The president believes the special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents went beyond his remit. And part of the blame is being placed on the AG.

Joe Biden has told aides and outside advisers that Attorney General Merrick Garland did not do enough to rein in a special counsel report stating that the president had diminished mental faculties, according to two people close to the president, as White House frustration with the head of the Justice Department grows.

The report from special counsel Robert Hur ultimately cleared Biden of any charges stemming from his handling of classified documents that were found at Biden’s think tank and his home. But Hur’s explanation for not bringing charges — that Biden would have persuaded the jury that he was a forgetful old man — upended the presidential campaign and infuriated the White House.

Biden and his closest advisers believe Hur went well beyond his purview and was gratuitous and misleading in his descriptions, according to those two people, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. And they put part of the blame on Garland, who they say should have demanded edits to Hur’s report, including around the descriptions of Biden’s faltering memory.

  • DogPeePoo@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Federalist Society plant Merrick Garland has been working to get Trump back in the entire time

    • Hegar@kbin.social
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      5 months ago

      Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society are such a dire threat to Americans. They’d happily burn the entire country to the ground as long as they’re left to baptize the ashes.

    • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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      5 months ago

      I had this discussion back on Reddit. Seeing this upvoted, maybe it’s time to do a misinformation check.

      The guy has a Federalist society profile page because he moderated or appeared on some panels, if I recall. The Federalist society, not him, set up that page, and it was pretty normal for unbiased/unaffiliated lawyers to participate in Federalist panels.

      The existence of that page has morphed into some conspiracy or evidence of secret right-wing intentions.

      I don’t think he’s a right wing plant. He seems like just a typical “don’t blame me” milquetoast career centrist. Do you have some other evidence or is this it?

      • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Maybe the problem is it’s too normal and uncontroversial for people to openly associate or be counted among fascists?

        Maybe just maybe his comfortability with fascism was a sure sign that he should not be the one to prosecute them.

        • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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          It’s not so simple, unfortunately. I mean, what exactly is “his comfortability with fascism”? What are you referring to?

          In law school in the 2000s, the Federalist Society had student arms and out of curiosity I attended some meetings. It was clearly not for me, but it was not the group it is today. It wasn’t good, but it was within the normal civil-debate range of “ok, as a polite apolitical gesture, I will attend or participate upon request.” And I see no evidence Garland did anything but that, at a time before before this fascist strain became the dominant one it is in the GOP today. It would certainly mean something different if he participated in 2018 or 2024.

          So all I’m saying is: if there is some specific affirmative thing Garland has done that makes him a fascist or secret Republican conspirator, or whatever, great, let’s see it. I have no skin in this game, I just think if people hear things too often without them being tested then they start to believe them, even if there’s no evidence. So, let’s test it.

    • lennybird@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Dude he was a nominee of Obama for the Supreme Court that Republicans blocked…

      • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Mitch McConnell filibusters his own bills. Garland was a suggestion from Orin Hatch. That Obama nominated him says nothing more about him other than Obama was trying to naively extend an olive branch to Republicans. That a republican would think he would be appropriate to nominate. Is a rather scathing indictment.

        • lennybird@lemmy.world
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          So there were plenty of Republicans who stood up for the right thing, from McCain to Liz Cheney and Kinzinger. Hell there have been loads of Trump-appointed judges who upheld the integrity of the 2020 election.

          At the end of the day, Obama had no choice BUT to find some sort of moderate because he needed Republican Senate approval… Which ultimately, he didn’t get anyway (in a similar manner to what’s going on with the border legislation now).

          Reminder that Progressive org MoveOn also endorsed Garland.

          All that being said, nobody has yet to point out a single substantive thing that Garland has done wrong. Just blind speculation. because obviously we all wish Justice could happen overnight.

          • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            No there weren’t. They didn’t stand up for the right thing. McCain is literally part of the problem. And dead. Liz Cheney is a horrible person from a horrible family. They don’t support Trump personally. Because he attacked them personally. They were 100% behind him carrying out all the horrible xenophobic, fascistic things the party stands for. Barely even able to meekly object for more than a vote or two. And only when things are specifically about Trump himself.

