Talking heads on cable television are talking about Merrick Garland as a Profile in Courage. Let's take a quick look at that: Is Merrick Garland a Profile in Courage?
One thing to see is the fact that on or about December 14 of last year, Congress referred Mr. Mark Meadows to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution for his Contempt of Congress. That's a long time. Merrick Garland has not given any good reason for his delay, so far as I know. I would speculate that perhaps it is because Meadows is a former Member of Congress. There is some unwritten rule, a "norm," about not subpoenaing sitting Members of Congress and perhaps that extends to former Members of Congress as well.
That could explain why there is still no prosecution in the case of Matt Gaetz, as he is currently a sitting Member of Congress.
Except that it took 25 days between the time that Congress referred its previous prosecution for Contempt, against Steve Bannon, and the time that Merrick Garland's DOJ actually filed it. And Steve Bannon, so far as I know, has never been in Congress so that shoots that theory to try to explain the Contemptuous foot-dragging, anyway.
When DOJ filed the Contempt prosecution against Mr. Bannon, it requested trial in April. That's 6 months after Congress' Contempt referral. The judge on the case finally set the trial for July.
There are so many other things to see, but only one further thing is necessary. Merrick Garland has signed off on the DOJ's plea deals for light sentences for many of the January 6 perpetrators. There have not been any prosecutions at all so far, of any of the January 6 planners.
Merrick Garland may not be able to get the holdovers at the Department of Justice to pursue any of these criminal prosecutions. Things may not be so merry for Merry Garland at the DOJ. It is a possibility.
But so far as we can see today, it is a certainty that Merrick Garland is not a Profile in Courage.
Please read the disclaimer. ©2022 Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved.
Comments