People want blood. Okay, maybe not blood but definitely revenge against Donald Trump. There are so many truly sadistic gruesome actions this president has inflicted upon America. He is still ripping little children from their mothers’ arms and caging them. A quarter of a million people, 249,563 to be exact, lie dead in their cold dark graves. He did nothing to save them. The list of horrors goes on and on.
But it comes as something of a surprise that new President-elect Joe Biden does not want to demand an investigation into 45. He says he does not want to fill his presidency with news about the previous president. Democrats strongly urge him to investigate Trump, his family, and his administration. Yet, other presidents have followed his lead. Notably, President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor President Richard Nixon. Biden will not pardon Trump.
One pundit opined in The Washington Post that Biden just wants to avoid “divisive Trump investigations.” Instead, he is trying to heal the deep rift in the nation. Over 73 million Americans voted for Trump in the November election. As columnist Paul Waldman said:
‘The difference between the two parties on this question is just extraordinary. As I’ve said in other contexts, Republicans are the party of “Yes we can” while Democrats are the party of “Maybe we shouldn’t.” They’re forever afraid that someone will criticize them or that being too tough will backfire, something Republicans never worry about.’
During the Trump years, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway broke the emolument clause over and over and “replied with a sneer,” according to NBC News:
‘Let me know when the jail sentence starts.’
One adviser to the president-elect said:
‘[He] just wants to move on. He can set a tone about what he thinks should be done. [But] he’s not going to be a president who directs the Justice Department one way or the other.’
Another Biden adviser said:
‘He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.’
A third Biden adviser said that when it comes to any Trump-related investigations, the expectations are:
‘[I]t’s going to be very situational [and] depending on the merits.’
A member of Biden’s team said that he does not want to give any indication that he is ordering the DOJ to investigate the Trump administration:
‘While they’re not looking for broad criminal indictments, they do want to make sure that people don’t think there are no ramifications for any of their actions between now and the new presidency.’
Biden will not let Trump off of the hook. He just wants his Department of Justice (DOJ) to function independently from the White House, aides said. Then, Biden is not going to tell the DOJ or any federal law enforcement officials how to do their jobs:
‘His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward. But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.’
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
