⚖️ Smith Steps Back

Election interference case no more—what’s behind the decision?

November 29, 2024

The Flag


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Right: CBS' Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Election Year, Tristan Justice, The Federalist

Right: What's the Matter With Democrats? Walter Samuel, AMAC

Left: Dems Should Appeal to Their Base, Not Swing Voters, Steve Phillips, The Guardian

JANUARY 6

Smith Steps Back

Today’s Top Story: Special counsel Jack Smith announced on Monday that he would drop the federal case against President-elect Donald Trump for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election.

Reporting from the Right: Jack Smith Surrenders: Ends Florida Prosecution Against Trump in Triumph for President-Elect (Breitbart)

Reporting from the Left: Special counsel Jack Smith drops election subversion and classified documents cases against Donald Trump (CNN)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

End of the Witch Hunt

The Top Argument From The Right: Jack Smith’s End Of Lawfare Charges Against Trump Proves It Was A Political Witch Hunt, Brianna Lyman, The Federalist: “Surely if Trump is really the criminal mastermind Smith alleges he is, there’s no conscionable way he could drop the charges. The reality is that Smith knows this was never about the law. It was about leftists using lawfare to prosecute and ideally jail their political opponent. … Smith still made sure to add a throw-away-line that the decision to drop the case did not ‘turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind.’ But, Smith added, the Department of Justice concluded that pursuing the case would hinder Trump’s ability to lead. … Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed on Tuesday to indefinitely delay Trump’s sentencing in the case regarding Trump’s alleged payments to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.”

Honorable Mention #1: The Collapse of Anti-Trump Lawfare, Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Not Great, but Not the End

The Top Argument From The Left: How Jack Smith quietly ensured Trump’s Jan. 6 case isn’t actually going anywhere, Barbara McQuade, MSNBC: “While Trump has vowed to fire Smith, why would the special counsel do something to make it easy for Trump, by dismissing the cases himself before Trump is sworn in to office in January? Is this simply an example of what historian Timothy Snyder calls ‘obeying’ an authoritarian in advance? Not at all. In fact, this move could be an effort to keep the cases alive in the long term. An interesting tell in each motion is Smith’s request to dismiss the cases ‘without prejudice.’ That means that the cases can be filed again. By dismissing the cases now on his own terms, Smith blocks Trump’s attorney general from dismissing the cases for all time. In addition, by filing his motions pre-emptively, Smith was able to explain his reasons for dismissing the case, rather than allowing Trump’s future AG to mischaracterize them. According to Smith, he was dismissing the case not because of the merits or strength of the cases, but because he had to.”

Honorable Mention #2: Trump’s Most Damning Criminal Indictment Finally Ends With a Whimper, Malcolm Fergusson, The New Republic

FLAG THIS

Fewer Forsee Trump Conviction

In August, polling found that fewer Americans now believe Trump will be convicted in his pending cases, with confidence dropping sharply across political groups from June to July:

  • Classified documents case: Belief in a conviction fell from 60% to 35% among Democrats, 33% to 15% among Independents, and 20% to 10% among Republicans.

  • Federal election and Jan. 6 case: Conviction expectations dropped from 58% to 38% for Democrats and from 20% to 12% for Republicans (YouGov).

Do you believe the January 6 case against Trump will resurface after his term ends?

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WATERCOOLER

Ike Goes to Korea, Pacific Pioneer, Turkey Trot

On This Day in 1952, making good on his most dramatic presidential campaign promise, newly elected Dwight D. Eisenhower went to Korea to see whether he could find the key to ending the bitter and frustrating Korean War.

Today I Learned: The Turkey Trot is the oldest continuously run footrace in the United States.

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