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(94,649 posts)
35. instead of just being trifled with this
Fri May 15, 2026, 02:17 PM
Yesterday

...let me explain that Smith dismissed the charges just to preserve them for a future prosecution.

Excuse me if I'm not moved to more than that in response to complaints he didn't do enough, when complainants won't be bothered to pursue the charges still out there, much less look to see what the state of them is, even today.

We're still threatened with this fuckery because the PEOPLE didn't exercise their power to stop Trump - not simply because the courts and prosecutors, who were proceeding in an actual courtroom with those charges when we voted, were thwarted by Trump-friendly judges and justices who obligingly held back the evidence gathered as early as the fall of 2021 from admissibility in any proceeding for as long as they were able, keeping that evidence from grand juries, for instance, for that early prosecution that so many imagine was possible fro watching that Palin-picking, erstwhile republican on teevee, and repeating things from contradicting 'reporters,' instead of following the actual prosecution.

Here's a posit for the kids to take home with them, and bring back to be graded...

How do you get to the TWO multi-felony indictments of Trump for defrauding the election without the efforts of Merrick Garland, much less convictions?

In his report and testimony, Jack Smith clearly said that Donald Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the nation's capitol, and that the evidence of that incitement is in his indictment, along with Trump's coercion of others to alter votes as the basis of his multi-felony indictment.

How does he get to that prosecution without the arrests and convictions Garland's investigators and prosecutors achieved of over 1200 white supremacist, Trump-supporting rioters who his critics dismissed all throughout the prosecution as mere 'foot-soldiers?'

Moreover, how does Jack Smith obtain the evidence to get grand juries to bring indictments against a former president without the efforts of Merrick Garland's prosecutors who not only gathered the lion's share of that evidence from as early as the fall of 2021, but defended that evidence in myriad, successive courts packed with judges and justices obligingly setting the court dates for the unprecedented number of appeals as far in the future as they could.

Most notably, the Supreme Court's maga majority delayed their decision until right before we voted, AND invented immunities for the felon, which should have clued anyone in that they wouldn't allow Trump to be prosecuted before the election under any circumstances.

And, here's a bonus question:

Why wasn't the 17 months or so after the charges dropped more than enough time to hold a trial?

What's this crap about the prosecution delaying anything when they brought charges early enough for any process that wasn't deliberately obstructive? (and don't just excuse the complicit judges and justices just to dump on the prosecution)


Here's some reading while we wait for answers: (only to the points raised, please, kids)

Politico put it succinctly in outlining conclusions in Smith's final report:

___A common sentiment on the left is that Garland was too deferential to Trump after Joe Biden took office and failed to unleash the full might of the department on the former president for nearly two years. The delay, critics say, made it much more difficult for Smith — once he was appointed in November 2022 — to bring Trump to trial before the 2024 election.

But Smith’s report emphasized that the Justice Department was aggressively investigating leads related to Trump long before the special counsel’s tenure began. Litigation tactics by Trump and his allies, Smith argued, were the key factors that slowed the process to a crawl.

...It took Smith more than a year to obtain text messages between Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark. And the department spent months fighting to access communications of John Eastman, a lawyer who helped devise Trump’s last-ditch efforts to remain in power.

The most protracted battles of all stemmed from Trump’s “broad invocation of executive privilege to try to prevent witnesses from providing evidence,” Smith wrote. It took months of secretive legal proceedings to secure testimony from Trump White House aides such as Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino and Pat Cipollone. Former Vice President Mike Pence also resisted testifying until a court ordered him to reveal some — but not all — details about his interactions with Trump. Smith noted that judges broadly rejected Trump’s privilege claims, with one holding that he was engaged in an “obvious” effort to delay the investigation.

Smith also drew attention to what may have been his biggest foil: the Supreme Court. He pointed out that the justices rebuffed his effort to put Trump’s presidential immunity claims on a similar timetable to the one the court adopted five decades earlier in litigation over Watergate and President Richard Nixon’s tapes.

And Smith argued that the Supreme Court’s resolution of Trump’s immunity assertion essentially guaranteed another round of litigation that would have been all but certain to return to the justices if Trump had not won the election and the prosecution had continued.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/14/jack-smith-special-counsel-report-takeaways-00198252


It would be just a bit more credible, albeit still wrong, to be slinging shit at the prosecutors of Trump (all along the way, as the Trump camp did the same, even today), if it came with a equal or greater effort to hold the courts accountable for their enabling Trump to dodge a trial 15 months after he was indicted.

Weird to me because, they're still fucking there. The guy that stepped up to prosecute Trump and his band of insurrectionists and obtained dual multi-felony indictments is gone, in part because Americans turned away from that prosecution effort. I mean, who fucking encouraged THAT stupidity?

Who diverted away from that prosecution and effort, instead of bothering to defend the charges. Who is still doing that?

The very same courts packed with republican and Trump-nominated judges and justices are just humming right along with their enabling bullshit while people pretending they're attacking the felon by attacking the people who prosecuted him.

Recommendations

1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

who else is attacking Trump's prosecutors, and the man who convicted the rioters Trump pardoned, released bigtree Yesterday #1
Where are Merrick Garland and Lisa Monaco Today? gab13by13 Yesterday #2
Garland delayed in prosecuting Trump after GOP tried to delay his nomination for a huge loss of time. GreenWave Yesterday #4
Money, Power, Fascism -- The Octopus Kid Berwyn Yesterday #3
and the Supreme Court who not only enabled Trump back into office bigtree Yesterday #7
Garland did not stop the traitor nor his conspiracy. Kid Berwyn Yesterday #20
charges were brought some 17 months before the election bigtree Yesterday #22
In truth, it goes back to Dealey Plaza on 22 November 1963. Kid Berwyn Yesterday #24
The Berwyn Book Encyclopedia yellow dahlia 20 hrs ago #64
Garland fell short for whatever reason and on that basis given the ramifications, was a colossal failure. Defending him KPN Yesterday #29
no, the courts fell short, then the American people followed bigtree Yesterday #36
Thanks for all the good information. Minds may not be changed, but facts will be out there. Joinfortmill 11 hrs ago #68
This message was self-deleted by its author Joinfortmill Yesterday #40
Agreed. The moment he knew of stolen state secrets he should arrested him... returnee Yesterday #49
the courts failed us bigtree Yesterday #50
As I understand it... returnee 12 hrs ago #66
counterpunch was basically a Russian tool during the 2016 election bigtree Yesterday #12
CounterPunch sucks most when they publish an article I don't agree with. Kid Berwyn Yesterday #21
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is doing her courageous part with the Epstein horrors on her substack. Bumbles Yesterday #5
If Merrick Garland is really "one of them" then why wasn't he approved for SCOTUS? FakeNoose Yesterday #6
As Is Your Prerogative. But Don't Think You KNOW Garland...... ColoringFool Yesterday #9
most people who pretend he's some double agent don't know anything about the actual prosecution bigtree Yesterday #11
What became of those prosecutions? CivicGrief Yesterday #30
instead of just being trifled with this bigtree Yesterday #35
Ha! Future prosecutions. CivicGrief Yesterday #41
what's sad is the literal surrender from people claiming to be so concerned with prosecuting Trump bigtree Yesterday #47
If Jack Smith ever comes forward and says that Merrick Garland is actually "corrupt" and "in with them" FakeNoose 23 hrs ago #53
Garland hate guarantees clicks MorbidButterflyTat Yesterday #33
Republicans prevented Garland Mad_Machine76 20 hrs ago #62
That's because Garland is not (and never was) one of them FakeNoose 4 hrs ago #74
I HAVE SAID MOST OF THIS, EVEN BCCI. AND THEN THE "WOOO! TINHAT!" COMMENTS...... ColoringFool Yesterday #8
This message was self-deleted by its author bigtree Yesterday #10
To people like Thiel, Musk, and their employees manipulating the data to get their and the Powers That Be .. Botany Yesterday #13
Don't forget the bomb threats karin_sj Yesterday #52
I've been saying the same thing for years. Irish_Dem Yesterday #18
May I suggest lonely bird Yesterday #14
So glad that he prioritized avoiding the appearance of a political agenda Orrex Yesterday #15
This message was self-deleted by its author jfz9580m 11 hrs ago #67
The Garland Society folks don't like this one bit. BannonsLiver Yesterday #16
Garland society folks are pro prosecution of Trump bigtree Yesterday #17
Bahahaha BannonsLiver Yesterday #25
no doubt the Anti-Trump Prosecution society exists bigtree Yesterday #37
Epstein class oligarchs irisblue Yesterday #19
😬 Floyd R. Turbo Yesterday #23
Bookmarking for later reading. Epstein-town? CoopersDad Yesterday #26
Maybe that's why it always seems like 1 step forward 2 steps back bucolic_frolic Yesterday #27
Well, one thing cannot be denied, Garland was an Obama SCOTUS choice. Joinfortmill Yesterday #28
True. My understanding was he selected Garland as someone the R Senate would surely approve -- part of his "team of KPN Yesterday #31
Great post/thread Botany, even if in small or even large part it is theory. Theory is what leads to finding facts and KPN Yesterday #32
All I know is, Trump never talks about Garland nor does he seek revenge against him thebigidea Yesterday #34
you have to be kidding bigtree Yesterday #38
I see you graduated to Trump Truth Social posts CivicGrief Yesterday #42
this is specious bigtree Yesterday #45
It's a false claim to imply Trump is going after Garland in the courts like he is everyone else thebigidea 21 hrs ago #57
not yet bigtree 20 hrs ago #59
It's possible that Donald is AFRAID of Garland, with good reason I might add. Joinfortmill 10 hrs ago #70
Is "Thiswillhold" the QAnon of the left? chowder66 Yesterday #39
It is BlueAnon. It pushes CT crackpottery that repeatededly has been debunked, yet it persists. Celerity Yesterday #43
Yes. mr715 22 hrs ago #56
I love history. I love mysteries. I love taking things... littlemissmartypants Yesterday #44
Knowledge is good Botany Yesterday #46
This thing, I call it the evil of psychopaths, has existed for all time. ... littlemissmartypants Yesterday #48
by the way, the substack is conspiratorial claptrap bigtree Yesterday #51
It appears there is a good chance This Will Hold is actually Russian state sponsored disinformation Wiz Imp 3 hrs ago #76
It is difficult to have useful discussions of this type of material, because... TygrBright 23 hrs ago #54
You mean we should be a.... reACTIONary 18 hrs ago #65
Untangling the Octopus Kid Berwyn 22 hrs ago #55
who is this new poster, and what expertise does he have for making these claims bigtree 20 hrs ago #60
To help explain how Epstein was protected since Reagan. Kid Berwyn 9 hrs ago #73
It's disgusting to see this kooky CT nonsense rise to the top of the Greatest Page Fiendish Thingy 21 hrs ago #58
Every bit of it is sourced and footnoted. Hardly kooky conspiracy theory. Botany 10 hrs ago #71
Thanks for sharing, Botany! That was an important read. It was jam packed. yellow dahlia 20 hrs ago #61
This is why I have become a misanthrope. BigmanPigman 20 hrs ago #63
Garland was blueknight73 10 hrs ago #69
a tragic mistake themaguffin 4 hrs ago #75
Well, there's this. It seems that Merrick Garland was NOT popular with the Federalist Society Joinfortmill 10 hrs ago #72
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