As the Department of Justice inches along, trying to sort out what I believe is a complex and confusing case concerning the Trump administration, things are coming to a head in the State of Georgia.
First up, the DOJ case: Don’t hold your breath.
Illegal activity concerning the 2020 election alone was rampant. That’s the reason the House Select Committee recommended prosecutions as part of its final report. Now that GOP extremists are threatening to pursue charges against those same congresspersons, it’s entirely possible evidence will be buried amid “both sides-ism” in the media.
A big part of the problem stems from the fact that everybody on Trump’s side was seemingly engaged in breaking the law–it was expected behavior in a social/political/economic grouping operating in the style of organized crime.
Sorting out the posers –those who bragged about their actions– and the henchmen who sought to cover their tracks is –I’ll bet– a daunting task. It’s sorting through Roger Stone and Rudy Giuliani’s flamboyance and Mark Meadows and Kash Patel roasting memos by the White House fireplaces.
Add the chaos inherent in Trump world, the reticence of prosecutors to filing a losing case and you’ve got an investigation sinking faster than a snitch in the East River wearing cement shoes. The process of creating a purely “criminal” investigation devoid of political conspiracies means that prosecutions will be limited to acts that are petty in comparison to the reality of an assault on democracy.
For example, the much ballyhooed arrest of Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official for taking cash while on the job in furtherance of the aims of Putin-connected oligarch, is being treated as a corruption investigation, rather than a national security/counterintelligence matter. I don’t even know where to start with this one, except to remember his leadership of an investigation into double agents in the intelligence community.
The attempts by the right to rewrite history, overlooking the gross malfeasance throughout the four years of the Trump administration and recasting the January 6th insurrection as a simple protest can only add to the poisoning of public perception, making jury selections an iffy proposition.
The good news is the successful prosecutions of far-right militia for seditious conspiracy. At least the dirtbags that smeared feces on Capitol walls are getting prosecuted.
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In Georgia, the Fulton County special purpose grand jury has concluded its investigation into alleged criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election, and voted to make its findings public.
However, a judge has held up release while deciding if releasing all or parts of the report would conflict with other laws and precedents that have historically prevented grand jury reports from making allegations of criminal wrongdoing without an accompanying indictment — which this panel was not empowered to recommend.
The district attorney's office has received the full report and could issue indictments through a regular grand jury process regardless of the report being publicized. This morning the DA pushed to keep the report from the public until decisions about charges are made.
It’s my belief that there will be charges, and that release of the report will be a prelude for arrests. At least 17 people were informed they could be prosecuted for their actions, including the 16 fake electors and Trump Attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr, Raffensperger and other state employees appeared before the panel, as did local election officials and Trump allies who played both large and small roles in defending, running or attacking the election.
Via the Guardian:
There are a menu of legal charges that could be available to prosecutors, legal experts have noted. Georgia law makes it illegal to intentionally ask, command, or get someone else to engage in election fraud. Another state statute makes it a crime to interfere with an election official as they try to carry out their official duties.
Willis may also pursue RICO – Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations – charges against Trump and his allies. Relying on RICO, Willis could pursue charges against multiple defendants at once, showing that they were part of a broader conspiracy to interfere with the election. Willis has used the statute in the past and hired a lawyer who specializes in RICO cases to assist with the Trump investigation.
Meanwhile, the former President is struggling to get a campaign underway. The first campaign rally is slated for South Carolina this Saturday, and reports are surfacing about a lack of enthusiasm for Trump both by local politicians and evangelicals who supported him in previous elections.
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Another KUSI ‘hero’ bites the dust.
Like I say, all the mutterings about “grooming” are merely projections about behavioral patterns in the far right.
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