Coming just three days, after Trump announced his 2024 candidacy, Biden’s’ Attorney General, Merrick Garland named a special counsel, to oversee two Department of Justice investigations involving the former President. On Friday, to oversee the Department of Justice's investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, and some lingering key aspects, of a separate probe involving the Jan. 6 Capitol event related to the 2020 election, Garland appointed Jack Smith, a veteran prosecutor, to be special counsel.
Notably, the timing, three days after Trump announced his run for the White House in 2024, and one day after House Republicans announced their official probe into the Biden family, is uncanny. Garland said in his address, that Trump's announcement of his presidential candidacy and President Joe Biden’s likely 2024 run, were factors in his decision to appoint, special counsel Smith. In his address at the Department of Justice's briefing, Garland said-
"The Department of Justice has long recognized that in certain extraordinary cases, it is in the public's interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution,"… "Based on recent developments, including the former president's announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election and the sitting president's stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel." Adding "The extraordinary circumstances here demand it,"
-Attorney General, Merrick Garland
Of Special Counsel Smith, Garland also stated-
"Throughout his career, Jack Smith has built a reputation as an impartial and determined prosecutor who leads teams with energy and focus to follow the facts wherever they lead,"… "As special counsel, he will exercise independent prosecutorial judgment to decide whether charges should be brought."
-Attorney General, Merrick Garland
In a statement released by the Department of Justice, Smith said he intends to do his work independently and –
"in the best traditions of the Department of Justice." …adding "The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch,"
-Jack Smith, DOJ Special Counsel
The response to Garlands’ announcement, from the spokesperson from former President Trump, one of the most heavily prosecuted presidents’ in history, responded by calling the move-
"a totally expected political stunt by a feckless, politicized, weaponized Biden Department of Justice."
-Former President Donald Trump Spokesperson
Needless to say, the news media and pundits are having a field day, in all directions, and will do so, for many months (even years) to come. With the elections for 2024 now in process, the House Republicans probe pending, when they take over in January, and now Garlands addition of a special council to work for and under the DOJ looking into Trump – this could turn into a literal three-ring circus.
And though these areas of investigation look toward 2024 – they could last years on each front, affecting the election process, the next presidency and the state of the nation. One thing is for sure, there will be many books written over the next decade, that are sure to describe all manner of opinions, on how this series of events plays out.
Hopefully, neither Congress, nor the American people will lose focus on what is before this nation – restoring our God given constitutional freedoms, and healing our land.
“The biggest challenge is to stay focused. It's to have the discipline when there are so many competing things.”
-Alexa Hirschfeld