Donald Trump has more to worry about than just this
Bill Barr continues distancing himself from Donald Trump. Of course, Trump got mad when Barr contradicted Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election. Barr promptly resigned, while Trump claimed to have fired him. How Barr left doesn’t really matter. What matters now is how vocal he has become against Trump.
Barr believes the four charges brought against Trump are merely the beginning, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the charges are “the tip of the iceberg.” When you consider there are six uncharged co-conspirators, that makes sense, not to mention the complexity of the case. When asked by Collins whether he believes Trump knew his claims were false, Barr responded: “At first, I wasn’t sure, but I have come to believe that he knew well that he had lost the election.” Trump had better hope they don’t call Barr to testify. He will bury him. Barr also buried one of Trump’s biggest defenses, which is his claim that his dispute of the election results was protected under his First Amendment rights. Barr disagreed: “I really don’t think that’s a valid argument. As the indictment says, they’re not attacking his First Amendment rights. He can say whatever he wants. He can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better, but …. Free speech doesn’t give you the right to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy.” He may be crooked, and he may be a jerk, but Bill Barr knows the law.
Smith remains cool as the proverbial cucumber when it comes to his work. Barr believes that Smith has evidence of Trump’s state of mind, or he would not be bringing a case that will be so difficult to prove. Smith is giving away nothing, which is part of his success as a prosecutor. Smith has myriad experience dealing with people like Donald Trump. The New York Times recently published a piece on Smith’s history. In that piece, NYT wrote: “Smith has dealt with the likes of Trump-and worse-before.” Trump is likely extremely intimidated by Smith, but Smith may not be the one Trump should most fear. That honor belongs to Fani Willis in Georgia.
As former (Republican) DA Danny Porter said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution even if Trump wins the presidential nomination, he cannot pardon himself (or anyone else for that matter) on state charges. Porter said: “That’s the one Trump should be most scared of.” Even if Trump and Governor Brian Kemp didn’t already hate each other, Kemp has no power to pardon Trump either. In Georgia, that duty belongs to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. The members of that board are appointed by the governor; however, they are restricted by a set of regulations that prevent the governor from interfering.
Choosing to lie about the election and then moving forward with trying to change the outcome is likely one of the dumbest moves Trump has made to date (though he has made many). He now finds himself facing two formidable opponents: Jack Smith and Fani Willis. It matters not which of them takes him down; he just needs to go down.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years