Like many others, I expected that Special Counsel Jack Smith was going to file charges this week involving Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection and Capitol attack. Instead, he filed three additional charges in the classified documents case that particularly reveal the brazenness of Trump’s crime of obstruction of justice. What Smith alleges in the new “superseding indictment” is that Trump conspired with two accomplices to delete Mar-a-Lago security camera footage that had been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice. Seeking to destroy evidence is not just the behavior of a criminal, but a really lousy one.
Here’s how Washington Post legal columnist Ruth Marcus put it: “Even after Trump knew the FBI was onto his improper retention of classified information, and even after he knew they were seeking security camera footage from the Mar-a-Lago storage areas where the material was kept— in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.”
Soon, possibly this week, we can expect a new Trump indictment involving his behavior on Jan. 6 and the days leading up to that dark day. Soon, possibly in the next week or two, we can expect charges coming from Fani Willis, the district attorney in Georgia’s Fulton County, involving election fraud to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
But I thought it worth pausing now to consider how Jack Smith has acted without fear or favor, how through the methodical collection of evidence and the resulting, plainly-stated charges he has demonstrated his fierce commitment to the rule of law. This is the essential work of a prosecutor, of course, but rarely one working so confidently under such intense pressure and unprecedented significance. (Recall the more hesitant Robert Mueller.) Jack Smith might be simply described as a badass.
What do you think? Has Donald Trump finally met his match? Do the latest charges convince you that he will finally be held accountable? And more, does Jack Smith’s fearless effort increase your optimism that justice will be served and help sustain the principle that no one is above the law? Or do you remain doubtful about even his ability to withstand the onslaught of corruption and crime?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity of this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful with each other in your comments.
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*Photo credit: Jack Smith on June 9, 2023, by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images.
Jack Smith is well versed in prosecuting the most horrifying criminals ever. He is the one and only man for this job IMHO. It’s chess vs checkers. No match for DJT. Waiting patiently for justice.
Jack Smith and I competed in triathlons and time trials around Nashville for a few years before he moved his family to The Netherlands. I can tell you his intensity is metronomic - tick tock tick tock tick tock - and if you let up at all you're toast. I know. He was my 30 second man at Bells Bend TTs (alphabetically Smith is before Tate) and I would often pass him around mile 4, which would set up a series of passing and repassing. One thing I have been mindful of since learning that this is indeed THE Jack Smith that I know is how Jack would never draft me. No one was watching. It wasn't a USA Cycling sanctioned event and he could have drafted me, but he just wouldn't do it. Folks, integrity in the small seemingly meaningless things is indicative of integrity throughout a man's every day living. That is Jack Smith. He is indeed a badass. Thank you for saying so.
I certainly hope that Trump has met his nemisis. But I have no faith in the Republican party nor his supporters to ever ackowledge his guilt. If he is found guilty, they will make a terrific hullabaloo of it.
I believe that Trump will be found guilty on one of the pending cases and will be held accountable by half of the nation. It will be up to the ELECTED Republican Congressman and Senators to lead the other half of the nation to follow suit in dennouncing Trump. I am not opptomistic that this will unfold, as their main objective is to weaken Democracy and rule by power and decree.
Jack Smith is playing three dimensional chess. Ex-POTUS is playing with Cheerios. And the media is reporting as if they have collectively ingested ‘shrooms.
If we have any hope at all that any republicans finally understand and ACCEPT that they have been thoroughly gamed by trump the court proceedings MUST be televised for all to see. When the suckers of trump mania finally realize they have been duped THEN the elected republicans in office will cease their spineless homage to DJT.
I'm 75 and when I was born the Nuremberg Trials had been held only a couple years previously, so I'm really not that far removed from it. I've seen the photos and read about the high level Nazis being tried for their crimes. Trump is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. For the past 6 years or so, I've pictured the collaborators, the donors, the members of his administration and current members of the GOP Congress sitting before a tribunal, being tried and convicted of attempting to overturn Democracy and the Rule of Law in this country. Eventually, Trump will get what's coming to him, evil never wins in the long run, but even more importantly, the people who propped him up and continue to do so, also need to get their comeuppance. Without that, we're not going to be free of the specter of Fascism. Billionaires want control and the GOP is more than willing to be their servants to see it through. Trump is the figurehead. I want to see him go to prison, but I don't want it to stop there.
