I see Robert Hur, Special Counsel investigating President Biden’s possession of classified documents from his time as Vice President, chose today to release his report. It tries to be damning:
- The investigation found Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information, but he will not face charges. [CNN/Politics]
However, this is not only mitigating, but even contradicts the above findings:
- In the report, Hur noted that Biden cooperated with the investigation and returned the classified documents once they were discovered — noting the significant differences between this case and the one against former President Donald Trump, who was charged last year in relation to his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
Naturally, the White House and Biden’s personal lawyer ripped the report. I’m not in a position to judge the report, although the above contradiction seems obvious.
But I will note this: There may be an opportunity to reset our politics.
How so? Today was also the day SCOTUS heard arguments as to whether Mr. Trump engaged in insurrection on 6 January 2021 and, if so, is he then disqualified from the Presidency and all other offices. I tried to listen to the arguments, but, being a working dude in a job consumed with details, I found their nattering and nitpicking both irritating and, due to their unknown references, incomprehensible. No offense. And I’ve noticed pundits are already opining that Trump will win this fight, which will be a rare victory for him.
But this can be changed.
Keep in mind that a widespread complaint among the electorate is that both Presidential candidates, Biden and Trump, are, really, way too old for the rigors of the job; I disregard Haley as it seems unlikely that she’ll win the GOP nomination. The electorate, outside of the evangelicals on the right, really would prefer someone younger, even though Biden has done far better than we could have expected, foreign and domestic, when he was elected, despite frantic GOP stonewalling and denial. And as a manager responsible for picking his subordinates, he has done very well.
Also, Biden has said that if Trump was out of the race, he’d be tempted to step out as well. He knows he’s too old, I think.
So here’s what Biden might consider doing: open a line of communications with Chief Justice Roberts, and suggest that if Trump is found to be an insurrectionist and disqualified from office, Biden will cancel his reelection run. Trump will scream, but most everyone else will sigh with relief. There’ll be a mad scramble on both sides of the aisle.
Naturally, Roberts would have to find a confederate, assuming the liberal wing is willing to find for the plaintiffs (Norma Anderson is lead plaintiff in Trump vs. Anderson), to gain the necessary 5-4 advantage. He might try to intellectually convince one of the six conservatives to join him, or he might just lay it on the line. But it’s noteworthy that there’s really no precedent at stake here. As Tristan Snell points out, it’s awfully darn clear that Trump’s politically an insurrectionist. The 1314th Amendment very clearly states that insurrectionists are ineligible to occupy elective offices. If they choose to find for Anderson, it’s not likely to result in damage to the polity in the future.
And the Republicans will find some of the pressure is off them. As anyone paying attention to politics knows, the border problem persists because of the GOP absolutely refusing to do anything about it; it’s the new abortion issue, if you accept that abortion was the issue with which the GOP kept their base in line for decades. But it’s also the Trump issue de jour; if he is forced to trundle off and just whine about the unfairness of the world, perhaps we can make progress on the border issue, Ukraine assistance, Taiwan assistance, and Israel assistance, all of which are tied up in the GOP fourth-rater incompetence vortex.
There’s a lot to like in a deal like this: younger, if inexperienced, candidates. Haley, as nominee presumptive, will get vetted, as will Democratic nominees. Maybe some new ideas will pop up. Younger voters may find new candidates more attractive. President Putin of Russia will be disappointed, of course, as Trump is widely viewed, correctly in my opinion, as Putin’s patsy – but if Trump cannot deliver, then Putin will have to make a move, such as sue for peace with Ukraine. And with Trump forced out, Ukraine funding might open up.
My oh my. I wonder if Biden’s discussing this idea with his advisors, because this may be win-win-win, the third being for voters.
