Message To Garland - It's Time To Indict Donald Trump

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a Special Counsel to supervise the cases against Donald Trump. Hopefully, this won't result in more delays to indict him.

Here is what the editorial board of The Washington Post thinks:

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday named a special counsel to oversee the criminal investigation into former president Donald Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club, as well as aspects of the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection. Mr. Garland explained that Mr. Trump’s now-official presidential campaign presented “extraordinary circumstances” for which the Justice Department’s regulations prescribe the appointment of a special counsel. In other words, he had no choice but to proceed.

So be it. But this means that there is more work ahead for the attorney general. Appointing a special counsel carries risks, not least the possibility that the investigation could drag out or lose focus, potentially letting Mr. Trump off the hook. It will take tremendous focus to prevent that from happening.

Mr. Garland’s decision to appoint longtime federal prosecutor Jack Smith to lead this politically fraught probe comes as Republicans have attacked it as corrupt, arguing that an attorney general appointed by President Biden cannot be trusted to make a fair call on investigating Mr. Trump. These attacks have always been unfair. The Biden administration has studiously respected the Justice Department’s independence. By contrast, Mr. Trump flouted time after time the norms of separation between the White House and law enforcement, even pressuring then-FBI Director James B. Comey to pledge his loyalty.

Though it is unrealistic to think that Mr. Garland’s move will ever quiet the right-wing conspiracy mill, that’s not where the biggest dangers lie. The first danger is mission creep. Special counsels past and present, from Kenneth Starr in his investigation into the Clintons in the 1990s to John Durham in his probe into the FBI’s 2016 Russia inquiry, have tended to allow their probes to get out of control, spending vast amounts of time and public resources on minor legal issues. Such investigations often leave the unhappy impression that they must find something.Combined with a lack of supervision, special counsel probes are prone to overreach.

The second is politics. Unless Mr. Smith acts with dispatch, this case could run up against the 2024 election — or even outlast it. If Mr. Trump returned to the White House, Justice Department rules on prosecuting sitting presidents could enable Mr. Trump to duck whatever accountability he might deserve.

Responsibility for avoiding these pitfalls still falls to Mr. Garland, whose judgment in one of the most potentially explosive investigations in Justice Department history will continue to be tested. Mr. Smith will be in charge of the probe’s day-to-day activities, but the attorney general still oversees the special counsel’s work, accepting or rejecting any recommendations. Mr. Garland should guide the investigation so that it is fair, focused and, within reason, fast. Accountability should remain the priority — delivered, as he has taken pains to ensure, according to the rule of law.