As I have said many times, I wish 45 the best of health... so he gets to spend a long time in prison. As to a match, how does one compare a two-bit criminal to an honest man. Matches are among equals.
Unfortunately, Jack Smith cannot prosecute all the Trump enablers who continue to present the fiction to MAGAts that this is some strange Biden plot to undermine democracy. The way that McCarthy, Stefanik, and others so cynically parrot this line makes me want to shred their nasty little mouths as they speak—oh so religiously— how we need to stop Biden from undermining the rule of law. If only, Smith could get those guys!!
Excerpt: ". . . in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.” Close excerpt.
I will start with "uncommonly stupid", and add "uncommonly arrogant". The more disturbing reality is how many continue to buy into the Trump scheme & scam. One of my favorite quotes: Chinese philosopher/Warrior Sun Tzu said, "An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes." That describes Trump and his minions in a nutshell.
1. I pray Trump's reign is at an end. Hearing his name as a possible candidate is incomprehensible.
2. Nothing will convince me of his accountability until he is behind bars for years. I guess I am a pessimist but I have been fooled too many times with the commuting of a sentence, due to their money and status. Guilty is guilty and I do not want to hear his sentence being pardoned. He is a traitor and has no intention of not causing chaos to be a dictator of the United States.
I'd like to suggest a newsletter topic for @StevenBeschloss if I may be so bold, Steven.? I'd love you to take a swing at "An Open Letter to Mainstream Media." They would read it. (You write, we America, Americans circulate your words.) This past year I've canceled the New York Times in disgust and will no longer watch Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes." Etc., etc. Time to snap them all out of their trance.
I believe he has met his match, but living in Florida part time and in northwest Georgia the part time gives me pause imagining the (violent?) response from people around me! It’s frightening to think about!!!
All we can do is hope that he is the badass that will bring the golden one to his knees, and just as importantly, all those sycophants around him. Hopefully he also goes after the MAGA Congressmen, including their leader, who were instrumental in the effort to overthrow the government. I believe Jack Smith is fully aware of what he is about and its importance to our future..
Jack Smith is the best. He is just one of those incorruptible people that no one can stop from doing what is right. it is just magnificent to watch him. How lucky are we.
Well, Robert Mueller got totally ambushed by Bill Barr, and so we never saw how truly guilty and implicated Trump and the GOP were despite over 20 of his people being convicted- this time Jack Smith will finish what he started. Everyone except the cult knows Trump is guilty, but unless we expose all the GOP traitors, who, aided and abetted him?
They will simply do it again with a different candidate
49 of Nixon's cronies went to prison. Halderman, Erlichman, Mitchell, etc. No matter what happens (or doesn't) to trump, all the enablers, including congressional ones, should be indicted too. ps I was Cronkite's sound engineer during Watergate.
Yes, Jack Smith is more than a match for Trump. Smith is methodical in sequencing every move, building his case. This is going somewhere for sure this time!!!
I don't care what trump and his minions say or scream as it were. They are meaningless howls of a wounded minority soon to experience consequences of their crimes. Trump is not gathering new followers with his bellicose whining. His somewhat smarter enablers are scrambling to remain relevant even as every thing they try backfires. I see the media and journalism as the biggest problem. We can stop speculating about DJT as Jack Smith and Merrick Garland have things well in hand. We can stop worrying about a daily onslaught from the White House as we have the most competent President and administration in a great while who have had no need to run vengeance campaigns or slur others. The same camp followers for Trump show up at every rally socializing and buying merch. They rarely stick around to hear the same ol same ol litany of lies from their chosen one and his cohorts who grovel at his feet begging for attention like lost puppies. We don't need breathless coverage of every tainted lie from these people. We don't need 24/7 speculation of every tidbit that is thrown out to media to keep our eyeballs glued to the screen. The fault lies in the 24 hour news loop that struggles to find something...anything to keep viewers. Our media would better serve us by spending 1/2 of the time actually disseminating facts about other important news..like our on fire planet!!!!! Like the fascist movements taking away our rights. Like Ukraine still fighting every inch for survival as an independent nation. Where is that coverage? It only showed up when it made money? We as a citizenry need to demand better information. We need to stop being glued to our screens waiting for every crumb of curated information that some nameless suit behind the curtain thinks will keep us up all night. We need to concern ourselves with voting, helping others to vote. I love me some Jack Smith but he as Mueller will not save our country. That is up to us. When trump finally receives his truly deserved consequences it won't really matter. The issues we ignored will still be here.
