Pelosi wants criminal prosecution rather than impeachment

[critter]

Interesting maneuver.


The story

“I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison,” Mrs. Pelosi said, Politico reported, citing “multiple Democratic sources familiar with the meeting.”

"cited multiple sources familiar with the meeting."

Well, perhaps hearsay but this is actually the best strategy for the Dems.. "Lock him up!" Impeachment will most likely result in an unprecedented turnout in the upcoming election -- voting for Trump -- considering it will play right into the witch hunt narrative -- IMO. I think she's simply backtracking on the impeachment and the harsh words are meant to play to the radical "stop Trump by any means necessary" base.

"Lock her up!" appealed in the same fashion, and may work well, but I think the main thrust for such commentary is simply to back off impeachment thus avoiding the potential political catastrophe.

[LittleLebowski]

Go for it. Mueller could not do it with two years, $35 million, and forty FBI agents, but maybe #BotoxGrandma can.

[TGS]

Well, you need to impeach and then remove from office a sitting president before you can criminally prosecute same, so....

[Stephanie B]

Go for it. Mueller could not do it with two years, $35 million, and forty FBI agents, but maybe #BotoxGrandma can.

Nice snark, but it completely ignores the point was that the reason Mueller said he couldn't charge Trump is because DoJ policy forbits a federal indictment of a sitting president.

So as long as the statute of limitations hasn't run when Trump leaves office, he could then be prosecuted in Federal court. There might be an argument that the statute of limitations is tolled while Trump is in office, in the same way that it can be tolled when someone flees to avoid prosecution.

(Note that I'm not suggesting that there is or is not enough there to get an indictment.)

[Bart Carter]

I don't have a problem with prosecution for a crime because it isn't just political voting as impeachment is. When do they think that Trump will commit a crime? Are they planning some sort of entrapment? If so, it is pretty stupid to announce their plans beforehand.

[Zincwarrior]

Go for it. Mueller could not do it with two years, $35 million, and forty FBI agents, but maybe #BotoxGrandma can.

I believe the AG for the Southern District of NY is working on that.

[critter]

I don't have a problem with prosecution for a crime because it isn't just political voting as impeachment is. When do they think that Trump will commit a crime? Are they planning some sort of entrapment? If so, it is pretty stupid to announce their plans beforehand.

She's talking about whatever Dem candidate winning the 2020 election and then go after him with criminal prosecution -- which seems to me as her way of attempting to distance from Impeachment while also not appearing as a sellout to her base.

Impeachment, or constant threat of impeachment, could wind up with the Dems losing more than the presidency if it were to motivate another shift in congressional elections. I think that populist uprising in the voting booths is what she's attempting to assuage with her position.

[TGS]

I believe the AG for the Southern District of NY is working on that.

SDNY does not have an AG.

[RoyGBiv]

SDNY does not have an AG.

I didn't hit a NYT paywall.. but.. you might.

New York Attorney General Opens Investigation of Trump Projects

The new inquiry, by the office of the attorney general, Letitia James, was prompted by the congressional testimony last month of Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, the person briefed on the subpoenas said. Mr. Cohen testified under oath that Mr. Trump had inflated his assets in financial statements, and Mr. Cohen provided copies of statements he said had been submitted to Deutsche Bank.
The inquiry by Ms. James’s office is a civil investigation, not a criminal one, although its focus and scope were unclear.

[jetfire]

Well, you need to impeach and then remove from office a sitting president before you can criminally prosecute same, so....

You shush with your facts