Trump Legal Battles: Smith's Latest Moves Explained

This week marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal saga involving President-elect Donald Trump as Special Counsel Jack Smith filed motions to conclude his two criminal cases. The primary reasoning behind this development is a Justice Department policy that discourages prosecuting sitting presidents. This situation raises questions about the timing and decisions made by various officials, particularly Merrick Garland, who was sworn in as Attorney General in March 2021. It took almost two years before he appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to manage these cases. Legal analysts, like former federal prosecutor Ellie Hoenig, pondered the potential impact if Smith had been appointed sooner. She suggested that had Smith begun his work earlier, it could have led to a trial and verdict well before the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump, facing a jury in Washington D.C., where his popularity is notably low, might have encountered a challenging situation regarding the trial. Hoenig criticized Garland's delay in moving forward, suggesting it severely affected the integrity and accountability expected in this legal process. The speculation surrounding this 'what if' scenario underscores the complex dynamics at play in high-profile legal cases against political figures, and how timely interventions might lead to different outcomes.