Like Ms. Wilson, I too dislike TV pundits' views from the start that Trump will run for presidency, and soon called him "GOP front-runner". Did the mass media create or instigate and support his candidacy? Fear or a wish? Too much amazed attention is given to this deranged man, without exploring why he lies and why he has a cult-like following.
I am so buoyed by how Jack Smith handles his role as special prosecutor. He doesn't go after headlines or try to become famous. He doesn't try to grab attention or fame. He just does his job, methodically and professionally and with the seriousness that these cases demand. Unlike Trump who does everything he does to bring attention and benefits to himself, Jack Smith does what he does, the way he does it, to bring justice to this country, justice that this country needs so much after crime after crime by 45, and coverup after coverup by 45, have brought this country to new lows. Jack Smith is a patriot. He lives by the Constitution. He is certainly much smarter than 45,; and he certainly has a demeanor that is far superior to 45. Jack Smith has the character and the vision that our country needs so desperately. I try to not get optimistic because the drama and trauma that started when 45 came down the escalator in 2015 seems to have evaded tough scrutiny and accountability up to this point. However, @StephenBeschloss, I think maybe 45 has met his match now. Finally.
Who cares what the reaction of loser cowards who lack common sense and critical thinking skills think, if we live in a country that respects the rule of law and holds criminals accountable for their atrocities then Jack Smith and the US DOJ can’t bring this massive accountability project on fast enough for me. Just do it already - its high past time for these indictments to be presented and a criminal trial to begin. The MAGA crowd and Republicans will cower and run and hide once the gauntlet is dropped imho.
I believe that Smith has the measure of the ex-guy and is a steely, dedicated prosecutor. I heard that Smith attended Trump’s documents arraignment and stared at Trump the whole time. Assessing him, no doubt. Anyone who has seen photos of Smith at The Hague can see that he is fearless.
And Trump’s sense of what is important is skewed—I believe he has no understanding of what he is facing. If he wasn’t a completely amoral narcissist, I might actually have some iota of pity. However, I understand the stakes and feel no pity.
“I am your retribution”. Lucky for us, Smith may be OUR retribution.
I agree with your assessment of Jack Smith, Steven. He appears to be a very honest and committed public servant. If the matter was entirely up to his capacity and integrity, then I would say that Trump finally has met his match. However, I am not sure that his fellow Americans are up to the same standards. First, I worry about a hung jury because there may be at least one diehard MAGA person in the jury box. But more importantly, I worry about the voters, since, if re-elected, Trump could seek to either stop the process or pardon himself. It bothers me greatly that so many Americans still support such a person and would be willing to reelect him. Or that so many other people may not support him but don't care enough to go out on election day to vote against him. Ultimately, no matter what Jack Smith does, it seems as though it will come down to the ballot box at which time it will be up to Americans to decide what kind of leader we want, and what kind of country we want to be..... and then we will see whether Donald Trump has met his match or not. My sense is that he will either be President or a convict and it will be up to the American people to decide.
As they, there is no truth with the yellow-haired narcissist who would ruin America in a heartbeat to get re-elected. I applaud Jack Smith 100%. Justice is overdue, but I feel it’s coming. I only wish Congress would act “American” and stop lying.
I am so impressed with Jack Smith. We finally have a prosecutor who is unafraid of Trump. Even though there have been death threats against him and his family.
