Jack Smith is on the move

| 3:00 pm EST January 1, 2024
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

The new year is a time of hope for the future, especially if the previous year wasn’t so great. People make resolutions, some of which they never follow through, but it’s still something to look forward to in the new year. Others simply hope that the new year will be better than the last, especially when 2023 was such a cluster. The best news for 2023 was that Donald Trump was charged with 91 felonies, but some people wonder whether that will ever come to fruition to get rid of Trump once and for all. One man is trying his best to do that: Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Last week, Smith’s office made yet another filing, denouncing Trump’s claims to immunity. In that filing, Smith pushed back on Trump’s claims that he is covered by full immunity by asserting that Trump’s claim “threatens to license Presidents to commit crimes to remain in office.” Just because Trump was technically still in office, the presidency did not allow him to commit crimes in trying to overturn the 2020 election. Trump knows that his arguments against his prosecution will eventually end up with SCOTUS, and he’s banking on the fact that because he appointed three of them, he’ll get off. Not so fast. The Colorado Supreme Court invoked the words of Neil Gorsuch that states should have autonomy in how they handle elections. The law is the law, and no one is above it, including Donald Trump.

In fact, many experts believe that Smith’s latest filing is written in such a way that it speaks to SCOTUS. Trump will ultimately end up there, as he’s not going to like any of the rulings he gets in the lower courts with respect to immunity. He has already been ruled not immune by several courts, including the D.C. court where he is charged with trying to overturn the 2020 election. Don’t expect things to be any different for him in other courts, including SCOTUS. Following his removal in Maine, John Dean, former Nixon White House attorney, said that Trump’s removal from state ballots is “very solid” and that he won’t be able to overturn those decisions.

Trump, of course, continues to rail against Jack Smith and everyone else, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who is Republican. DeWine recently vetoed a ban on gender-affirming care, and Trump, child that he is, said that DeWine is no longer welcome at his rallies. Big woo. Unlike Trump, some Republicans follow what their constituents want. That’s how you stay in office regardless of party affiliation. Brian Kemp in Georgia is another Republican who bows to the wishes of members of his state if those wishes impact enough people-all the people, not just Republican voters. Trump could learn something from them, but Trump doesn’t get that. All he gets is hate, revenge, and trying to be powerful, “trying” being the operative word. No one is afraid of Donald Trump; he’s a blowhard. We don’t care if he goes away mad or for any other reason; we just want him to go away.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.