Some thoughts re: appealing Judge’s decisions (or a guilty verdict). Zooming out, it’s really difficult. The reason is the Supreme Court. If appealed (or when if we’re talking a guilty verdict), you have to know the SC will hear the case and you have to know they will be favorable to Trump. It’s Bush v Gore on steroids.
This is why the trial Judge can do what she likes (ordering things that were never even asked of her), she knows she won’t ultimately get overturned.
While Trump’s arguments/future arguments will be bonkers, the DOJ should consider the likelihood of losing and making bonkers precedent. Still probably do it, but there’s a lot of ways this ends bad/worse down the road, even when everyone is cheering criminal charges, guilty verdict, or appealing a Judge’s “bad” decision, etc.
Actually, I think indicting him now (or, hehe, around Halloween) might sabotage a lot more of “his” candidates.
But as I’ve said before, DOJ should not be playing politics with this and IMO should disregard the election entirely. Indict him the second you believe you have enough evidence to convict, and do whatever it takes to minimize the damage he can do to our national security.
“Elizabeth? Never heard of her. Maybe I took a picture with her once. I take a LOT of pictures with a LOT of people. Maybe she brought me coffee once.”
Nah, he’ll just make it all about him. “Wonderful lady. I remember meeting her when I went to England before the election was stolen from me. And she told me how much she loved my golf courses and what wonderful things I was doing for her and for England. You’re one of the best Presidents America has had, she told me.”
We know it wasn’t a mistake because he was told about the mistake, claimed he returned them all, but then kept some. We know that there were actual documents in at least some of the folders, because the contents of some of those documents have been (obliquely) reported on, and those contents are bad.
And while we don’t have enough public info to determine if the empty folders contained documents, surely this information exists. There would be an inventory of every copy made, and each copy would surely be watermarked to identify if it got out. If those are not accounted for, then they are missing.
The only problem seems to be a requirement to have someone actually have seen him handling the documents. But is that really a requirement? Police go in and investigate places all the time without having someone saying they saw something in there.
I don’t see what this will accomplish. Even if there is some worrying part of her ruling, precedent is not set by a low level judge’s ruling. Any other judge who tried to use it as precedent could then be appealed.
And having the special master just delays us a few weeks to months, while going through the appeal process could take forever, and result in the Supreme Court siding with Trump.
The whole point of Trump filing to the court was to cause delays. It seems dumb to help them achieve that when you have other options. Unless they really are playing politics, and want Trump to be able to run in 2024, on the theory that this will once again drive voter turn out and help defeat him.
Anyone have any counterarguments that might justify this decision?
The Cts of App and Supremes are capable of acting quite quickly when they wish. Might not be a huge delay - possibly shorter than the time a special master would take.
IMO, it is worth making the attempt to shut this Cannon down.
Hon. Kevin C. Newsom
Hon. Elizabeth L. Branch
Hon. Britt C. Grant
Hon. Robert J. Luck
Hon. Barbara Lagoa
Everyone else is before 2016 or after Jan 20, 2020.
And, that said, to it’s not like Trump had good outcomes on his “stolen election” thing with his own appointees.
He hired people from the Federalist Society. They believe in greater States Rights, greater Executive Rights, and greater obeyance to the exact wording of the law.
Trump figured it was a group of corrupt judges for people with an R after their name and didn’t do any due diligence. Maybe he knew something about Cannon - as a local to his area - I don’t know but, in general, the guy didn’t put in the work it would take to get the sort of results that you’re fearing.