William Barr was nothing more than an enabler and a terrible AG.
I have hopes that Trump will be convicted but I am not that hopeful, if that makes any sense. What I would really like to know and I haven't yet heard my question addressed by anyone yet - if Trump is convicted and put in jail but wins the election, what happens? What happens if his trial is in process and he wins the election and the trial is not yet over by inauguration date, does it stop because he is now president?
My biggest concern is that even with the new indictments it may never get to court before the next election if the Florida judge has anything to do with it. If Trump would win he would definitely make the charges all go away.
Steven such sublime words but such significance in them. I love Jack Smith and have the utmost confidence that he will save our democracy because he understands the criminal mind better than most and is the most capable of any prosecutor before or since his return to Washington DC.
Good Lord, I hope so. MSM persist in demented donny's candidacy. MSM, get wise & report it all on him - don't forget GA, if he's not held guilty there after the phone call we are in even bigger trouble. And these far right so-called Christian groups - far from my faith. Will say again, shades of '30s Germany loom big. American public wise up.
Jack Smith’s greatest asset is his appearance and demeanor. He simply looks like a blue-collar, working person’s lawyer. Rumpled, yet professional, making statements and producing documents filled with pure facts.
It appears that DJT has met his match and more! His 2nd class bench of attorneys have their hands full as they prepare the semblance of a defense. If only DJT would accept his sentence quietly and fade into the mist of the day. But, that simply cannot happen and, once again, we must brace ourselves for the trumpeting of his pitiful whining. In the final analysis, I suspect Mr. Smith has some juicy news for DJT and his cohorts. So we wait with baited breath for the final chapter of this saga!
It is nearly unfathomable that Trump is still being normalized. I have to remind myself of the Salem Witch trials or the McCarthy era rooting out communists in Hollywood to understand how people can still be duped by Trump. I am fervently pinning my hopes on Jack Smith and ordinary people to deliver our country from Trump.
My biggest frustration is that the media reports on Trump’s presidential candidacy as if this is so normal. I hate hearing the term “GOP front-runner”
Jack Smith is well versed in prosecuting the most horrifying criminals ever. He is the one and only man for this job IMHO. It’s chess vs checkers. No match for DJT. Waiting patiently for justice.
Jack Smith and I competed in triathlons and time trials around Nashville for a few years before he moved his family to The Netherlands. I can tell you his intensity is metronomic - tick tock tick tock tick tock - and if you let up at all you're toast. I know. He was my 30 second man at Bells Bend TTs (alphabetically Smith is before Tate) and I would often pass him around mile 4, which would set up a series of passing and repassing. One thing I have been mindful of since learning that this is indeed THE Jack Smith that I know is how Jack would never draft me. No one was watching. It wasn't a USA Cycling sanctioned event and he could have drafted me, but he just wouldn't do it. Folks, integrity in the small seemingly meaningless things is indicative of integrity throughout a man's every day living. That is Jack Smith. He is indeed a badass. Thank you for saying so.
I certainly hope that Trump has met his nemisis. But I have no faith in the Republican party nor his supporters to ever ackowledge his guilt. If he is found guilty, they will make a terrific hullabaloo of it.
I believe that Trump will be found guilty on one of the pending cases and will be held accountable by half of the nation. It will be up to the ELECTED Republican Congressman and Senators to lead the other half of the nation to follow suit in dennouncing Trump. I am not opptomistic that this will unfold, as their main objective is to weaken Democracy and rule by power and decree.
Jack Smith is playing three dimensional chess. Ex-POTUS is playing with Cheerios. And the media is reporting as if they have collectively ingested ‘shrooms.
If we have any hope at all that any republicans finally understand and ACCEPT that they have been thoroughly gamed by trump the court proceedings MUST be televised for all to see. When the suckers of trump mania finally realize they have been duped THEN the elected republicans in office will cease their spineless homage to DJT.
Robert Mueller was dealing with a sitting President.
Jack Smith is not.
