Summary

After facing nearly 100 felony charges, including a historic conviction for hush-money payments, Donald Trump’s legal troubles appear to be stalling.

Jack Smith, the special counsel leading key federal cases on election interference and classified documents, reportedly plans to resign following Trump’s recent election victory, which effectively nullifies these cases.

Trump’s return to office, combined with Supreme Court rulings enhancing presidential powers, signals he may face minimal accountability.

This lack of oversight could empower Trump’s administration to act with unprecedented legal and legislative freedom.

  • ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    9 hours ago

    or did americans get away with everything? not jailing pervy trump is just the tip. when will you ask for repartions from the nixon clan or reagan? you dont because you have no spine.

  • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    65
    ·
    17 hours ago

    Yeah. We don’t have anything in place for this kind of thing, so we had to rely exclusively on things we use for corporate litigation and what have you. The whole impeachment, that’s about it as for what our founders created to protect us and if Congress doesn’t exercise that power, well this is what happens. That whole argument way back “the courts will settle this” from the Senate that gave him a pass, that was the Senate knowing they failed and trying to pass the blame elsewhere.

    Trump got away with everything because the actual few protections we have, the people entrusted to use those powers lacked the spine to actually use that power. Cowardice is how we got here. A short but important line of defense was entrusted to weak minded people and so they failed at every step of the way.

    Perhaps we will one day fix these shortcomings. Maybe. But this shows that if we give power to weak individuals that will put wealth, power, and their own interests over the rule of law, then we don’t have a country. The Constitution is only a sheet of paper if we do nothing to enforce it.

    • Dragomus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      5 hours ago

      What is lacking is anyone daring to make a fist and slam it on the table with the proclamation: “Enough of these transgressions! We stop them, prosecute and punish all of it now!”

      But this had to have happened immediately in 2021, not the feet dragging and allowing court dates to shift 'till a few months before the election.

      I refuse to believe that in case of clear criminal acts against the country of america the judiciary process can not be expedited and court calendars not be cleared for full convictions within a year.

      I guess it’s also part of why Trump was elected, he promised the common folk to be the one that slams his fist on the table in their name, alas he was hiding that it was purely for his own benefit.

      In a way I am now settled with the thought that the US now gets what it deserves… Alas the downside is that the US ego will fling all that stinky business far out into the world and everyone is stuck with the effects that they did not choose.

      All in all, it is a good bet Trump’s presidency will expedite the downfall of the hegemony of US power and influence in the world, china and russia are rising up to lay their claim now.

      • PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        5 hours ago

        I can only hope that this clusterfuck will expedite the gruesome death of our two-party system. I also find it hilarious that Missouri literally voted to ban ranked choice voting, because of scare tactics and the average voter being too stupid to understand that it’s a better system.

  • riverSpirit
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    74
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    18 hours ago

    Why did Biden go so soft on Trump? He should have been locked up after the coup attempt.

    • Yondoza@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      7 hours ago

      The justice dept went easy on Trump because it sets a very dangerous precedent for the current administration to use the power of the justice dept on political rivals. He was removed from office and his actions were investigated and displayed to the public. Under normal circumstances, those actions should make it so he cannot run again. The electorate are designed to be the check on political power, but it failed.

      I fear elections no longer have that check. I do however believe the justice department made the right decision. I don’t think it should criminally prosecute political rivals, because then we end up with situations like Nivalny dieing in prison. The justice department played it’s role by exposing all of the criminal behavior, the electorate did not by allowing someone that dangerous back into power.

        • Yondoza@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          4 hours ago

          I understand your frustration, and I think he is guilty of the things he is accused of also. I still think the justice department made the correct democratic decision of setting the precedent that the executive branch does not prosecute political figures when the electorate has a chance to make that decision.

          I hate that the electorate decided that none of those offenses were damning enough to flush that turd, but that’s democracy. He won the popular vote and it’s up to those of us unhappy with the result to convince others that we need better leadership.

          • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            4 hours ago

            Compare to Brazil. They had a similar scenario play out with Bolsanaro. He was prosecuted and barred from office until I think 2030 for his stunt. It doesn’t seem controversial.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      42
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      15 hours ago

      Because Biden is a feckless conservative Democrat who cares more about protecting the INSTITUTIONS of American democracy, such as the notion that presidents and former presidents deserve special treatment, than democracy itself and appointed an AG who agrees.

      • teamevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 hours ago

        Probably the best way to protect the institutions of democracy was to keep a goddamn fascist from running the country

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          8 hours ago

          Which he and his administration of course failed spectacularly at in every way possible.

          He was exactly the wrong president for the moment.

          The country needed bold action to stave off societal collapse and in stead, it got Mr Slow And Steady to reassure the owner donors by rearranging the deck chairs and shouting at people to stop complaining about the icebergs.

        • GHiLA@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          8 hours ago

          He’s got a few months, a lot of guns, and not a lot of years left.

          I’d have already picked the phone up. Executive action? You got it.

      • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        14 hours ago

        Seriously. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and had pro-confederate newspapers shut down. That is what a real response to a threat to democracy looks like.

        • PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          5 hours ago

          I guess the modern day equivalent would be dissolving Twitter x, publicly hanging Elon musk, and actually putting Trump in jail. What a lovely dream.

          • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            4 hours ago

            In regards to Musk, I would settle for having his citizenship revoked as punishment for his earlier illegal immigration.

    • Soup@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      84
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Because the U.S. sat at the table with nazis to try to appease them and now the nazis are in charge and the country won’t get a damn thing for trying to be nice because nazis.

      • FenrirIII@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        8 hours ago

        The Union did the same thing with the Confederate traitors and we’re still dealing with racists.

        • Flamekebab@piefed.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          12 hours ago

          From what I’ve read, the concept of appeasement was buying time because Britain was in no position to do anything, which ultimately worked (I’m reminded of the quote “Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘Nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.”).

          However it doesn’t work if you’re not planning to do anything!

    • droopy4096@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      30
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Biden could’ve used Trump’s own tool - presidential impunity and either fired judges or plain locked up Trump or worse, first: forcing republicans repeal the law, two eliminating threat, and three - potentially painted as villain in history. I still marvel at how little Dems care for “the idea” and how much they care about their own bottom line 🙁

    • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      Because the propaganda machine made up of foreign bot farms, billionaires and republican “news” media has convinced half the American population that it’s all fake news. Oh and most of the judicial system is corrupted by republican politicians.