this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2025

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227

Biden Justice Department slow-walked key decisions in Trump legal probes (www.msnbc.com)

submitted 1 week ago by spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works to c/news@lemmy.world

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Acting on a mix of principle and caution, Justice Department officials under former President Joe Biden made a series of decisions that significantly delayed and ultimately may have hampered the federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump, according to a new book.

The slow decision-making at the top of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Justice Department affected two major probes into Trump after he lost the White House in 2020: whether he illegally possessed and obstructed the retrieval of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, and whether he conspired illegally to overturn the 2020 election.

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[–] LovingHippieCat@lemmy.world 89 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In fall 2022, ahead of the midterm elections, Garland opted to freeze both the classified documents and election investigations because of what some officials believed was his overly cautious reading of a DOJ policy not to take any public action close to an election.

So fucking fun how this always applies to investigations into Republicans but never into Democrats. We couldn't possibly be investigating a Republican who isn't even on the ballot within 60 days of an election but we absolutely can send a letter to congressional Republicans about new emails being discovered in the Hilary Clinton investigation a mere 2 weeks before the election despite willfully knowing it would be leaked.

I genuinely believe that Garland, a known Republican, voted for Trump in 2020 and was upset he didn't win and knew he was going to be the candidate again so didn't want to put the fucker in prison. Then went and voted for Trump in 2024.

Fucker should have been fired.

[–] Dragonstaff@leminal.space 33 points 1 week ago

We should have picked back up the Russia investigation and rolled it in with Jan 6th and brought charges two weeks into the Biden administration.

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 38 points 1 week ago

"What could happen? It's not like he'll start ignoring the law outright, right?"

[–] Stamau123@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thanks for the principles you sleepy jackasses

[–] SGGeorwell@lemmy.world 38 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Merrick Garland is to the rule of law as RFK Jr is to public health.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 10 points 1 week ago

I mean at least RFK is actually pushing for something, even if it is bat shit insane.

Garland is just a fucking coward. I now know why the Republicans wanted Obama to nominate him to the SCOTUS. They'd just have to speak loudly at him and he'd crumble, deciding however they'd want him to.

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

Are people having a hard time remembering this? I sure don't. If there's any hilarity to be found in any of this, he's going to get fucked anyway.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

Justice Department officials chose to move cautiously and slowly over concerns about the implications of investigating a former and possibly future president, taking  pains to insulate the probes from even the appearance of politics

I don't buy this. It doesn't take a poli sci expert to know that Trump would make the probes political no matter what. The Justice Department would have to be incompetent if they actually believed this

For instance, it took more than a year after Trump was defeated for the Justice Department to convene a grand jury to hear evidence in the alleged criminal scheme by Trump to use fake electors to overturn the results of the 2020 election

This is the part that really kills the "caution" excuse. Why wait a year? The only possible excuses I can think of are: Incompetence or the rich and powerful protecting a fellow rich and powerful person, even if he is from across the aisle

I'd be interested to see if Trump ever goes after anyone involved. Jack Smith, the Biden family, Garland, etc. He's gone after a lot of people that criticized him like John Bolton or James Comey. He's also going after Letitia James. But not people involved in the Justice Department probe that was intentionally slow-rolled

I suppose that does bring a potential 3rd reason: Fear of reprisal. I'd put that under incompetence though. If you put the criminals in jail, it's a whole lot harder for them to punish you for investigating them

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Biden was never the man that could stop fascism, and boy did American Fascism use it's time incubating. I didn't think it'd be Trump again, thought it would have to be a new, more clever fascist but I was wrong. Biden was so milquetoast all it took was the same old fascist in a race where no on was worried about Covid anymore.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Merrick Garland is a Nazi ally

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca -1 points 1 week ago

Based off?

I don't really know who that is, just wondering why you say that

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

It wasn't principle, they wanted this.

[–] edible_funk@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You mean the partisan republican doj obstructed an investigation into republicans? I'm shocked. Well I'm not that shocked.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

To be fair, the DoJ generally protects everyone who is rich and powerful. I was surprised they gave Bob Menendez a slap on the wrist, rather than dropping the case

And I do consider 11 years a slap on the wrist, considering he took bribes from foreign governments. That's Eric Adams levels of corruption, although nowhere near Trump levels of corruption

[–] AngularViscosity@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago

Yeah, we noticed.

[–] Tronn4@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

We seen that happening in real-time super slow mo. Jsut a month before Bidens end term all of a sudden there was a lot of action but nothing stuck

[–] boaratio@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

No duh.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

biden just barely beat trump and knew he couldn't beat anyone else.

Of course the biden doj slow walked everything.