I'm 75 and when I was born the Nuremberg Trials had been held only a couple years previously, so I'm really not that far removed from it. I've seen the photos and read about the high level Nazis being tried for their crimes. Trump is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. For the past 6 years or so, I've pictured the collaborators, the donors, the members of his administration and current members of the GOP Congress sitting before a tribunal, being tried and convicted of attempting to overturn Democracy and the Rule of Law in this country. Eventually, Trump will get what's coming to him, evil never wins in the long run, but even more importantly, the people who propped him up and continue to do so, also need to get their comeuppance. Without that, we're not going to be free of the specter of Fascism. Billionaires want control and the GOP is more than willing to be their servants to see it through. Trump is the figurehead. I want to see him go to prison, but I don't want it to stop there.
As I have said many times, I wish 45 the best of health... so he gets to spend a long time in prison. As to a match, how does one compare a two-bit criminal to an honest man. Matches are among equals.
Unfortunately, Jack Smith cannot prosecute all the Trump enablers who continue to present the fiction to MAGAts that this is some strange Biden plot to undermine democracy. The way that McCarthy, Stefanik, and others so cynically parrot this line makes me want to shred their nasty little mouths as they speak—oh so religiously— how we need to stop Biden from undermining the rule of law. If only, Smith could get those guys!!
Accountability for these scofflaws is tantamount to prove that we do live in a functioning democracy maintained by the rule of law.
Excerpt: ". . . in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes—Trump made matters infinitely worse.” Her conclusion: If the allegations (which she calls “the epitome of obstruction”) hold up, “the former president is a common criminal—and an uncommonly stupid one.” Close excerpt.
I will start with "uncommonly stupid", and add "uncommonly arrogant". The more disturbing reality is how many continue to buy into the Trump scheme & scam. One of my favorite quotes: Chinese philosopher/Warrior Sun Tzu said, "An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes." That describes Trump and his minions in a nutshell.
1. I pray Trump's reign is at an end. Hearing his name as a possible candidate is incomprehensible.
2. Nothing will convince me of his accountability until he is behind bars for years. I guess I am a pessimist but I have been fooled too many times with the commuting of a sentence, due to their money and status. Guilty is guilty and I do not want to hear his sentence being pardoned. He is a traitor and has no intention of not causing chaos to be a dictator of the United States.
I'd like to suggest a newsletter topic for @StevenBeschloss if I may be so bold, Steven.? I'd love you to take a swing at "An Open Letter to Mainstream Media." They would read it. (You write, we America, Americans circulate your words.) This past year I've canceled the New York Times in disgust and will no longer watch Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes." Etc., etc. Time to snap them all out of their trance.
I believe he has met his match, but living in Florida part time and in northwest Georgia the part time gives me pause imagining the (violent?) response from people around me! It’s frightening to think about!!!
All we can do is hope that he is the badass that will bring the golden one to his knees, and just as importantly, all those sycophants around him. Hopefully he also goes after the MAGA Congressmen, including their leader, who were instrumental in the effort to overthrow the government. I believe Jack Smith is fully aware of what he is about and its importance to our future..
A Magat on the jury ruins all Jack's hard work.
I trust in Jack Smith. He is a NINE time Ironman Triathlon Winner. He’s got more mental toughness than needed to convict
TFG and all his stupid henchmen together.
#GoJackGo
Jack Smith is the best. He is just one of those incorruptible people that no one can stop from doing what is right. it is just magnificent to watch him. How lucky are we.
Well, Robert Mueller got totally ambushed by Bill Barr, and so we never saw how truly guilty and implicated Trump and the GOP were despite over 20 of his people being convicted- this time Jack Smith will finish what he started. Everyone except the cult knows Trump is guilty, but unless we expose all the GOP traitors, who, aided and abetted him?
They will simply do it again with a different candidate
49 of Nixon's cronies went to prison. Halderman, Erlichman, Mitchell, etc. No matter what happens (or doesn't) to trump, all the enablers, including congressional ones, should be indicted too. ps I was Cronkite's sound engineer during Watergate.
