# Have the winds shifted at DOJ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 23, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687 "2022-06-23T18:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/1 "2022-06-23T18:09:05Z")
DoJ has searched Jeffrey Clark’s home. > **[Federal Authorities Search Home of Trump Justice Dept. Official](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/us/politics/jeffrey-clark-trump-justice-dept.html?referringSource=articleShare)** > > Investigators went to the suburban Washington home of Jeffrey Clark in connection with the sprawling inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack and the effort to overturn the 2020 election. DoJ subpoenas have been issued to members of the last administration. Has Garland been jolted awake? Will the indictments start to roll out, or is this just a ploy to mute the complaints about DoJ inaction? I cannot help but think nothing will happen. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/2 "2022-06-23T18:24:31Z")
No. Garland’s always been awake. He had a massively hollowed out DOJ to start with and is currently heading up the largest RICO-style investigation ever undertaken by any DOJ. He’s been running in a classic fashion, which is something many people seem ignorant of. He has simply now chosen to run at least part of his investigation “overt,” as opposed to “covert.” That’s all that has changed. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/3 "2022-06-23T18:45:56Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > and is currently heading up the largest RICO-style investigation ever undertaken by any DOJ Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/4 "2022-06-23T19:09:18Z")
> **[Biggest investigation in FBI history still has Merrick Garland in the hot seat...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/05/politics/doj-investigation-jan-6-insurrection/index.html)** > > A year after the January 6 insurrection, the Justice Department continues to press forward on the biggest investigation in FBI history, with 700 people already arrested and hundreds more offenders still at large and several more years of prosecutions... ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/5 "2022-06-23T20:17:50Z")
> **[Trump campaign official subpoenaed by FBI appears to be at meeting of fake...](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/06/23/fbi-subpoenas-thomas-lane-trump-campaign-arizona/7708133001/)** > > The FBI subpoenaed several Arizona GOP officials including Thomas Lane, a campaign official for President Donald Trump, and Kelli Ward, head of the Arizona Republican Party. A campaign official for President Donald Trump, who appears to be at the meeting where 11 Arizona Republicans falsely declared themselves the state’s presidential electors, was subpoenaed Wednesday by the Department of Justice, the Washington Post reported. A man who appears to be Thomas Lane was seen in a video posted by the Arizona Republican Party in December 2020, passing out pieces of paper during the meeting where the Republicans signed documents [certifying themselves Arizona’s “duly elected and qualified electors.”](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/12/14/arizona-groups-fake-electors-try-cast-11-electoral-votes-trump/6536056002/) I think this is going to be paywalled but yeah, it looks like the house of cards is starting to fall. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/6 "2022-06-23T20:21:43Z")
Right. I have linked before to all the great things Garland has already accomplished. But the naysayers won’t be happy until trump is arrested. ---
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/7 "2022-06-23T21:59:58Z")
Arrested? No, no! Convicted and imprisoned. Otherwise DoJ has not done its job. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/8 "2022-06-23T22:09:10Z")
> [@Turki-lurki](#): > > Arrested? No, no! Convicted and imprisoned. Arrested, **frog-marched El Chapo-style** , convicted, and imprisoned. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/9 "2022-06-23T22:24:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But the naysayers won’t be happy until trump is arrested. People who are in a hurry, afraid that the mid-term elections will mean an end to the congressional inquiry, should remember that the Democratic leadership of the DOJ will be in place for (at least) another 2-1/2 years. > [@Turki-lurki](#): > > Arrested? No, no! Convicted and imprisoned. Otherwise DoJ has not done its job. Their job is to collect and present good solid evidence (which, incidentally, takes a good amount of time). The outcome of prosecutions is not up to them. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/10 "2022-06-23T22:46:41Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Arrested, **frog-marched El Chapo-style** , convicted, and imprisoned. Disqualified from seeking re-election would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/11 "2022-06-23T22:52:10Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Disqualified from seeking re-election would suffice. What’s the minimum conviction that would prevent someone from running for President, or any elected office (not sure if it may differ)? Misdemeanor? Felony? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/12 "2022-06-24T00:12:57Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > He has simply now chosen to run at least part of his investigation “overt,” as opposed to “covert.” That’s all that has changed. I think that some of this change may be due to the televised Congressional hearings. After you are publicly exposed like Jeffrey Clark was yesterday, you might be very motivated to destroy any incriminating documents that you still have. So the DoJ may be motivated to serve a search warrant early that morning, to capture any such documents before they can ‘disappear’. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/13 "2022-06-24T00:15:52Z")
I think this is a great point. In fact, this makes the most sense why they moved when they did. It’s also worth noting that the DOJ had to have already had sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant from a federal judge, indicating that their investigation into Clark – who is a direct link to a conspiracy with Trump – is well underway. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/14 "2022-06-24T05:59:47Z")
Until all the rock solid evidence is in, all that will happen is a hung jury and trump claiming he was exonerated. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Their job is to collect and present good solid evidence (which, incidentally, takes a good amount of time). The outcome of prosecutions is not up to them. Right. Demanding a quick prosecution is handing trump what he wants. > [@snowthx](#): > > What’s the minimum conviction that would prevent someone from running for President, or any elected office (not sure if it may differ)? Misdemeanor? Felony? Sedition. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/15 "2022-06-24T11:12:36Z")
You don’t think Clark knew to destroy evidence as soon as he learned that Rosen et al were testifying? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/16 "2022-06-24T13:39:28Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > What’s the minimum conviction that would prevent someone from running for President, or any elected office (not sure if it may differ)? Misdemeanor? Felony? No conviction does this. See Eugene Debs who famously ran an election from his jail cell. He was actually convicted of sedition before the 1920 election. Only the Senate may disqualify an individual from running for office, as punishment _following_ conviction _in an impeachment trial_. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/17 "2022-06-24T13:57:37Z")
Histoey is full of people who really should have destroyed evidence that they did not, because they didn’t think they’d be searched, didn’t understand its significance, thought it was hidden sufficiently, thought it was destroyed when it wasn’t, or thought they needed to save it for some other purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/18 "2022-06-24T14:02:42Z")
Perfectly said. And this is a guy who didn’t realize this is _exactly_ how warrant searches are carried out if you’re a target: At the break of dawn, unexpected with the element of surprise and intended to be a little humiliating. He also didn’t realize there was such a thing as electronics-sniffing dogs. But he thought he was qualified to run the DOJ. So you know, not a rocket surgeon. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/19 "2022-06-24T14:34:06Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > What’s the minimum conviction that would prevent someone from running for President, or any elected office (not sure if it may differ)? Misdemeanor? Felony? Insurrection. > [@Max\_S](#): > > Only the Senate may disqualify an individual from running for office, as punishment _following_ conviction _in an impeachment trial_. That’s one mechanism, but the 14th Amendment, section 3 provides for another. It’s never made explicit how one determines who has engaged in insurrection, but presumably a conviction of such in a criminal court would suffice. But yeah, anything short of insurrection or a conviction in impeachment would just leave it up to the voters. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687/20 "2022-06-24T14:44:03Z")
It’s fascinating, but true. You generally can’t even get a job as a janitor at a dog pound if a background check turns up a criminal record of any kind, or even just an arrest record. But it’s no impediment to getting a job as a politician at any level, including President of the United States. In fact, you can commit serious crimes _ **while** _ president, including crimes of sedition, and still stand a good chance of winning a second term. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-winds-shifted-at-doj/966687.md?page=2)