Merrick “Nobody is Above the Law” Garland just admitted that the prosecution of Trump is political. By appointing a Special Prosecutor to handle it, he tacitly admits that it could be. Even if he says he’s avoiding the perception it’s political, it allows for the possibility it is. By even responding to the political ramifications — real or otherwise — of the prosecution, he makes it political. And he makes it after Trump declares his candidacy, which means Garland is responding to the political state of affairs. Now the narrative is that this is political. This will be the narrative moving forward.
Congratulations, Mr. Garland. You just played into Trumps hands and have given him another target in the Special Prosecutor to rail against.
Oh, by the way, it also grants Trump special favor after Garland made a big deal of indicating that everyone should be treated under the law. Without favor. Humbug.
Now who thinks Trump and the Republicans won’t call this a political witch hunt anyway. Remember when Obama decided not to release the intelligence that Russians were involved in the 2016 election because Mitch McConnell threatened to say it’s political if he did so? Garland is doing Obama one worse by caving preemptively.
Pathetic. Simply pathetic.
UPDATE:
Think Trump and friends won’t claim Jack Smith, Garland’s Special Prosecutor, isn’t biased? From the NYT:
Two of Mr. Smith’s more notable corruption cases against high-profile political figures had opposite results. His team initially won a conviction against the former Gov. Robert McDonnell of Virginia, a Republican, but the Supreme Court overturned it.
It also won a conviction of former Representative Rick Renzi, Republican of Arizona, who was sentenced to three years in prison. (Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Renzi among a flurry of clemency actions in January 2021, in his last hours as president.)
Can’t you just hear Trump saying, “Smith’s getting even for me pardoning Renzi”?
And then there’s this:
Mr. Smith will take on the role of special counsel after leaving his current position as a specialist prosecutor based in The Hague investigating war crimes. He will remain in the Netherlands for some time, according to the Justice Department, in order to recover from a recent bicycle accident.
And he’s hitting the ground (pun intended) running with the Trump investigation? Sounds like life in the slow/slower lane.