Badass is, alas, the only appropriate word. Even my 20-year-olds think so. One mentioned him in the same sentence as Taylor Swift.
Yes, Jack Smith is more than a match for Trump. Smith is methodical in sequencing every move, building his case. This is going somewhere for sure this time!!!
Badass indeed! I have full faith and confidence that Jack Smith will deliver Justice to that evil man.
I have no doubts about Jack. My cynicism is about the ability of TFG’s lawyers and judges to delay delay delay, likely until after the election.
I don't care what trump and his minions say or scream as it were. They are meaningless howls of a wounded minority soon to experience consequences of their crimes. Trump is not gathering new followers with his bellicose whining. His somewhat smarter enablers are scrambling to remain relevant even as every thing they try backfires. I see the media and journalism as the biggest problem. We can stop speculating about DJT as Jack Smith and Merrick Garland have things well in hand. We can stop worrying about a daily onslaught from the White House as we have the most competent President and administration in a great while who have had no need to run vengeance campaigns or slur others. The same camp followers for Trump show up at every rally socializing and buying merch. They rarely stick around to hear the same ol same ol litany of lies from their chosen one and his cohorts who grovel at his feet begging for attention like lost puppies. We don't need breathless coverage of every tainted lie from these people. We don't need 24/7 speculation of every tidbit that is thrown out to media to keep our eyeballs glued to the screen. The fault lies in the 24 hour news loop that struggles to find something...anything to keep viewers. Our media would better serve us by spending 1/2 of the time actually disseminating facts about other important news..like our on fire planet!!!!! Like the fascist movements taking away our rights. Like Ukraine still fighting every inch for survival as an independent nation. Where is that coverage? It only showed up when it made money? We as a citizenry need to demand better information. We need to stop being glued to our screens waiting for every crumb of curated information that some nameless suit behind the curtain thinks will keep us up all night. We need to concern ourselves with voting, helping others to vote. I love me some Jack Smith but he as Mueller will not save our country. That is up to us. When trump finally receives his truly deserved consequences it won't really matter. The issues we ignored will still be here.
Like Ms. Wilson, I too dislike TV pundits' views from the start that Trump will run for presidency, and soon called him "GOP front-runner". Did the mass media create or instigate and support his candidacy? Fear or a wish? Too much amazed attention is given to this deranged man, without exploring why he lies and why he has a cult-like following.
I wonder how it would have worked out if Jack Smith had been appointed instead of Mueller
I am so buoyed by how Jack Smith handles his role as special prosecutor. He doesn't go after headlines or try to become famous. He doesn't try to grab attention or fame. He just does his job, methodically and professionally and with the seriousness that these cases demand. Unlike Trump who does everything he does to bring attention and benefits to himself, Jack Smith does what he does, the way he does it, to bring justice to this country, justice that this country needs so much after crime after crime by 45, and coverup after coverup by 45, have brought this country to new lows. Jack Smith is a patriot. He lives by the Constitution. He is certainly much smarter than 45,; and he certainly has a demeanor that is far superior to 45. Jack Smith has the character and the vision that our country needs so desperately. I try to not get optimistic because the drama and trauma that started when 45 came down the escalator in 2015 seems to have evaded tough scrutiny and accountability up to this point. However, @StephenBeschloss, I think maybe 45 has met his match now. Finally.
Who cares what the reaction of loser cowards who lack common sense and critical thinking skills think, if we live in a country that respects the rule of law and holds criminals accountable for their atrocities then Jack Smith and the US DOJ can’t bring this massive accountability project on fast enough for me. Just do it already - its high past time for these indictments to be presented and a criminal trial to begin. The MAGA crowd and Republicans will cower and run and hide once the gauntlet is dropped imho.
I believe that Smith has the measure of the ex-guy and is a steely, dedicated prosecutor. I heard that Smith attended Trump’s documents arraignment and stared at Trump the whole time. Assessing him, no doubt. Anyone who has seen photos of Smith at The Hague can see that he is fearless.
And Trump’s sense of what is important is skewed—I believe he has no understanding of what he is facing. If he wasn’t a completely amoral narcissist, I might actually have some iota of pity. However, I understand the stakes and feel no pity.
