Donald Trump has messed around with laws his entire life and figured he could use the same strategy once he entered the White House. Having enjoyed some immunity and the complicity of influential party leaders to survive two well-deserved impeachment trials, he now faces his most important challenge.
You know the facts and the constant threat that looms over Trump because of the numerous cases in court. Though he’s said to be more nervous and concerned, we still get the impression it’s Attorney General Merrick Garland, with a conscience and struggling to sleep.
prosecutor under pressure
Whether it’s the House Committee investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, the Justice Department investigation, or the green light for the FBI seizure in Mar-a-Lago, Merrick Garland has his hands full.
Cautious and experienced, he is far from naïve, and he knows better than anyone that all this legal sleight of hand is coupled with an explosive political game. Not only do Republicans accuse him of bias, even more radical elements are threatening civil war, while others are already attacking FBI offices.
Whichever path Garland chooses, he already knows he is trapped and there is no winning way out in the short term. But I see only one alternative to this unprecedented crisis: blaming Donald Trump.
If we’re already investigating a president who hasn’t hesitated to encourage his supporters to march on the Capitol, while authorizing the FBI to search his home, we have to go all the way and put all our cards on the table.
Inspired by Machiavelli’s Prince, philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “If you attack a king, you must kill him”. By authorizing the confiscation, Garland defeated the king, he must now prove that he had good reason and that there is no doubt about the necessity of this extraordinary measure.
Don’t lose face
Even if we imagine the anger of the 45th President’s supporters in response to a possible allegation, Merrick Garland will risk even more if he backs down.
Does anyone remember James Comey and his speech during the 2016 presidential campaign? Hillary never recovered and the agency’s reputation was tarnished.
Trump broke the law, but the attorney general would only authorize a seizure if the nature of the documents or the former president’s intentions warranted it. The time for the fatal blow has come. The credibility of the Justice Department and the survival of the institutions are at stake.