this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2024
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Summary

Special counsel Jack Smith dropped 44 federal charges against Donald Trump, citing DOJ policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

The charges, including election interference and classified documents retention, could be refiled after Trump’s presidency.

Critics, including Rep. Dan Goldman and former Capitol officer Aquilino Gonell, decried the move as a miscarriage of justice, asserting it places Trump above the law.

Trump and allies celebrated the decision as a victory, with Vice President-elect JD Vance vowing to prevent similar prosecutions.

Democrats fear Trump will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

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[–] xenomor@lemmy.world 204 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

The United States is a fucking joke. The nation supposedly founded on the rejection of a king believes that one person is literally not subject to US law. I could not have more contempt for, or feel more shame about being an unwilling participant in the unprincipled hypocrisy of this absolute shit hole of a country.

Fuck the oligarchs that run this place. Fuck the fascist Republican Party. Fuck the cowardly Democrats. And fuck the moronic, fear-riddled people.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 34 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That is the biggest and most obvious show of the corruption of the US American "justice" system. It was long known as the best "justice" money could buy, but this is open disregard of any legal principle.

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[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 19 points 3 weeks ago

The average lifespan of an empire is 250 years.

The USA is 248 years old.

These facts are unrelated and I don't remember why I brought them up.

[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago

Strictly speaking, it makes sense that you don't ask the DOJ to prosecute their boss, considering if DOJ threw the case, he could not be prosecuted again later due to double jeopardy.

Instead, presidents are to be judged by Congress through impeachment, since Congress is supposed to be independent.

Does not really change anything since congress is too broken by partisan politics to do anything, but I just wanted to point out where the issue really is.

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[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 184 points 3 weeks ago (14 children)

If only we still had another month with a Dem president and his AG controlling the DOJ...

I mean a month is a short time, ideally we'd have had that the last four fucking years and had plenty of time to handle this.

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 108 points 3 weeks ago (20 children)

Fairly certain and it appears obvious the DOJ believes the president is totally immune.

Part of the reason we are not members of the ICC.

Part of the reason Dick Cheney is not in The Hague right now.

Fairly certain United States has been a fascist country since at least 1790

[–] UsernameHere@lemmy.world 53 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Every single time someone tries to hold Trump accountable he claims it is a witch hunt.

Every single time the charges don’t stick because of intimidation or corrupt judges the public believes that it is a witch hunt just a little more and it is harder to get people to take it seriously.

This has happened so many times now that he has been able to win an election as a felon.

The DOJ knows that even if they successfully charge Trump now, his administration will get him out of it. Their only hope is to put it on pause and wait for an opportunity to actually hold him accountable. Because there is no way that can happen after he won an election.

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 38 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

that fat fuck'll be long dead before any justice could ever be served. justice within the legal system, that is.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago

Their only hope is to put it on pause and wait for an opportunity to actually hold him accountable.

it's fucking over. he won the election, and he's going to fucking pardon himself, die, or both before anyone holds anyone accountable.

he's going to gut any functional part of the legal system and get no reprimand.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 21 points 3 weeks ago

Because there is no way that can happen after he won an election.

"A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one."

  • Alexander Hamilton
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[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 33 points 3 weeks ago

If only the AG didn’t waste 3 years before filing charges.

[–] SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago

How about 2.5 years in which everyone held off because they didn't want to step on the FBI's toes, and it turned out that they weren't doing anything?

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

This is just like Obama giving Bush and Cheney a pass for war crimes and starting a war based on complete lies.

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[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

You're talking about a criminal case, what does a month do for you? At every turn, Trump has consistently tried to delay the process. It has nothing to do with the DOJ or AG, they are working the system to intentionally delay everything until now. Why proceed either, he's going to be president in two months.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago

He's making a facetious point about the huge quantities of time Merrick Garland had to waste to create this outcome.

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[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 179 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

The charges, including election interference

🤡

Election interference is legal if you do it so well you win.

[–] MisterFrog@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

This is honestly the biggest joke of them all.

Get ready for way, way more election interference.

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[–] LotrOrc@lemmy.world 111 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Wow I'm so shocked

Had 4 years to sort this and out the fucker in jail for treason and decided to dick around doing fuck all til a few months before the election.

Biden has the blood of 100,000 on his hands and the death of democracy in his lap. That's his legacy.

