Another Shout Out To Merrick Garland

[gab13by13]

One of the best AG's ever.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-top-biden-white-house-official-blames-merrick-garland-for-failure-to-look-into-the-epstein-files-he-was-hypersensitive/ar-AA1JfzK3?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6882f2d23f67401cbdbf12947118cce8&ei=30

“Any time I say anything about Epstein, they’re like, ‘Why didn’t Joe Biden’s — why didn’t Joe Biden release the files?’ And this is what I say: Have you met Merrick Garland?” Tanden responded.
Neera Tanden was a senior advisor to President Biden.

“[T]he Joe Biden White House had nothing to do with enforcement on any topic,” she continued, charging that “because of the abuses of the Trump administration, the White House didn’t engage in any particular enforcement matter.”

“We barely did engage on policy with the Department of Justice. They were so arms-length to us.”

Tanden claimed the Biden White House had “no idea” what — if anything — Garland was doing related to the Epstein files, but that she believes the former attorney general couldn’t tolerate being potentially viewed as biased if he were to open more criminal cases related to Epstein’s underage sex trafficking endeavors.


Neera Tanden said she believes Garland may have been “hypersensitive” to potential political blowback related to the Epstein case.

“I can’t really tell you why Merrick Garland didn’t do it. I would say that he was hypersensitive about any perceptions of unfairness to a point where I think, you know, I’m not sure justice was always even done,” Tanden said.

“And I can imagine he thought, you know, after he’s doing [Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases] and all the conservative blowback on that — maybe he wouldn’t even look into Ghislaine Maxwell — but someone should ask him,” she added.

“I wish he had looked into it.”

[FoxNewsSucks]

1. Fuck anyone who helped sweep that under the rug

They should all burn in hell, if it exists.

[BigMin28]

5. Alex Acosta

Should have had to answer for his part. He was found to have violated a few laws by a federal judge. But he only had to resign as Labor Secretary, and is living the good life in private practice.

[BannonsLiver]

2. The Garland Society devotees won't like that.

[Skittles]

7. what IS it with that cult

[Woodycall]

11. What is it with that cult?

They are "liberals" that feel "uncomfortable" about being liberals/democrats. Gnawing at them in the back of their minds is their Republican Daddy's voice telling them that the Republicans are the party of fiscal and moral responsibility. And they can't "shake" it. That's my fucking take anyway...

[bluboid]

12. ah yup, sounds about right...

[BaronChocula]

16. Or in some cases

they just can't admit that they were wrong so they double down on their defense of a milquetoast AG who was more concerned with appearances of bias than he was with an aggressive pursuit of justice. They point to his past success as a prosecutor and how anything he WOULD have done as AG would have been nullified by the the Roberts Court, blah blah blah.

And none of those apologists are actual insiders. What info we do have from insiders like Tanden and members of the J6 Select Committee, for example verifies what we're saying.

[fujiyamasan]

21. This sounds about right

People rarely can admit when they were wrong so they double down. It’s like most facets of life. It’s usually ego. I hate to say it, but that sounds remarkably Trumpy. He’s definitely not one to ever admit he is or was wrong about anything.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

54. It's hard to say that without getting attacked around here unfortunately. But having lived through it...

...I can still hear the echo of, "Garland, where the eff are you??" in my head.... It was such a disappointing time. To say nothing more could have been done is like praising firefighters that showed up with a bucket of water instead of a firehose.

[Skittles]

18. it's as good a theory as any

none of it makes any sense to me

[brush]

57. Merrick the Meek was so concentrated on going after the small fry J6 rioters instead of TSF insurrectionists...

leaders, the Epstein files was obviously no concern of his.

He ended up accomplishing little, taking two years appoint Jack Smith, too late. trump then outmaneuvered him and declared for president again then ran out the clock on Merrick the Meek as once he declared for president, he couldn't be touched.

[NoMoreRepugs]

3. AG's need a bulldog mentality, not that of a bunny rabbit.

[FoxNewsSucks]

6. That's an insult to bunny rabbits.

I've seen rabbits actually bite a threat.

Didn't save them, but at least the rabbits didn't just roll over and give up.

[Skittles]

8. I saw a couple of rabbits duking it out in the road

I had stopped my car, and then so did a cop....we watched for a bit, then the cop got out and shooed them along

[bluboid]

13. yup again.

[Intractable]

4. I shall damn him with faint praise -- he ain't as bad as Bondi.

[MadameButterfly]

17. or Hitler

What's the bar here?

[Intractable]

19. It's a low bar and you lowered it further.

[MadameButterfly]

20. to make the point

Not meaning to compare Garland to Hitler

[fujiyamasan]

22. Maybe beats Barr

But that’s a low bar!

