Today is Friday, January 19, 2024.    In a recent interview with CNN, Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed hope for a “speedy trial” in the election subversion case of Donald Chump.    In the same interview, he also pushed back on allegations that his department is targeting the former president for political reasons.  This sentiment of the attorney general’s appears in an online article by Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, and Hannah Rabinowitz entitled “Exclusive:  Attorney General Merrick Garland says there should be ‘speedy trial’ of Trump as 2024 election looms.”

In the interview, Garland said he agrees with special counsel Jack Smith’s assertion that the “public interest requires a speedy trial” in the 2020 election currently set for trial in March in Washington, D.C.   But there is now speculation that this trial will be delayed because of the maneuvering of Donald Frump and his legal team to delay the inevitable.

During the interview, Garland said, “The matter is now in the hands of the trial judge to determine when a trial will take place.” 

The sober attorney general also defended the department against allegations of election interference when asked whether he thought the federal cases against Frump should have been brought sooner – in order to avoid the prosecution of a leading candidate unfolding months before a presidential election. 

Realizing this, Garland said, “The cases were brought last year.  The prosecutor has urged speedy trials, with which I agree.  And it’s now in the hands of the judicial system, not in our hands.”

As for why the filing of charges took so long, Garland stated, “Special prosecutors followed the facts and the law.   They brought cases when they thought they were ready.”

The federal criminal case over Chump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results has been put on pause while a dispute over the former president’s claim of presidential immunity winds through the appeals process.   Now it’s unclear if that case – or the three other criminal cases pending against the former insurrectionist and GOP presidential frontrunner will go to trial before the 2024 election. 

Garland also made a pitch that his department and his special counsel have proceeded in such a way that politics have been kept out of the equation.  This will not assuage ugly repugnicans who will assert that the Justice Department is conducting a fucking “witch hunt” against the Republican ex-president. 

Thus it seems as if the only way to stop Dump and his infernal retaking of the White House is to convict him, but who knows when these trials will ever get under way. Again, remember my calling him in yesterday’s blog our American version of the Japanese Godzilla.    I see parallels here with his apparent invincibility with that of his Japanese counterpart who withstood all sorts of artillery fired at him. 

So let’s see if the wheels of justice will turn a little faster in order to put away an orange monster. 

Today marks the second week that we have Atticus whom we adopted from North Shore Animal League on Friday, January 5.  He’s adjusted so well to us and to his surroundings that it seems as if he’s been with us forever.   Atticus feels right at home everywhere in the apartment and we’re very elated.   He shows no fear toward exploring his surroundings and that’s a very good sign. 

Have a good weekend. 

Stay safe and be well.