Several liberal lawyers demanded Wednesday that the Justice Department (DOJ) indict former President Donald Trump, following the previous day’s midterm elections.
DOJ prosecutors reportedly think they already have sufficient evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice, and the department claimed there was probable cause for such a charge in a search warrant application for the FBI’s August Mar-A-Lago raid, according to Bloomberg. Several lawyers publicly called for the DOJ to indict him within hours of the final midterm polls closing, despite reports that he soon plans to launch a 2024 White House bid.
American Constitution Society co-founder and Harvard University professor Lawrence Tribe argued it was too late for Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to finish probes into Trump, but said “it’s time to indict” him because the DOJ’s reported informal rule against indicting political figures within 60 before elections no longer applied.
Mr. Attorney General, It’s Too Late to Appoint A Special Counsel — but now that the 60-day window has closed, it’s time to indict Donald Trump for espionage and related federal felonies including obstruction https://t.co/vGvdcxKHcX
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 9, 2022
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Weissmann tweeted that “the rule of law compels” legal action against Trump.
“All eyes now turn to DOJ– will it indict Trump on the documents case?” Weissmann stated. “The facts, law and DOJ precedent all counsel in favor of holding him to account, as others have been for conduct of equal or lesser culpability."
Trump stated shortly before the midterms that he would make “a very big announcement” Nov. 15, and sources said he was planning to declare a 2024 presidential campaign within weeks. NBC News legal analyst Glenn Kirschner contended on election day that such a bid “will NOT shield him from a criminal indictment.”
“Trump Indictment Watch – post-midterms edition,” Kirschner tweeted the next morning. “It’s time.”
Some commentators and organizations also demanded Trump’s indictment Wednesday.
Dear Merrick Garland: We, Americans, did our part in saving American democracy by winning key governor races. Now it's time for you to do your part saving democracy: INDICT DONALD TRUMP!!!
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) November 9, 2022
The election is over.
Indict Trump now.
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) November 9, 2022
“Since the election is basically over, maybe we can indict Trump now?” Democratic opinion writer David Weissman tweeted.
via wnd