More criminal charges against Donald Trump appear imminent
Watching Jack Smith work is a thing of beauty. Not only does Smith display integrity, but his efficiency in handling the Trump investigations is nothing short of amazing. As MSNBC legal Analyst Farhadian Weinstein said Saturday, Smith appears to “be marching toward charges” in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Smith has reportedly interviewed Trump’s former lawyers who were behind all the frivolous lawsuits and fake elector scheme. He has also interviewed some of those closest to Trump, including his daughter and son-in-law. Looking at everything that has transpired so far, Weinstein (who is also a former federal prosecutor), made her case that charges are imminent: “I think that, if all of this was happening out of time, it seems to me that he is very much marching toward charges.” She pointed out that the election-related case is “much more complicated” than the classified documents case in which Trump has already been charged.
Jill Wine-Banks, one of the former Watergate prosecutors, said during her recent MSNBC appearance: “I would anticipate another indictment from him about January 6 and that he is investigating all of the elements-you know, we keep saying ‘January 6,’ but besides the incitement that might have happened that day, and the riot at the Capitol, you have weeks before that and weeks after that of illegal activities that threaten our democracy, and that’s very important to be looked at.” She is correct. It wasn’t just the fake elector scheme, it wasn’t just the incitement of violence, and it wasn’t just the calls to various election officials across the country. When taken together, these things show a concerted scheme to defraud the U.S. and to overturn the votes of millions of Americans by overriding the will of the people. This cannot go unpunished, and Jack Smith knows that.
Even as Smith readies his team to begin pursuing charges related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, he continues to receive news on the classified documents case. According to NBC News, Miles Taylor, a former top aide to Kirstjen Nielsen, has claimed that Trump shared documents related to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi with reporters. It is difficult to say which of Trump’s actions is more despicable, but this is disgusting. And it’s not all. According to former prosecutor Joyce Vance, who has reviewed the recently released less-redacted warrant, the DOJ found that not only was Trump hoarding records and keeping them from the DOJ, but he had handwritten notes on many of them. It is obvious that Trump had plans for these documents, which explains his quest to keep them from their rightful owners. Hopefully, the FBI served that warrant in time and stopped him from doing even more damage to our country.
Former New Hampshire Republican party chair Jennifer Horn said on MSNBC: “Well, it’s an extraordinary danger. He’s dangerous to … every individual American citizen.” That much is clear. Will a jury in Florida find the same and convict Donald Trump? We can only hope they do the right thing.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years