“I am your retribution”. Lucky for us, Smith may be OUR retribution.
Trump is toast. It's just taken too long. Garland should have appointed Jack Smith in February of 2021.
I agree with your assessment of Jack Smith, Steven. He appears to be a very honest and committed public servant. If the matter was entirely up to his capacity and integrity, then I would say that Trump finally has met his match. However, I am not sure that his fellow Americans are up to the same standards. First, I worry about a hung jury because there may be at least one diehard MAGA person in the jury box. But more importantly, I worry about the voters, since, if re-elected, Trump could seek to either stop the process or pardon himself. It bothers me greatly that so many Americans still support such a person and would be willing to reelect him. Or that so many other people may not support him but don't care enough to go out on election day to vote against him. Ultimately, no matter what Jack Smith does, it seems as though it will come down to the ballot box at which time it will be up to Americans to decide what kind of leader we want, and what kind of country we want to be..... and then we will see whether Donald Trump has met his match or not. My sense is that he will either be President or a convict and it will be up to the American people to decide.
As they, there is no truth with the yellow-haired narcissist who would ruin America in a heartbeat to get re-elected. I applaud Jack Smith 100%. Justice is overdue, but I feel it’s coming. I only wish Congress would act “American” and stop lying.
Indictment is the first step true. But only conviction and incarceration will bring justice.
What’s the difference between the WSJ, Fox News, and the NY Post? Why is no one commenting on how crazy the WSJ has become?
I am so impressed with Jack Smith. We finally have a prosecutor who is unafraid of Trump. Even though there have been death threats against him and his family.
William Barr was nothing more than an enabler and a terrible AG.
I just won’t give up! We need to keep pointing out the truth .
Yes, hope for justice is rising but it is still too early tell if accountability will be fleeting or enduring.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. trump is obese.
He is of two mindsets : Uh oh & Eh !
Smith's is Gotya.
May Gotya ( and America ) win.
I have hopes that Trump will be convicted but I am not that hopeful, if that makes any sense. What I would really like to know and I haven't yet heard my question addressed by anyone yet - if Trump is convicted and put in jail but wins the election, what happens? What happens if his trial is in process and he wins the election and the trial is not yet over by inauguration date, does it stop because he is now president?
My biggest concern is that even with the new indictments it may never get to court before the next election if the Florida judge has anything to do with it. If Trump would win he would definitely make the charges all go away.
John Murrell
Jack Smith IS a badass and he will nail Trump.
Steven such sublime words but such significance in them. I love Jack Smith and have the utmost confidence that he will save our democracy because he understands the criminal mind better than most and is the most capable of any prosecutor before or since his return to Washington DC.
I am smiling finally as I write this. Thank you
Good Lord, I hope so. MSM persist in demented donny's candidacy. MSM, get wise & report it all on him - don't forget GA, if he's not held guilty there after the phone call we are in even bigger trouble. And these far right so-called Christian groups - far from my faith. Will say again, shades of '30s Germany loom big. American public wise up.
Jack Smith’s greatest asset is his appearance and demeanor. He simply looks like a blue-collar, working person’s lawyer. Rumpled, yet professional, making statements and producing documents filled with pure facts.
He is flawless so far.
It appears that DJT has met his match and more! His 2nd class bench of attorneys have their hands full as they prepare the semblance of a defense. If only DJT would accept his sentence quietly and fade into the mist of the day. But, that simply cannot happen and, once again, we must brace ourselves for the trumpeting of his pitiful whining. In the final analysis, I suspect Mr. Smith has some juicy news for DJT and his cohorts. So we wait with baited breath for the final chapter of this saga!
Jack Smith or a few dozen more super greasy cheeseburgers just might get the job done.
It is nearly unfathomable that Trump is still being normalized. I have to remind myself of the Salem Witch trials or the McCarthy era rooting out communists in Hollywood to understand how people can still be duped by Trump. I am fervently pinning my hopes on Jack Smith and ordinary people to deliver our country from Trump.