The wheels of justice move slowly. That, or some derivation of it, is an old idiom. However, it is both true and we are seeing it today in America.
I’m the typical liberal (dare I say American?) who is frustrated in that I watched the events of January 6, 2021 unfold live on my television and yet many, if not most, of the perpetrators are still at large. That is slowly starting to change. Agonizingly slowly.
As they attempt to make the process even longer in the hope of the success of some legal Hail Mary plays and presidential pardons (including a constitutionally questionable self-pardon?), our frustration continues seemingly unsatisfied. The climaxing event is over two and one-half years in the rearview mirror at this point.
Donald Trump, the principal benefactor and kingpin has now been indicted four times for nearly 100 felonies and I expect more indictments down the road. To that point, the DC grand jury is back in session. That means a superseding indictment and/or unindicted co-conspirators changed. It’s just a matter of time. It’s not getting a lot of coverage but several states appear to be somewhere in the legal process. As he and his are finding out in Georgia, state charges are very different than federal charges.
On Friday, the judge in Georgia denied Mark Meadows’ request to have his trail moved to federal court. I believe the judge’s ruling – which Meadows predictably is appealing – is correct in that the actions in question were not part of the duties of the Chief of Staff to the President.
Staying in the Peach State for a bit, it was revealed that the special grand jury (not to be confused with the grand jury) recommended charges against several others including Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. They are several reasons that Fani Willis may have opted not to pursue indictments. (Remember the grand jury gave her every indictment she requested.) One that is not getting much, if any, noise is that the prosecution cannot compel a defendant to testify but they can call a witness. Also, their grand jury testimony, which can be introduced at trial, may be sufficient to prove the guilt of other(s) higher up the “food chain”. Then there is the possibility that they have become cooperative. Last is the consideration that the resources necessary to obtain a conviction might simply be too much. That is the resource allocation decision which DAs make every day.
In one delay move that worked in the initial phase we had the conviction of Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress. I’ve never had much respect for Navarro when it comes to his chosen field of economics and I have even less for his common sense. This was an open and shut case (which Navarro is appealing). The only thing it accomplished was to make the work of the January 6th Committee more frustrating. If Navarro had anything going on in the “penthouse” he would have simply shown up and taken the Fifth like several of his compatriots did.
Several of the Proud Boys were sentenced last week. Considering that American prison sentences are among the harshest in the western world, I think they got off easy if you can consider double digit years easy. One of the goals of a sentences if to provide a deterrent for other who might be considering similar crimes. By that “yardstick” I think we are already seeing the effect of the January 6th sentences. Despite calls for similar action we have yet to see anything close at any of the various Trump arraignments/surrenders/court appetences.
Aside from the fact that he is making a lot of money and/or paying his legal fees with it I, expect Trump to continue his campaign, at least for the near future. He wants to keep this going in both a hope of delaying it long enough to regain the office and at least keeping the money coming in. He is a master grifter! Who else can turn a mug shot into $7 million in a week?
Along those lines, Trump has until September 30th to file a request to move his Georgia case to federal court. After the Meadows failure a Trump request is all but certain to meet the same fate. However, the idea is not victory as much as it is a delay. I expect Trump to file for the move late Friday September 29th at the earliest. That timing coincides with a possible federal government shutdown or last minute deal which would help bury the filing in the news cycle.
It’s slow but the final buzzer will eventually sound and when it does, I think (and as an American sincerely hope!) that Trump and his minions will be clear losers. I’m just frustrated at waiting this long.
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