I woke up this morning uncertain what to write about. It’s not for lack of material but I feel worn out or is that worn down? Whichever it is, I’m it. I may even be the poster boy for it.
The 14 days of January feel like 14 months because of my emotional reaction to 2 stories: the Bourbon Street terrorist attack and the Los Angeles fires. When I checked the news, I learned that the Special Counsel report on the Dipshit Insurrection has been released overnight. Problem solved.
The dismissed defendant is already frothing at the mouth:
Typical. That’s why I call him the Insult Comedian. It’s also a typical pack of lies. No evidence was destroyed by the J6 committee and the election was another 21st Century squeaker. We’re still a 50-50 country.
There was much speculation that the report would contain damning new evidence. Instead, it contains damning old evidence. I, for one, am not surprised: Jack Smith is a by the book prosecutor. Donald Trump hasn’t even read the book. He has nothing to complain about: Judge Cannon is busy burying the book on the purloined papers case. Cover ups in plain sight are even more sinister than those perpetrated behind closed doors.
The report may be full of what Rummy would have called known knowns, but Smith’s cover letter includes this conclusion:
“The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind.”
Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.”
Smith reaffirms that he’s a stand-up guy with this stirring defense of his team.
I have been a career prosecutor in local, national, and international settings over the last three decades, working shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of prosecutors in that time. The prosecutors and staff of the Special Counsel’s Office are, in my estimation, without peer in terms of accomplishment, capability, judgment, and work ethic. More importantly in my book, they are people of great decency and the highest personal integrity. The intense public scrutiny of our Office, threats to their safety, and relentless unfounded attacks on their character and integrity did not deter them from fulfilling their oaths and professional obligations. These are intensely good people who did hard things well.”
In that passage, Smith lays down a marker for those who would come after his team. They were just doing their job. They did it well, but the target ran out the clock with a series of dilatory moves.
Two of Trump’s defense lawyers will be top DOJ officials. Oddly enough, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove are qualified for the positions BUT their appointment is likely to result in more cover ups in plain sight.
I wrote this post on the fly. I have not read the entire report in any detail. As with all of Jack Smith’s filings, the report is well-written and accessible to those without a law degree. It may feel masochistic, but I urge you to read it as a reminder of MAGA perfidy. I plan to take a closer look today and if I find anything worth writing about, I’ll follow-up.
As far as I’m concerned, the most important part of the report’s release is Jack Smith’s cover letter. It’s the money, the bomb, the shit. It’s a pistol of an epistle. Smith is convinced he got his man, but DOJ policy and Trump’s narrow electoral victory slammed the door on his investigation:
While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters. I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal costs matters. The facts, as we uncovered them in our investigation and as set forth in my Report, matter. Experienced prosecutors know that you cannot control outcomes, you can only do your job the right way for the right reasons.”
Repeat after me: The facts matter.
The last word goes to The Jayhawks:
