End the Criminal Cases Against Trump

The New York Times ^ | Nov. 15, 2024, 5:05 a.m. ET | Thomas Goldstein

[E. Pluribus Unum]

With the election now over, the courts have to decide quickly whether to move forward with the criminal cases against Donald Trump. Although this idea will pain my fellow Democrats, all of the cases should be abandoned.

Democracy’s ultimate verdict on these prosecutions was rendered by voters on Election Day. The charges were front and center in the campaign. The president-elect made a central feature of his candidacy that the cases were political and calculated to stop him from being re-elected. Despite the prosecutions, more than 75 million people, a majority of the popular vote counted so far, decided to send him back to the White House.

Mr. Trump faces three different prosecutions and a sentencing resulting from another prosecution. Two of the prosecutions were brought in federal courts by a Justice Department special counsel, Jack Smith. The two others were brought in state courts in Manhattan and Atlanta.

The federal cases are history. Mr. Smith plans to resign with other members of his team before Mr. Trump takes office in January, according to a report in The Times. He is now trying to determine how best to wind down the cases, which accuse Mr. Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election and illegally possessing classified documents after he left office.

Then there are the state charges, over which President Trump will have no control. A central pillar of American democracy is that no man is above the law. But Mr. Trump isn’t an ordinary man. Moreover, the state cases against him invoke legal strategies that had never been used to criminalize the behavior that prosecutors charge. Rightly or wrongly, they carry the stench of politics and, if pursued, could lay the groundwork for political prosecutions of future presidents.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

...they carry the stench of politics and, if pursued, could lay the groundwork for political prosecutions of future presidents.

Ya think?

[Steely Tom]

From Wikipedia Tom Goldstein:

Thomas Che Goldstein (born 1970) is an American lawyer. He is known for his advocacy before and blog about the Supreme Court of the United States. He was a founding partner of Goldstein and Howe (now Goldstein & Russell), a Washington, D.C., firm specializing in Supreme Court litigation, and was, until the end of 2010, a partner at Akin Gump, where he was co-head of the litigation and Supreme Court practices. He retired from Goldstein & Russell in March 2023.

In 2003, Goldstein co-founded SCOTUSblog, the most widely read blog covering the Supreme Court, and remains the publisher and occasional contributor, providing analyses and summaries of Supreme Court decisions and cert petitions. He has taught Supreme Court Litigation at Harvard Law School since 2004, and at Stanford Law School from 2004-2012.

[cockroach_magoo]

Decent human beings would have dropped the cases already.

[No name given]

Exactly.

[chajin]

It would be nice to think that the NYT people have come to their senses and are willing to promote fair play in politics. It would be nice, but we know better; they’re scared to death of what they think is going to happen to them, meaning all the things they did to us over the last four years, and before that the eight Obama years.

[MCSETots]

EVERY case has to end with DJT being EXONERATED!!!

Anything less will be held out by the left as him being guilty and that is completely unacceptable. His attorneys need to fight to clear his name and reputation, as well as his associates and the J6 political prisoners . . .

[Steely Tom]

Then there are the state charges, over which President Trump will have no control. A central pillar of American democracy is that no man is above the law. But Mr. Trump isn’t an ordinary man. Moreover, the state cases against him invoke legal strategies that had never been used to criminalize the behavior that prosecutors charge. Rightly or wrongly, they carry the stench of politics and, if pursued, could lay the groundwork for political prosecutions of future presidents.

Quite a little admission there from Mr. Goldstein, although I'm having a hard time seeing how the phrase "rightly or wrongly" carries any meaning in the context of the words that follow it. I'm not a professor at Haarvahd or Staanfahd, so I concede that my mere engineering mind may well not operate at a level sufficient to grasp his no-doubt finely calibrated use of the phrase.

[SmokingJoe]

The Letitia James case and the Alvin Bragg case are the worst of all.
How the heck do you prosecute a guy for getting a bank loan and paying every single penny back with interest before its due, when the bank itself keep saying they are happy with it?
Even third world countries in Africa are not this corrupt.

[Gideon7]

Then he gets prosecuted for falsifying business records in paying Stormy Daniels, which Bragg claimed was for his election campaign (which the FEC said no), when Hillary Clinton did EXACTLY THE SAME THING in giving money from her election campaign to an attorney as a “legal fee” to pay for the fake Steele dossier.

What Hillary did was far worse: the payoff came from her campaign, not personal funds, and it was definitely to influence the election. Nothing happened.

[takebackaustin]

It is a guest opinion column.

[OrioleFan]

The cases were brought in state courts because they weren’t bound by DoJ rules regarding going after a candidate for President. The state cases were encouraged by the White House lawyers and the NY case, in particular, had a DoJ lawyer assigned to it. It all stunk to high heaven.

[skr]

The cases shouldn’t merely be abandoned. They should be properly dismissed with prejudice and with the political shenanigans clearly explained by the appeals judgse. The original judges that played politics should be disbarred and blacklisted across the US.

[ifinnegan]

“… state cases against him invoke legal strategies that had never been used to criminalize the behavior that prosecutors charge.”

Published in the New York Times?

Have we entered an alternate reality?

And why couldn’t they allow this this obvious truth to be printed before?

[MuttTheHoople]

Trump needs to go after these Kangaroo Courts, these Stalinist Show-trials. If he doesn't they'll come back after he leaves office in 2028.

He needs to go Sherman on them and make them howl like Georgia circa 1864.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Now, like right NOW.

[eyeamok]

Letitia James spent 30 minutes, her entire closing arguments to the Appeals Court in Trumps case, BEGGING THEM NOT TO SANCTION AND DISBAR HER for her actions in bringing this Fraudulent Case.

18 USC 241
18 USC 242

and Trumps new AG can PUT HER FAT ASS IN PRISON for this.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Moreover, the state cases against him invoke legal strategies that had never been used to criminalize the behavior that prosecutors charge

This is the first time that a lot of NYT readers are reading something like this. Its news to them.

[Vaduz]

The ONLY criminals in the Trump cases are those who charged him with a crime.

Truth released

[Natty Bumppo@frontier.net]

The New York Times, and the rest of progs, are terrified of the extremely thorough electronic discovery now occurring in these cases and that the results will be displayed in open court for the nation to see.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.