[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 46 points 3 weeks ago

Once again, Biden sticking to "policies" and "traditions" that are not law and facilitating terrible outcomes for the USA

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Personally, I think the administration dragged its heels because it was stupid enough to want to run against Trump again. After all, if they had the bogeyman incarnate to run against, they could move to the right and still be second worst. And second worst wins elections, right?

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[–] elrik@lemmy.world 72 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Democrats fear Trump will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

No, it's not a fear. It's an acknowledgement of exactly what he has said he will do:

Trump has said repeatedly he will seek political retaliation, deepening national divisions.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 23 points 3 weeks ago

This feels like a joke from Portal

"Test subjects fear I will kill them with turrets and fry whatever is left, even if it's still alive. Mostly because of my plans to kill them with turrets and fry whatever is left even if it's still alive." - GlaDOS probably

[–] aarRJaay@lemm.ee 48 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

English person here: I didn't think he was classed as 'sitting' until he was officially voted in with the Electoral College and sworn in. Surely there's still time to prosecute.

[–] Dupree878@lemmy.world 34 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You’re right that he’s not sitting yet, but wrong in that there’s not time to prosecute before he is sworn in. And anyway, he’d be the boss of the prosecutors against him so he can retaliate with no fear of consequence.

[–] aarRJaay@lemm.ee 10 points 3 weeks ago

Thank you for clarifying

[–] Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world 35 points 3 weeks ago

I told my wife 4 years ago when these charges came in "If this becomes more than a slap on the wrist I will be amazed", I am not amazed.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

I’m actually kinda OK with this considering the circumstances.

With the republican’s capture of the presidency, congress, and the SCOTUS, there’s no way he’s going to suffer a day for his charges if the court pursued them.

The main problem was not sentencing him quickly when they had the chance. That’s the major fuckup.

Anyway, the dismissed charges are without prejudice. Which offers the opportunity (assuming trump survives his presidency, we don’t end up with a de facto republican dictatorship, etc) that he can be sentenced after his presidency.

But we all know how the courts love sentencing rich old white dudes.

[–] asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago

I see it as a white flag. It's not gonna happen now, and it isn't going to happen later either. This battle they lost and that's that.

Democrats need to start worrying less about Trump the person and more about the potential ramifications we will face in the near and farther future. It seems Democrats have a 5 year plan and Republicans have a 50 year plan, that's why they keep gaining power and favor.

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[–] Prandom_returns@lemm.ee 28 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Went from oligarchy to patriarchal oligarchy reaaal quick there lmao

Everyone's going to shrug it off like they did in russia when putin was beginning to spread his roots. Then they'll cry 'it's not the people's fault, it's him!".

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[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The party of law and order...for everyone but themselves.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 24 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Democrats sat on their ass for 4 years and bailed Trump out.

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[–] card797@champserver.net 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is what America voted for. Cthulu help us.

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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Merrick Garland needs to be remembered by history as an all time coward. The way we use Machiavelli to label a traitor, we need to use Garland to denote the most limp, failed and feckless human being.

Here's everything you need, press this one button and the majority of the country will celebrate you perpetually and history will call you a hero... Doesn't lift a finger, throws up down the front of his shirt, falls asleep.

Fuck Merrick Garland, without qualification.

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[–] blazera@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Lot of good that decrying'll do now.

Democrats are done, elect a progressive party

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[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Here comes 4 years of dem finger wagging

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And don't forget conservative finger wagging.

"I'm sure he learned his lesson."

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[–] morgan_423@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (11 children)

It seems counter intuitive, but you want as little of this of this floating around as possible while he's in office. Act like nothing's pending throughout his term, then reopen this the minute he's out.

We don't need him having more motives to try to dictatorially stay in power after his term, and stuff like clearly pending trials and sentencings hanging over him the moment he leaves the WH could give him that extra incentive.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 78 points 3 weeks ago

then reopen this the minute he’s out.

I'll take shit that will never happen for $800, Alex.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Who is going to stop Trump from just pardoning himself?

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

A heart attack before inauguration.

But then we have a couch fucker.

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[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago

More like fear of retribution from the orange felonious madman

[–] Rapidcreek@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago

"President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of limitations has run, still liable for everything he did while in office, didn’t get away with anything yet – yet.”

— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on February 13, 2021, arguing against the need to impeach Donald Trump.

[–] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

See Americans, this is the type of shit you should invade gov buildings for, that type of shit is for when the institutions don't work, not for when they are doing their job

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Breaking News: liberals once again forget which country they live in.

[–] ninjabard@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

He's not sitting yet, you fucking bootlicker.

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