            • lennybird@lemmy.world
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              McCain prevented millions from losing healthcare and having the ACA overturned. When idiot Tea Party / Trump supporter-types criticized Obama, McCain defended him. McCain also helped pass the McCain-Feingold bipartisan campaign finance reform act. A perfect soul? Certainly not, but if all of Republicans were like him we wouldn’t be where we are today.

              We do not call people horrible simply by association with who their family is; that is absurd. Liz Cheney stood up and did the right thing in denouncing Trump. Again a perfect person by no means, but also not outright evil either.

              Trump attacked many people personally like Ted Cruz and DeSantis and they still kiss Trump’s ass.

              Either way, my main points remain.

              • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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                Yes but McCain didn’t do it to keep millions from losing access. He literally did it out of spite to get back at his own party as they turned against him. It wasn’t out of some principle he held. He literally voted against the ACA in the first place.

                And yes everyone remembers that one time he meekly corrected one of his lunatic voters. That doesn’t make up for everything else. Or make him a good person.

                Mccain feingold wasn’t a horrible piece of legislation either. It was surprising to see Mr. Keating five attached to it. But again, it does not neutralize or negate everything else regardless.

                Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney’s daughter. Attacked her own sister. She’s a piece of shit just like her father. Mary Cheney may have been the only one to escape the family reputation. Liz only went against Trump again out of spitefulness because Trump had been attacking her because she did not capitulate to him completely. At one point, Liz Cheney bragged that sheed voted with Trump 100% of the time. In reality she hadn’t. But the only times she hadn’t were things particularly relating back to Trump himself. Because it wasn’t out of principle, it was out of spite.

                I never said that everyone Trump attacked turned on him. Yes, Ted Cruz is a despicable submissive little husk. That doesn’t change any of the other points. It just goes to show how sad and pathetic people like Ted Cruz are. And why they’re in the Republican party.

                Either way, either points still don’t stand.

                • lennybird@lemmy.world
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                  Maybe you’re right; maybe they’re not stellar people. However:

                  1. These weren’t my main points.

                  2. Regardless of their motives, their actions are what matter; for as I said, there were many Trump supporters who were spited by Trump but who still kissed his ass. For whatever reason that you and I cannot elucidate, these individuals broke with the rest – often to their own downfall – unlike other individuals, again such examples being DeSantis or Cruz. If enough people in the Republican party at least had this level of self-respect, then perhaps we wouldn’t be where we are today (though an argument can be made such people enabled Trump to be created like Frankenstein’s monster.)

                  My main points:

                  • Obama didn’t have Senate control; he was never going to get an idyllic progressive into the Supreme Court under a Republican Senate; he couldn’t even get a formerly-bipartisan supported candidate like Garland into the Supreme Court – This point remained untouched.

                  • There is substantively NOTHING Garland is doing wrong and every complaint I’ve thus far seen has been pure speculation from people who are not legal experts and are just impatient – This point, too, remains untouched.

      • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Obama was basically a Republican from 1980, my guy. Even Obamacare is romneycare and a right wing policy example.

        Obama is not progressive he is not left. He is a corporate liberal.
        Those are not the same thing.

        • lennybird@lemmy.world
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          This isn’t 1980 anymore, though, my friend.

          Shit, I’d take a 1980s Republican right about now, which speaks to the fragility of our nation at the moment.

          None of this changes my point and the claim, “Merrick Garland has been working to get Trump back in the entire time” is entirely unsubstantiated bold-faced speculation. A complete non-sequitur.

          Look at it another way: Democrats may be 1980s Republicans, but modern-day Republicans are 2024 Republicans, which basically means the banner of neo-nazi, ultra-right right extremists and a platform that is entirely Anti-Democrat as much as it is Anti-Democracy.

          Democrats basically marginalized the GOP away by absorbing their most rational political platform, topped off with a little more social liberty and justice. It has actually been working quite effectively at making the Republicans irrelevant. So with that (1) Yes, at this stage of the game with the party endorsed by neo-nazis, I’ll take the 1980s Republican, and (2) Sending the Republicans the way of the Whigs could very well open up a vacuum for the Democrats to assume the center-right position and a new truly leftist party to fill the void. (Though is is all probably predicated on massive campaign finance / election reform which again, will only ever come through the Democrats and never Republicans).

        • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          He wasnt basically a republican, he directly said in a 2012 interview his policies would be mainstream republican during Reagan, And he, like all other Presidents, continued Reaganomics