Here’s What We Know About Merrick Garland And Trump

It’s not difficult to see how two-plus-two equals Trump’s in big trouble.

by Bob Cesca

WASHINGTON, DC – By now you’re well aware of a leaked memo signed by Attorney General Merrick Garland detailing the Justice Department’s rules regarding the investigation and prosecution of political figures during an election year. 

Many liberals feel as though the document confirms their suspicions that Garland doesn’t plan to prosecute Donald Trump for spearheading an effort to subvert the 2020 election and to violently overthrow Congress. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed out about the potential for Trump to get away with it. Wiggling out of legal trouble has kind of been a thing with him, both during his presidency and long before it. Between that and the flaccid balloon-deflating noise of the Mueller report, I possess a healthy skepticism – but I’m not hopeless.

In fact, I’m feeling relatively optimistic while keeping my eyes wide open. Even if Garland’s DOJ balks, there are state investigations that could fill the void, namely in New York (a civil case) and Fulton County, Georgia (criminal case). Trump will be charged and prosecuted. The questions are: when, where, and by whom?

The leaked memo essentially repeated things we already knew. First, there’s a long-standing rule, sanctioned by Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch under President Obama, about not launching investigations or prosecutions of officials within 60 days of an election. Further, in the wake of Jim Comey’s pre-election fuck up in 2016, Trump’s AG, Bill Barr, added a rule about attaining a greenlight from the “Assistant Attorney(s) General and U.S. Attorney(s) with jurisdiction over the matter.” And Garland reiterated that rule.

So, here’s what we know about the Justice Department and Trump: