In praise of citizen jurors.

February 22, 2023

          “It’s not rocket science.” So said the forewoman of the Fulton County special grand jury when asked if the jurors recommended an indictment against Trump. She also said that the special grand jury recommended “multiple indictments,” that the list was “not short,” and that

You’re not going to be shocked. . . . It is not going to be some giant plot twist. You probably have a fair idea of what may be in there.

For details, see NYTimes, Jury in Georgia Trump Inquiry Recommended Multiple Indictments, Forewoman Says.

          The only reasonable interpretation is that the special grand jury has recommended indicting Trump (and others) for interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. All that remains is for District Attorney Fani Willis to conclude her investigation and present the evidence to a regular grand jury for issuance of an indictment.

          The comments by jury forewoman Emily Kohrs signal that the first moment of accountability for Trump is drawing near. Everyone who values the rule of law and seeks to protect the Constitution should welcome Kohrs’ disclosure—but not merely because it suggests that Trump will be part of a “long list” of future defendants. Kohrs’ “matter-of-fact” description of the special grand jury’s conclusions should encourage every American who believes it is obvious that Trump illegally interfered in the 2020 election.

          The views of the Fulton County special grand jury align with the views of tens of millions of Americans—as would have been expected and intended by the Framers of the Constitution. Citizen jurors dispensing justice on grand and petit juries is the bulwark of democracy bequeathed by the Framers. Trump and his cohort have successfully evaded the grasp of investigators in dozens of matters. But their strange luck faltered whenever a jury of their peers had the opportunity to consider the evidence and issue verdicts. Two prominent examples include:

• Paul Manafort, convicted on eight counts of bank fraud and tax fraud in a verdict joined by an ardent Trump supporter, and

• Roger Stone, convicted of obstruction of justice, lying to Congress, and witness tampering.

          Notably, when Bill Barr’s special counsel John Durham issued flimsy, politically motivated indictments against Michael Sussman and Igor Danchenko, the juries not only refused to convict the defendants but rebuked John Durham for wasting the government’s resources on prosecutions designed to promote Trump’s claim of a “Russia hoax.” Bill Barr and John Durham made the mistake of believing they could fool a jury with smoke and mirrors. But as Emily Kohrs said, “It is not rocket science.”

          All of this bodes well for the day when special counsel Jack Smith, District Attorney Fani Willis, and District Attorney Alvin Bragg finally seek criminal indictments and conduct trials in front of juries of Trump’s peers—American citizens who take an oath to “well and truly try” the case and “render a true verdict according to the evidence.” The track record of juries who are finally allowed to hear the evidence and issue indictments and verdicts suggests that the collective judgment of the American people is correct—Trump is a corrupt president who obstructed justice, attempted a coup, and incited an insurrection.

          We need only for prosecutors to act with the urgency demanded by Trump’s serious crimes. Citizen jurors are dutifully awaiting their charge to “render a true verdict according to the evidence.”

Concluding Thoughts.

          There is much more to discuss, but my Managing Editor and I have had a non-stop day of activities and are about to head out to an abandoned runway to await the Northern Lights once again. Storm clouds are predicted for later this evening, so the outlook is dicey, but we will sit and wait patiently for the right moment. [Update: I posted the first photo I was able to capture; didn’t have time to sort through the hundreds of photos I took; but you get the picture! ]

          Tuesday was a very good day for Democrats in special elections. In Wisconsin, Democratic candidate Janet Protasiewicz advanced to a two-person run-off against Daniel Kelly for a controlling seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. And in Virginia, Jennifer McClellan won a special election to fill the seat held by Rep. Donald McEachin, who died in November.

          Republicans had little to criticize about Biden’s trip to Ukraine, so they suggested that he should have traveled to East Palestine, Ohio (the site of the train derailment) or the southern US border. Of course, traveling to Ukraine on Monday does not foreclose trips to either Ohio or the southern border, so the GOP “criticisms” are not criticisms at all. And Putin announced a long-expected withdrawal from the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia. Putin’s announcement was notable only for its timing, not for its substance, which has long been a foregone conclusion.

          And while Republicans were yipping at Biden’s heels in the US, he was in Poland, delivering a speech to bolster European unity against Putin’s encroachment. It was a commanding speech by Biden, one that followed the best traditions of American presidents leading the free world against tyranny. It doesn’t get better than that.

          I will be traveling for the next two days, so please bear with my irregular schedule and shortened format. I will be back on schedule next week (including the audio edition).

          Talk to you tomorrow!

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