Opinion: Lock Them All Up. Trump’s DOJ Violated U.S. Law By Ignoring His Crimes

When the Senate Judiciary Committee issued its scathing report, the aptly named Subverting Justice, that detailed Trump’s attempts to coerce the Department of Justice to subvert the 2020 predetermination it was evident crimes were committed.

Besides Trump, the study describes the cardinal relation Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark played successful attempting to person Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to falsely state that the DOJ believed the predetermination results successful respective states whitethorn person been fraudulent.

Now Jeffrey Clark is facing disciplinary action because:

“A bipartisan radical of 32 lawyers filed a disciplinary ailment with the D.C. Bar for his actions successful attempting to person erstwhile Acting Attorney General Rosen to falsely state that results of the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination were fraudulent successful respective states.”

Members of the  Board of Lawyers Defending American Democracy accidental Clark’s actions violated morals rules. 

But determination is much to the communicative than a elemental morals usurpation that should bring a rash of transgression charges against Trump and anyone astatine the DOJ oregon his interior ellipse who knew astir Trump’s efforts and failed to study them immediately.

First,  because Trump was the root of the crippled helium is plainly successful usurpation of a federal statute.  18 U.S. Code § 610 – “Coercion of governmental activity” is simply a precise wide and concise statute that plainly states:

“It shall beryllium unlawful for immoderate idiosyncratic to intimidate, threaten, command, oregon coerce, oregon attempt to intimidate, threaten, command, oregon coerce, immoderate worker of the Federal Government arsenic defined in section 7322(1) of rubric 5, United States Code, to prosecute in, oregon not to prosecute in, immoderate governmental activity, including, but not constricted to, voting oregon refusing to ballot for immoderate campaigner oregon measurement successful immoderate election, making oregon refusing to marque immoderate governmental contribution, oregon moving oregon refusing to enactment connected behalf of immoderate candidate. Any idiosyncratic who violates this conception shall beryllium fined nether this rubric oregon imprisoned not much than 3 years, oregon both.” (author bold)

 In work to a transgression successful the Oval Office, Clark drafted a letter on Trump’s behalf that urged Rosen to motion and nonstop to Georgia and respective different states falsely claiming the DOJ had “identified important concerns that whitethorn person impacted the result of the election.”

Of people the assertions successful the missive were patently false; due to the fact that nary specified concerns existed. In December then-Attorney General William Barr stated arsenic much. In fact, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security echoed Barr’s sentiment saying the 2020 predetermination was the “most unafraid successful American history.”

In an effort to bash the close thing, benignant of, Acting Attorney General Rosen refused to falsely state that results of the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination were fraudulent successful respective states. Both Mr. Rosen and his deputy refused to contented the letter. But they besides are blameworthy of violating the instrumentality erstwhile they refused to study Clark’s oregon Trump’s amerciable actions.

That nonaccomplishment precisely fits the transgression of “misprision of felony” according to 18 U.S. Code § 4 – Misprision of Felony. It reads:

“Whoever, having cognition of the existent committee of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not arsenic soon arsenic imaginable marque known the aforesaid to immoderate justice oregon different idiosyncratic successful civilian oregon subject authorization nether the United States, shall beryllium fined nether this rubric oregon imprisoned not much than 3 years, oregon both.”

Anyone remotely alert of Trump’s, oregon immoderate of his surrogates’, crimes is required by instrumentality to alert the due authorities. It is understating the evident to asseverate that the lawyers astatine the Department of Justice were unaware that what Trump was doing violated a national law, and that those who were alert of his actions were required by instrumentality to alert the due authorities immediately.  

Not doing truthful automatically puts those progressive successful dire ineligible jeopardy; astatine slightest that would beryllium the lawsuit if the Barr Justice Department was not corrupt oregon if the Garland DOJ wasn’t terrified of getting connected Trump’s deed list.

It is peculiarly an egregious usurpation of the instrumentality that Rosen et al allowed Trump and 1 of their ain to interruption the instrumentality and support quiescent astir it. The aforesaid is existent of the assorted authorities officials that Trump attempted to “coerce” into violating authorities predetermination laws connected his behalf and not study his crime.

Obviously not overmuch volition travel of Trump’s oregon his acolytes’ actions and if, and that is simply a gigantic if, Clark is held accountable by the D.C. Bar for violating its morals rules, helium volition apt get a slap connected the wrist and past transportation connected getting affluent successful the backstage assemblage arsenic if thing amerciable oregon unethical happened.

There were myriad crimes committed passim Trump’s tenure successful a spot helium ne'er belonged, and it is becoming clearer by the time that helium volition not look justice. The calamity of it each is that it appears 2 antithetic Justice Departments are not inclined to spell aft Trump oregon his cohorts with the aforesaid strength arsenic they would a cause dealer. That informs immoderate sane idiosyncratic that justness successful America is, for each intents and purposes, a dying institution.