right? Right?

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[–] [email protected] 185 points 6 days ago (7 children)

If only we still had another month with a Dem president and his AG controlling the DOJ...

I mean a month is a short time, ideally we'd have had that the last four fucking years and had plenty of time to handle this.

[–] [email protected] 107 points 6 days ago (16 children)

Fairly certain and it appears obvious the DOJ believes the president is totally immune.

Part of the reason we are not members of the ICC.

Part of the reason Dick Cheney is not in The Hague right now.

Fairly certain United States has been a fascist country since at least 1790

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago

If only the AG didn’t waste 3 years before filing charges.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago

How about 2.5 years in which everyone held off because they didn't want to step on the FBI's toes, and it turned out that they weren't doing anything?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

This is just like Obama giving Bush and Cheney a pass for war crimes and starting a war based on complete lies.

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[–] [email protected] 72 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Democrats fear Trump will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

No, it's not a fear. It's an acknowledgement of exactly what he has said he will do:

Trump has said repeatedly he will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 days ago

This feels like a joke from Portal

"Test subjects fear I will kill them with turrets and fry whatever is left, even if it's still alive. Mostly because of my plans to kill them with turrets and fry whatever is left even if it's still alive." - GlaDOS probably

[–] [email protected] 110 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Wow I'm so shocked

Had 4 years to sort this and out the fucker in jail for treason and decided to dick around doing fuck all til a few months before the election.

Biden has the blood of 100,000 on his hands and the death of democracy in his lap. That's his legacy.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 days ago

Once again, Biden sticking to "policies" and "traditions" that are not law and facilitating terrible outcomes for the USA

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Personally, I think the administration dragged its heels because it was stupid enough to want to run against Trump again. After all, if they had the bogeyman incarnate to run against, they could move to the right and still be second worst. And second worst wins elections, right?

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago

See Americans, this is the type of shit you should invade gov buildings for, that type of shit is for when the institutions don't work, not for when they are doing their job

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago

People don't understand that this was the most-damaging ting Smith could do. If he didn't drop the charges now they'd be dismissed entirely in January.

By dropping them without prejudice now, before trial begins and before the case can be reassigned by the Trump admin, the charges can be refiled in 2029.

Smith is keeping his eyes on the prize.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 days ago (1 children)

English person here: I didn't think he was classed as 'sitting' until he was officially voted in with the Electoral College and sworn in. Surely there's still time to prosecute.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You’re right that he’s not sitting yet, but wrong in that there’s not time to prosecute before he is sworn in. And anyway, he’d be the boss of the prosecutors against him so he can retaliate with no fear of consequence.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 days ago

Thank you for clarifying

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Merrick Garland needs to be remembered by history as an all time coward. The way we use Machiavelli to label a traitor, we need to use Garland to denote the most limp, failed and feckless human being.

Here's everything you need, press this one button and the majority of the country will celebrate you perpetually and history will call you a hero... Doesn't lift a finger, throws up down the front of his shirt, falls asleep.

Fuck Merrick Garland, without qualification.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

The blame is squarely at the feet of McConnell, Obama, Biden, Orrin Hatch, and finally Merrick Garland.

A timeline:

In 2010 Obama nominated Kagan to SCOTUS. A nomination criticized by Hatch as blatantly partisan. Hatch said that he had known Garland for years. He added that, if nominated, he would be a “consensus nominee” and that there was “no question” he would be confirmed.

Then in 2016 with the Scalia vacancy, McConnell made up the fictional "Biden rule" to refuse seating or even hearing a nominee. Hatch then claimed that this process could proceed if an uncontroversial nominee was proffered. He again mentioned Merrick Garland:

"The president told me several times he’s going to name a moderate [to fill the court vacancy], but I don’t believe him. [Obama] could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man. He probably won’t do that because this appointment is about the election. So I’m pretty sure he’ll name someone the [liberal Democratic base] wants.”

Then of course, Obama caved to Hatch's public request further elevating Garland in the public eye and to the approval of centrists and liberals. McConnell still refused to acquiesce, and dragged it out into the next presidency.

