John Dean believes that Attorney General Merrick Garland will bring a criminal case against Trump.
Video:
John Dean tells @Acosta that he thinks Merrick Garland will act to bring a case against Trump, “He’s all but said if it’s the president, I will indict the president. So I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and I have very few doubts.” pic.twitter.com/N75s1HJfYt
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 6, 2022
CNN’s Jim Acosta asked, “Do you think at the end of the day the justice department will do what Liz Cheney is saying and if they see a case, act?”
Dean answered:
I think they will. I think that Merrick Garland is a career Justice Department man. He has a very good sense of what it’s like to be in that department. And he knows that that — those staff attorneys would revolt if he just turned aside a clear case that was sitting out there against this president. I think he’s got to. His other alternative, of course, is to appoint a special prosecutor because he thinks it’s political and try to delay the decision by going through that process.
But the other thing is, Merrick Garland wants to get the Department of Justice back where it was when it had respect. Before the Trump team sort of tore it apart and depressed a lot of attorneys. So they want to do this internally. I think Garland will do that. I think he’s given two press conferences now where he said anybody and everybody who’s involved criminally will be dealt with. He’s all but said if it’s the president, I will indict the president. So I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and I have very few doubts.
The consensus appears to be growing among legal experts that it is getting more likely that the Department of Justice will move to charge Donald Trump. Before the 1/6 Committee hearings, it was difficult to find many experts in the legal community who believed that Trump would be charged. Much of the conversation was criticism of the Justice Department and Garland for not going after Trump.
The DOJ’s investigation into Trump and the fake electors became public knowledge, and the 1/6 Committee unveiled a mountain of evidence against Trump and his associates.
Now the surprise will be if the Justice Department doesn’t pursue action against Trump.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
