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.

  • morgan423@lemmy.world
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    17 days ago

    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.

    • snooggums@lemmy.world
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      17 days ago

      then reopen this the minute he’s out.

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

        • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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          17 days ago

          And I’m not sure which would be worse. Vance might be a bit more moderate on some things but his competence and ability to work with others makes him more dangerous on those.

          • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            17 days ago

            I’ve been debating this with myself, and my conclusion is that Trump might be worse because Vance is at least a politician. He has some knowledge and “respect” (maybe) for the trappings of the office, whereas Trump gives no shits for rules or regulations and is all too happy to trample on every right and freedom we have.

            But who knows, I could go both ways on which would be worse.

            • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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              16 days ago

              Vance is a smarmy piece of shit who will do anything for power and will bend over backwards for his owners who picked him to be vice president to make sure they had control when Trump dies.

              Vance is absolutely much more the issue cause he won’t have enough charisma and self aggrandizing to stand up for his own ideas like Trump does that slows his party down and occasionally creates tension. He will just “yes and” whatever is needed to be done.

              • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                16 days ago

                Vance is a smarmy piece of shit who will do anything for power

                You just described the entire Republican party.

                But more to the point, the other side of the coin is that either Trump’s views align with those of his owners, or he’s just as easily manipulated, and either way, he believes himself to be a dictator and acts accordingly. He has no morals and no qualms about breaking the law. He says that people who disagree with him politically should be locked up and talks about how he needs generals like Hitler had. He has been putting people loyal to him in positions of power since day one of his first term. What infighting he has created in the Republican party may slow him down, but it might create more collateral along the way from his cronyism and disregard for rules of politics. At least Vance wouldn’t be ignoring the FBI vetting his appointments and talking about replacing the heads of the FBI with people more loyal to him.

                Both are bad for the country, I just don’t know if I can say one would be worse than the other. Vance is the corrupt official while Trump is the Florida man riding the high of who only knows what squared up to fight 5 cops who will probably win the fight.

      • morgan423@lemmy.world
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        17 days ago

        Nothing for the Federal stuff, I guess.

        He can’t pardon the state felony convictions he has, though. That’s the case that worries me in this regard.

        • Nougat@fedia.io
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          17 days ago

          Oh yes you can.

          Ford’s pardon of Nixon states:

          Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.

          Whether or not any crimes were charged is irrelevant. Whether or not any charges were made and then dropped is irrelevant. “All offenses.”

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      17 days ago

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

      Yeah, like he’s not going to view that as something hanging over his head the next four years…

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          17 days ago

          On a side note “Life and Times of Tim” is one of my favorite shows and why Im always willing to explain things when I see that little picture of his face.

          But mate…

          America has literally already had a literally demented Republican president who was an actor when younger.

          This is just a reboot of Reagan, and while we may hear about Trump’s stuff while it’s happening, I’d be surprised if he causes more harm in the next four years than Reagan did.

          And when Reagan got too bad, his VP did take the reigns and the next election.

          Back then it was HW Bush, who was the ex-head of the CIA and the son of one of the Business Plot leaders where American capitalists were floating the idea of overthrowing FDR and the American government to join WW2 with the actual nazis…

          So if Vance ends up running things in 2 years and being the candidate in 4 years?

          Shits been worse before.

          For fucks sake, Reagan’s handling of AIDS and literally smuggling crack into poor communities is still fucking shit up forty years later, not even getting into Reaganomics.

          They both sucked, and Trump’s next four years will suck. But it ain’t the end of America unless everyone gives up without a fight.

          • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)@badatbeing.social
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            17 days ago

            Regain (and Nancy x100) were both racist bigots, but Trump (and Vance will be if it gets him attention) are fascist wannabe dictators that have plans of dismantling the whole government, healthcare, and education systems in the US. They have plans to help further the Rights push for voter suppression and ways to cheat (and/or exploiting loopholes without shame).

            So Nancy might have shaped dementia Regains policies for the worst, and Bush Sr. may have committed all sorts of crimes against humanity using the CIA, but Trump plans to run us into the ground and sell the scrap to whatever dictator says the nicest things to him.

            And Vance may be even more dangerous in that he will have zero control of his party, and will changeling into whatever he’s told to be by whoever will let him be “President”. He would sell his family for fame “or whatever makes sense” in his void of emotion brain.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              17 days ago

              have plans of dismantling the whole government, healthcare, and education systems in the US. They have plans to help further the Rights push for voter suppression and ways to cheat (and/or exploiting loopholes without shame).

              All things Reagan also worked towards…

              It’s the same thing, we just find out about it faster now than we used to. And the country was starting out in a better place when Reagan had his turn as far as regulations to prevent it.

              So things will suck, but it’s nothing new. That doesn’t mean give up, it means keep fighting and plan to keep fighting for as long as we’re alive even if a Dem is president in 2028, don’t get complacent. Because both parties have spent the time since Reagan deregulating shit like campaign finance, which has allowed the wealthy to tighten their grip on both parties

              • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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                17 days ago

                The only thing that Reagan worked towards was the jar of jelly beans in the Oval Office. He was an actor and the last three years his mind was gone to Alzheimer’s.

                Now if your meaning Reagan as you in his apparatus that actually made all the decisions then yes you are correct.