Justice Dept is finally investigating Donald Trump’s actions on & around 1/6

When Barack Obama came into office in January 2009, many Democrats were hopeful that President Obama’s DOJ would investigate and prosecute how the Bush administration lied the country into the Iraq War. Obama and AG Eric Holder didn’t touch the issue. Politically, Obama knew that if an investigation started, it would blow up his domestic agenda and nothing else would be done. I’m sure President Biden’s political math was similar when he took the oath of office on the Capitol steps, just days after terrorists had committed armed insurrection against elected leaders. While Biden and AG Merrick Garland knew that there would be prosecutions, they also knew that as soon as they really went after Donald Trump, there goes Biden’s domestic agenda. That’s one of the reasons why the January 6th Committee is doing such important work, not only educating the public on exactly what happened, but the committee has effectively put an enormous amount of pressure on the DOJ to get their sh-t together and actually commit to prosecuting everyone involved. Well, f–king finally, the DOJ seems to be narrowing their focus on Trump’s actions.

The Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump’s actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to four people familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury — including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence — have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle who sought to substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Joe Biden won, according to two people familiar with the matter. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The prosecutors have asked hours of detailed questions about meetings Trump led in December 2020 and January 2021; his pressure campaign on Pence to overturn the election; and what instructions Trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states, the people said. Some of the questions focused directly on the extent of Trump’s involvement in the fake-elector effort led by his outside lawyers, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, these people said.

In addition, Justice Department investigators in April received phone records of key officials and aides in the Trump administration, including his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, according to two people familiar with the matter. That effort is another indicator of how expansive the Jan. 6 probe had become, well before the high-profile, televised House hearings in June and July on the subject.

The Washington Post and other news organizations have previously written that the Justice Department is examining the conduct of Eastman, Giuliani and others in Trump’s orbit. But the degree of prosecutors’ interest in Trump’s actions has not been previously reported, nor has the review of senior Trump aides’ phone records.

Federal criminal investigations are by design opaque, and probes involving political figures are among the most closely held secrets at the Justice Department. Many end without criminal charges. The lack of observable investigative activity involving Trump and his White House for more than a year after the Jan. 6 attack has fueled criticism, particularly from the left, that the Justice Department is not pursuing the case aggressively enough.

[From WaPo]

“Justice Department investigators in April received phone records of key officials and aides in the Trump administration…” But they’ve only recently been narrowing their focus on Trump’s actions? Maybe DOJ investigators have been quietly looking at Trump’s words and actions this whole time, but after every Jan 6th Committee hearing, it feels like Justice is scrambling to play catch-up, like they’re genuinely surprised by how much information and testimony the committee has gathered. Anyway, whichever way it goes, send all of these f–king MAGA terrorists to jail. No one is asking for some politicized prosecution of some nitpicky bullsh-t. This was a massive terrorist plot involving a lame-duck president trying to violently overthrow the republic.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Backgrid.