Dave, Dave, Dave! You weren't supposed to admit that! Didn't they warn you in the green room?
Democrat Dave Aronberg, an MSNBC regular and the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, appeared on Jonathan Capehart's MSNBC show on Sunday. And it wasn't a mere cat he let out of the bag. It was a gosh darn saber-tooth tiger.
Aronberg admitted that in his prosecution of Donald Trump, special prosecutor Jack Smith is motivated by politics, with the goal of denying Trump the presidency in the 2024 election.
Asked by Capehart why the Supreme Court denied Smith's request to take up the issue of Trump's claim of presidential immunity before the Circuit Court ruled on it, Aronberg said:
"The Supreme Court saw that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to expedite their review. So the Supreme Court is saying, hey, you've got an expedited review on the lower court. Why do you need us to intervene and big foot the lower court?
"And the answer to that is that because there is an election. And Jack Smith didn't want Trump to become president before this case is tried and then Trump can undo everything and thwart the rule of law.
"But Jack Smith did not write that in the brief. He did not break the code. He did not tell the Supreme Court, there's an election and we need to get this trial done before the election.
"And you know why he didn't do that, Jonathan? Because Jack Smith didn't want to be perceived as being political. He did not want to mention the election. He and Merrick Garland are so nervous about being accused of being political, they stayed away from that argument."
So, Aronberg admitted that Smith IS politically motivated against Trump, but "did not want to be perceived as being political."
Yikes!
"Um, Mr. Aronberg, you have a call on line one. It's, uh, someone from the Biden campaign, and, um, she doesn't sound very happy."
Note: Although Aronberg is an elected Democrat official, he apparently plays both sides of the street -- including the Trump side! Check out this article showing Aronberg and his then-wife attending the 2016 New Year's Eve dinner at . . . . Mar-a-Lago! Wonder if Aronberg ran into would-be gate crashers Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski?
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart
12/24/23
8:01 am ETJONATHAN CAPEHART: On this Christmas Eve, there is no rest for Donald Trump's legal team. Late yesterday, lawyers for the twice-impeached, four-times indicted on 91 counts former president filed an appeals brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals which asked the appeals court to toss special counsel Jack Smith's federal election interference case, arguing that, quote, Trump has absolute immunity.
. . .
The filing came a day after the Supreme Court declined special counsel Jack Smith's request for the high court to hear the case IIbefore the appeals court did, a decision that could delay that potential trial possibly until right before or even after the 2024 election.. . .
Joining me now, Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida. Dave, welcome to the Sunday Show. This move by Trump's lawyers was expected, but did anything jump out at you in their new filing?
DAVE ARONBERG: Well good morning, and Merry Christmas to you, Jonathan. You know, I think now we know why Donald Trump did not want the Supreme Court to weigh in on this yet. Because it's such a ridiculous argument. He knows he's gonna lose. And this is all about delay. And the courts will throw coal in his stockings after reading these briefs.
There's a reason why we left the crown. We didn't want to have a king. And he's essentially saying that once you're acquitted by the Senate, by a bunch of political cronies in the Senate, then you become a king. It's a permanent get-out-of-jail-free card. And that's not how any of this works.
. . .
And so, you said, if he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning. The answer is no. But he thinks perhaps he could win by losing, by delaying this matter until after the election, when he could become president and shut it all down.
CAPEHART: So then Dave, were you surprised the Supreme Court didn't agree to hear this case now?
ARONBERG: You know, I, a little bit, but then I realized what this was about. The Supreme Court saw that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to expedite their review. So the Supreme Court is saying, hey, you've got an expedited review on the lower court. Why do you need us to intervene and big foot the lower court?
And the answer to that is that because there is an election. And Jack Smith didn't want Trump to become president before this case is tried and then Trump can undo everything and thwart the rule of law.
But Jack Smith did not write that in the brief. He did not break the code. He did not tell the Supreme Court, there's an election and we need to get this trial done before the election.
And you know why he didn't do that, Jonathan? Because Jack Smith didn't want to be perceived as being political. He did not want to mention the election. He and Merrick Garland are so nervous about being accused of being political, they stayed away from that argument.
And as a result, the Supreme Court said, hey, what's the emergency? If you're not going to tell us, the process will go on as usual."