Then with Trump's electoral win, and some backroom dealing to get Kennedy to retire, the federalist society and the heritage foundation got their 40+ year wish. A conservative court, despite the rules, the circumstances, the math being otherwise. And all with zero fight from the Obama Administration.

Fast forward to the Biden administration in 2021, FOREVER still entertaining the notions of bipartisanship. Even while the GOP will offer a handshake while donning a Freddy Kruegeresque sharpened gauntlet of knives.

So of COURSE Biden nominated Garland to AG in the foolish hope that Americans and the GOP would somehow view this move as apolitical, above the frey, etc.

Garland is a symptom just like Trump is a symptom. They both stem from the same problem. That problem being a new aristocracy, a political class that seeks to simply preserve their places in power, and completely purge the citizenry from the body politic. A new Jim Crow, but one of bureaucracy. One that exclusively values the opinions of the political class over the wishes of the people. Garland is the example of this system as is Obama/Biden and many others. Meanwhile men like McConnell will easily exploit this system, and men like Trump will gain power as a reaction TO this system.

Power has been removed from the people (what little we had) and now the GOP and the majority of the DNC seek to keep it that way as it keeps them in power.

If you think I'm wrong about the DNC, just look at their actions. They're floating Rahm Emanuel to head the DNC. They're already talking about a Harris/Buttigieg ticket in 2028 (because you know, fuck the voters, their primaries, their caucuses. Who needs a Democratic process?)

And it's not a nobody saying this. It's guys like David Axlerod saying it on the LibDem mouthpiece network MSNBC.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Went from oligarchy to patriarchal oligarchy reaaal quick there lmao

Everyone's going to shrug it off like they did in russia when putin was beginning to spread his roots. Then they'll cry 'it's not the people's fault, it's him!".

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is what America voted for. Cthulu help us.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

You know, for the first time in my life I understand the Cultists from Lovecraftian horror. If there was some ritual we could perform to awaken an Elder God to devour the planet, I would be about ready to join in.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 6 days ago

I told my wife 4 years ago when these charges came in "If this becomes more than a slap on the wrist I will be amazed", I am not amazed.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 days ago

More like fear of retribution from the orange felonious madman

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Cry more. Americans brought this on themselves. After everything we've gone through over the past decade with the orange, we elect him right back in the WH with eyes wide open. We deserve everything that's coming our way.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

I’m actually kinda OK with this considering the circumstances.

With the republican’s capture of the presidency, congress, and the SCOTUS, there’s no way he’s going to suffer a day for his charges if the court pursued them.

The main problem was not sentencing him quickly when they had the chance. That’s the major fuckup.

Anyway, the dismissed charges are without prejudice. Which offers the opportunity (assuming trump survives his presidency, we don’t end up with a de facto republican dictatorship, etc) that he can be sentenced after his presidency.

But we all know how the courts love sentencing rich old white dudes.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago

I see it as a white flag. It's not gonna happen now, and it isn't going to happen later either. This battle they lost and that's that.

Democrats need to start worrying less about Trump the person and more about the potential ramifications we will face in the near and farther future. It seems Democrats have a 5 year plan and Republicans have a 50 year plan, that's why they keep gaining power and favor.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Lot of good that decrying'll do now.

Democrats are done, elect a progressive party

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The party of law and order...for everyone but themselves.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Here comes 4 years of dem finger wagging

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (11 children)

It seems counter intuitive, but you want as little of this of this floating around as possible while he's in office. Act like nothing's pending throughout his term, then reopen this the minute he's out.

We don't need him having more motives to try to dictatorially stay in power after his term, and stuff like clearly pending trials and sentencings hanging over him the moment he leaves the WH could give him that extra incentive.

[–] [email protected] 78 points 6 days ago

then reopen this the minute he’s out.

I'll take shit that will never happen for $800, Alex.

[–] iAmTheTot 15 points 6 days ago (7 children)

Who is going to stop Trump from just pardoning himself?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 days ago (5 children)

A heart attack before inauguration.

But then we have a couch fucker.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

There are a couple of troubled people that deserve a pardon and an apology. Maybe their boom sticks back too? They will definitely not do it again! They pinky promise!

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