This is a political post.
I will admit that I, like pretty much everyone else, did not see that coming. And while I've tried to defend Merrick Garland over the past year, to be honest the man hasn't given me much to work with. And then suddenly he feints and lands a solid haymaker, and the crowd goes silent for a second. Whoa.
Republicans want to scream about the weaponization of the Department of Justice, as though six months ago when they were sure they'd win back the Senate they weren't making sly remarks about using the tools of government in going after their own enemies along with those who'd betrayed Cheato. And they've completely forgotten or just pretended not to know about how the previous administration weaponized the IRS for those exact same purposes. Oh the irony of this situation, compounded by the fact that in 2018 the administration changed the penalty for unauthorized removal of classified documents from one to five years and turned it into a felony. (Public Law 115-118, Jan 19, 2018, Title II, Sec. 292)
And as much as Fox news and the Conservatives want the White House to own up to being behind this, the reality is Cheato has a copy of the warrant, even though he was in New York when it was executed. And that copy explains exactly what they were looking for, what statutes that the court thinks were violated, and what judge came to the conclusion that there was preponderance of evidence to proceed. And instead of releasing for the clarity that his supporters believe is being hidden, he has not.
Because, if you've been paying attention for the past few years the party that used to be the loyal opposition has transformed into something else much more dangerous. More cult than political party at this point, what an outsider can see as part con and part grift are blithely ignored by conservatives, who are probably more than a little scared that the world around them is changing at nearly every level and who are desperate to return to the "good ol' days," which weren't so good for any of the rest of us. And because the Democrats apparently weren't paying attention (or miscalculated) we came very close to end of our democracy just last year. Now caught out, the what used to be the party is grasping for whatever it can to stay afloat.
The real issue here is that half the country has been tricked into believing that "criminal" isn't a person who breaks the law, but a class of people. It's the good versus evil paradigm. The idea is a that a "good person" can do no wrong, even if what they did clear. The mass shooters weren't criminals, they have mental issues, they're good kids. The conservatives have associated good with a group (mostly themselves), not a set of actions, and the law is supposed to protect good people. It's why they felt they could attempt to overthrow the government and if they failed just could go home and nothing would happen to them. It's the fantasy where the hero breaks the law, but it's okay, because they had a good reason.
Merrick, my bad. You got a little something something. But you're not done, not quite yet.
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