[MadameButterfly]

53. Speaking of bars

There's that Barr.
Who beats Barr? Bondi or Garland?

[LexVegas]

9. Garland is compiling a strongly worded statement. nt

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. ARRGLE BARRGLE!!!

Take the poll and record your true feelings about Garland for posterity:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220509563

P.S. we found out this week that it takes an order from a judge, not the AG, to release grand jury files.

[edhopper]

34. So to you

there is only one answer and Garland is blameless.
Got it!

[Fiendish Thingy]

35. One answer?

There is but one reality, one truth.

Just trying to shift the mythology vs reality ratio a bit.

[edhopper]

48. If your view of reality

is Garland did everything perfectly, I would say many, including Pres. Biden, disagree with your completely subjective analysis.

[Fiendish Thingy]

49. Don't put words in my mouth

I have never said Garland is free from criticism, only that most criticisms of him are not based on facts, but are opinions based on a lack of information and the passage of time.

My point, repeated ad nauseum, is simply this:

Garland is not the villain of this story

As I have responded to numerous Garland bashers, pick your preferred AG- the outcome would have been exactly the same:

The corrupt Roberts court would have ensured there was no Trump trial before the election

[edhopper]

58. I think Garland made big mistakes

Never said he was the villain of the story, talk about putting words! What a strawman!
Your last sentence is pure speculation and opinion.

[Fiendish Thingy]

59. My reply didn't single you out specifically

My reply focused on MY point of view (which you had distorted in your post), and described the general POV espoused by many Garland threads- Trump escaped justice because of Garland- and they never, ever mention the role of the Roberts court.

The obstruction of the Roberts court is an established fact, and there is no evidence that another AG could have forced a trial before the election, and plenty of evidence that the Roberts court intended to delay any trial until after the election, regardless of the timing of any indictments.

The immunity ruling alone guaranteed another year, if not multiple years, of delays with hearings and appeals to determine which crimes were “official acts”.

I know it and you know it.

[republianmushroom]

61. But this is an opinion site .

[Fiendish Thingy]

63. No it's not, it's a discussion board

Some posts share opinions, others share verifiable facts, and others assert that subjective opinions are verifiable facts.

As a member of the reality based community, I challenge the latter.

Read my signature line.

[republianmushroom]

64. But you also use your opinions.

[Fiendish Thingy]

65. I share both opinions and facts

And I know the difference between the two.

[BannonsLiver]

45. To be fair that's the first tenet in the Garland Society code.

Or as some folks call it, “tHe rEaLiTy baSed cOmMuNiTy.” 🤪

[BigmanPigman]

14. I'm a Neera Tanden fan from 2016.....

Since she actually took the time to write a reply to my email to her regarding the Russian interference in the election. That is an automatic "plus" in my book.

[Celerity]

43. bellend Manchin ratfucked her confirmation for OMB director in February 2021

[BigmanPigman]

67. I seem to remember reading about that

since it pissed me off a lot at the time.

[orchidlady]

15. epstein was dead

he died in 2019, under djt's and bill barr's watch.

ghislaine was arrested and charged the following july; djt and barr were still in charge of BOP. .

she was convicted at the end of 2021.

not sure as there was any role for garland wrt epstein, at least beyond any continuing ongoing investigations into others involved; i never heard of any such. his case was essentially closed after he died. there was no call from anywhere i'm aware of to "look into it." during biden's admin.

despite knowing a lot about a lot of things, neera tanden far too often speaks about things she knows nothing about.

this is clearly one of those times.

as for garland, i continue to be stunned at how many folks around about have such strong negative opinions about him while openly exhibiting thin as gruel grasp of the procedural limits of the AG, the facts of the various djt matters, and the events of the any of the cases. you don't have to trust me, but i've followed this epstein case very closely, since 2007 and i don't recall any clamor for garland to go after epstein outside the MAGA fever swamp.

to borrow a phrase from the obama years, garland was not our magic monkey. folks need to grow out of that fantasy, as it's become so destructive, doing damage to the unity while Rs sit back and relish. garland is a good and decent man and a great jurist. no one was gonna deliver the outcome we all wanted on any matters concerning djt, as that was pre-determined, in case you didn't notice. SCOTUS and the Rs have had this rigged for years.

[BWdem4life]

23. Look, I know you can use capital letters 'cause there are some in your post.

Maybe you think it's cool, but it actually makes your stuff harder to read.

In fact I'm not gonna take the extra trouble to read your stuff anymore. The fact that you're a Garland supporter seals the deal for me.

[malaise]

29. Discuss the content not the form n/t

[Fiendish Thingy]

36. From the reality based community

I thank you for your fact based post that doesn’t succumb to the mythology built upon uninformed opinions.

