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.

  • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    17 days ago

    The Russia/Republican propaganda has been too strong to make anything stick. If you try to arrest Trump while he has enough followers to win an election then you’ll get a mob like Jan 6th storming whatever prison he’s held in.

    It’s not as simple as you’re trying to make it sound.

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      46
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      17 days ago

      Give me a break. These charges could have been pursued on day one, in Washington DC.

      The administration sat on their hands.

      • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        14
        ·
        edit-2
        17 days ago

        Why do you think they “sat on their hands”? Do you think they are conspiring to help Trump? Do you think your internet armchair analysis of the situation is better that the entire DOJ and they just aren’t as smart as you?

        Or is it the obvious answer that Trump has been able to get away with corruption time and time again due to Russian/republicans? And their control of our government and justice system? And the DOJ knows that if they try to prosecute Trump and the charges don’t stick that they won’t get another try.

        • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          16 days ago

          Trust the DOJ to do their job when they just dropped their charges lol, ok. Sprinkled in some Russian/republican blame instead of a defunct system, chef’s kiss. Any other propaganda we need to spread today?

            • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              16 days ago

              I never said I blamed them, you’re just painting a weird conspiracy theory where the DOJ are the heroes/victims but “the rest of the goberment is controlled by RuSsIA AnD rEpuBliCans!!!” It’s been apparent for everyone, the rich gets a different justice system. The system has been defunct for a long time and was on full display for the last election. This is easy lay-up policy and legislation, make politicians responsible and accountable while defending democracy. You get crickets from any incumbent, everyone is very comfortable with how the system currently works (if you’re a politician).

              edit: forgot to comment on the link,

              Trump’s attorneys had asked to have until Nov. 21, instead of Nov. 7, to file an up-to-180-page brief arguing why Trump’s efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory

              They asked for a 2 week extension, whether it’s bullshit or not that’s a pretty typical standard request from a legal team. It was more erroneous to imagine the actual court date going through when it was expected.

              • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                16 days ago

                Trust the DOJ to do their job when they just dropped their charges lol, ok.

                You imply the DOJ can’t be trusted to do their job because they dropped the charges. How is that not blaming the DOJ?

                It’s no conspiracy theory that Russia has bot farms that push their narratives to change public opinion. Hell we have communities here on lemmy that have earned a reputation for doing that from all onlookers.

                • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  14 days ago

                  … You can trust something isn’t going to get done, but the blame can be laid elsewhere… ya know? Can be a scapegoat or legitimate (probably bit of both in this instance). Like I trust the DOJ to not be proper or efficient when going after those bad actors that are continuously making the world worse (climate, greed, polarization) but I lay blame on different parts of a shitty system. You blame foreign intelligence and inside actors (there’s a Venn diagram somewhere where we start to overlap).

    • emax_gomax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      17 days ago

      Sounds to me like a perfect recipe to round up and arrest a bunch of traitors to American principles. Was the thought trump would just shut up and quietly go away if we kept biding time or he lost another election. What, if anything, about trumps character would make anyone think that. 100% the government just dropped the ball on this. They won with trump in the opposition and wanted to time it well enough to win again and have him divide and weaken the republicans.