Jack Smith's resignation plans are another confirmation of the president-elect’s abiding ability to escape legal and political accountability.

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.

  • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
    70·
    23 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
      7·
      11 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
        4·
        11 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.