[Scrivener7]

24. Patience grasshopper. This isn't a Law & Order episode. Garland has this.

[Oopsie Daisy]

25. Oh dear... Here we go, again! "Merrick, Merrick, Merrick" is the "Marcia-Marcia-Marcia" of the new millennium.

The predictability of it is comical. Can we move past the Garland fixation? It's exhausting and unproductive. It's divisive, it scab-peeling. The bellyaching and whining serves no good purpose. Obsessing over Garland changes nothing. Let's focus on the real issues that need our attention.

[gab13by13]

30. Krasnov runs the legislative branch of government,

Krasnov runs the judiciary branch of government, Krasnov is ruler of the executive branch of government.

Krasnov is working to control the military, has ordered the National Guard to suppress peaceful protest, has sent marines to the border and to the streets, has given unknown mercenaries under the guise of ICE a bigger budget than the FBI.

Yes let's focus on the issues. I guess the issues are GOTV because every day I get a dozen texts to donate money to the election. I am being asked to donate money for drapes for our house while it is burning down.

Let us learn from the inactions of Merrick Garland. 3 months ago I wanted Dems to do town halls based on the issues by putting faces on the harm that the Big Ugly death bill is going to do to us. I wanted Dems to do town halls like the MSNBC town hall where fired federal workers told their personal stories. I wanted Dems to hold these town halls in blue, red, and purple districts, now they want my money for TV ads. I donate to Indivisible and the ACLU who are fighting for our democracy. I will donate to Democrats when it gets to election time.

Last night Chris Murphy stated that he is doing a town hall in a red district, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what a great idea, an idea that every Congressional Democrat should have done 3 months ago before the Big Ugly Death Bill became law.

[Oopsie Daisy]

32. Who is Krasnov?

[Fiendish Thingy]

50. What, you no gotta da jockey code book?

Get your Tutsi frutsi ice cream…

?si=Oc_SI11TxDBUL5oJ

[Oopsie Daisy]

68. Ha! Great link! That perfectly illustrates the absurdity of all the stupid nicknames given to Trump.

I see now that this is yet another juvenile nickname for Trump that creates stumbling blocks for the exchange of information among folks who do not have the Jockey Code Book... or for those who simply do not see the value in memorizing the nickname-du-jour for Trump. (ie: cheeto, TFG, TSF, Farty McFartface, Slobfather, etc)

Jimmy Kimmel has used these nicknames and puns as a source of great amusement... but when it comes to sharing information and having adult conversations with (presumably) other mature adults, these cute-sy nicknames do sound a bit childish or sophomoric and detract from the discussion and seriousness of the topics.

It's just a way for the "in-crowd" and the "cool-kids" to identify themselves as such with their secret-codes and in-jokes... leaving ordinary folks shaking our heads and rolling our eyes... wondering what good or useful purpose is served by these types of games.

Who has time?? It makes no sense to keep checking their Code Book, and Master Code Book, and Breeder's Guide (the whole set), or the Jockey Handbook. --- By the time the rest of us figure it out... the race will be over and Trump will be out of office.

Ugh!

[gab13by13]

52. KGB code name for Trump

[Oopsie Daisy]

70. If true, among actual former KGB agents, this "code name" would make conversation easier ...

... in the real world, however, these types of cool-kids and in-crowd (ever changing) nicknames only serve to confuse and add stumbling blocks to adult political discussions the clear exchange of information, knowledge regarding current events.

[Fiendish Thingy]

37. Critical thinking is hard

Scapegoating is so much easier and satisfying - note the hundreds of recs Garland bashing threads get.

[Oopsie Daisy]

40. Scapegoating, whining, foot-stomping and tantrums are easier.

Yes... excellent observation, there. I'm sure it must be very satisfying. Perhaps there's a belief that this type of obsessively repetitive showboating and public signaling improves one's street-cred (or internet-cred?) ... it's hard to tell for sure, but in that regard, such things are usually perceived by reasonable people as being closer to a self serving rant than any serious attempt at solving or addressing real issues that need urgent attention right now.

[Passages]

26. His hypersensitivity, that's a new one added to the list.

It is called, in some circles, failure to act or negligence. Alternatively, we can pretend he was an appropriate fit from the get-go.

[gab13by13]

27. Neera Tanden went overboard criticizing President Biden

She criticized Joe for doing what president's are supposed to do, stay at arms length away from the AG and DOJ. That's how it's supposed to work.

We have Krasnov giving his former lawyers and cronies positions of power in the justice department and then ordering them what to do.

Please convince me that we aren't a Dictatorship already.

Democrats need to keep on the offensive, need to keep Epstein Gate front and center. Democrats, demand that the Epstein autopsy be released, many Magats will join in. This is how to bring Krasnov down, flip a chunk of his base, demanding the release of the autopsy will do that.

[Fiendish Thingy]

38. So, Tanden is wrong when bashing someone you like

But you will boost her mythologizing when it bashes your favorite scapegoat?

[sop]

28. The extremely risk-averse Garland was the wrong man for the job.

Even Joe Biden (privately) expressed regret about appointing Merrick Garland as Attorney General. The country is now suffering the consequences.

[Fiendish Thingy]

39. I believe Biden's regret was very specific

It was around Garland’s pick of special counsel for Hunter’s case, that’s it.

If you can find reports that he expressed broader regret for hiring Garland at all, please post it.

[sop]

41. You need to do your own research, Fiendish. Google is your friend...

"President Joe Biden is quietly expressing regret about appointing Merrick Garland as attorney general. According to a report in The Washington Post, Biden believes Garland was slow to prosecute Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and allowed for an aggressive prosecution of his son Hunter."

https://san.com/cc/biden-regrets-appointing-merrick-garland-as-attorney-general-report/

"The Washington Post has an in depth profile of President Biden's administration. Apparently, Biden regrets selecting Merrick Garland as Attorney General, and would have preferred former Alabama Senator Doug Jones."

"In private, Biden has also said he should have picked someone other than Merrick Garland as attorney general, complaining about the Justice Department's slowness under Garland in prosecuting Trump, and its aggressiveness in prosecuting Biden's son Hunter, according to people familiar with his comments."

https://reason.com/volokh/2024/12/29/president-regrets-selecting-merrick-garland-as-attorney-general/

I would post the WaPo article just for you, but it's paywalled.

[Fiendish Thingy]

44. Well the entire report appears to be unsourced

Not even attributed to anonymous sources “close to the president” or anything like that.

It appears to be post election scapegoating and damage control to protect Biden’s legacy (too late).

If the reports are true, then the Buck stops with Biden, who, if he wanted a more “aggressive” AG (as if that would have made any difference with the Roberts court) with Trump who would also have been less aggressive with Hunter, then he should have fired Garland.

Of course, the WaPo also published an attention getting expose about a year earlier than these Biden regret articles that refute the scapegoating mythology about Garland and affirms, with many on the record sources, that Garland pursued investigations into Trump’s crimes despite interference and obstruction from pro-Trump career employees at DOJ and FBI.

[sop]

46. Sure, Fiendish...you hang on to that.

[Fiendish Thingy]

47. Well, my position is more factual than "even Biden says Garland was too meek!" Nt

[uponit7771]

71. That's only slightly better

[Solomon]

31. Having had a potential supreme court seat dangled at him by democrats, he went overboard trying to show he could be

impartial. Even when everyone knew he missed his chance and that it was over for him, he still had hopes of getting there.

[themaguffin]

33. I'm not sure what this has to do with the typical criticisms of Garland?

[lees1975]

42. Selective law enforcement.

"It might look political."

I thought the standard was, if it is illegal, we prosecute?

We elected Biden, at least in part, to clean up the mess that Trump made. We had, for two years, both houses of Congress and the White House. Does anyone realize what that meant, as far as preventing this destruction of our country now? We should have first of all eliminated public enemy #1, the Supreme Court by packing it, expanding it and making sure the justices that we appointed would follow through with the agenda. That would have included overturning both Citizens United and the Immunity ruling, an saving Roe. It would also have opened the door for Garland to expidite Trump's trials for insurrection and stealing classified documents, overruling his delaying tactics and getting the trials into court where he'd ben found guilty, prevented from holding public office, and likely jailed.

This is exactly why people want to see new leadership in the Democratic party, because doing things like this don't work.

[Beastly Boy]

51. I promised myself to never engage with Garland bashers again, and this thread is proof of how right my decision was

Garland bashing inevitably comes down to derogatory speculations on Garland's personality, never bringing up the facts, the legal circumstances or the statutory boundaries which determine the limits of the powers of the office of an Attorney General.

If one looks critically at the themes being brought up by the purveyors of the "evil Garland" mythology, it always comes down to something like "If only Garland was more like Barr, he wouldn't be worse than Barr."

[republianmushroom]

62. But here you are.

[Beastly Boy]

66. Just to say "I told you so". I am not engaging in any conversation beyond that.

[Blues Heron]

55. Meek Merrick the putz, never has a country been more ill served than by that loser

What a jellyfish.

[ecstatic]

56. That was my thought as well. Biden respected the doj

and mistakenly believed that they were competent and doing their jobs.

[ShazzieB]

60. People are still beating this dead horse?

Seems like a waste of time and energy to me.

?si=Ab8PN5ZXr9Zk6WOr

[TheFarseer]

69. I had always thought they didn't release

the Epstein files because big donors and maybe some Democrats were in it. I think it’s somehow worse if it’s because Garland didn’t want Sean Hannity saying something bad about him.