Pres. Joe Biden doesn’t want to investigate Donald Trump’s many criminal acts

Biden meets Virtually with Frontline Workers

When President Obama came into office in 2009, he was faced with the near-collapse of the American economy and thousands of troops engaged in two different wars. He put his head down and got to work, and in doing so, he completely dismissed calls from within his own party to investigate the Bush administration. Specifically, many Democrats wanted an investigation into how the Bushies lied us into war in Iraq. I remember also being sort of confused by why the Obama/Eric Holder Justice Dept. didn’t do a wider investigation into the massive financial fraud and “white collar crime” that led to the 2008 financial collapse (to this day, only one banker has gone to jail for any of it). Obama also rejected calls for any kind of “truth and reconciliation” commission.

So, that’s the recent history. As mad as I was at George W. Bush and his cronies, I understood Obama’s point of view that launching a bunch of investigations and commissions would end up bogging everything down. But what about the past four years of Donald Trump’s fascism? Do we, perhaps, need President Biden to order some investigations into Trumpland’s criminality? Well, President Biden doesn’t want to do it.

President-elect Joe Biden has privately told advisers that he doesn’t want his presidency to be consumed by investigations of his predecessor, according to five people familiar with the discussions, despite pressure from some Democrats who want inquiries into President Donald Trump, his policies and members of his administration.

Biden has raised concerns that investigations would further divide a country he is trying to unite and risk making every day of his presidency about Trump, said the sources, who spoke on background to offer details of private conversations. They said he has specifically told advisers that he is wary of federal tax investigations of Trump or of challenging any orders Trump may issue granting immunity to members of his staff before he leaves office. One adviser said Biden has made it clear that he “just wants to move on.”

Another Biden adviser said, “He’s going to be more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.”

Any decisions by Biden’s Justice Department regarding Trump, his staff, his associates, his business or his policies wouldn’t affect investigations by state officials, including Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who has fought to obtain Trump’s tax returns.

As Biden tries to balance his own inclinations with pressures from within his party, his advisers stressed that he is seeking to reset the dynamic between the White House and the Justice Department from what it has been under Trump. Biden wants his Justice Department to function independently from the White House, aides said, and Biden isn’t going to tell federal law enforcement officials whom or what to investigate or not to investigate.

“His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward,” an adviser said. “But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.”

A third Biden adviser said that when it comes to any Trump-related investigations, the expectation is “it’s going to be very situational” and “depending on the merits.” Broadly, Biden’s priorities will be the economy, the coronavirus, climate change and race relations, not looking back at the Trump administration, an adviser said.

[From NBC News]

There’s more stuff in the NBC News piece, but those are the broad strokes – Biden has no personal interest in ordering any investigations into Trumpland. But! I think it’s also sort of notable that in the same breath, his team is saying that Biden wants to go back to the days where the DOJ largely operated with independence. As in, if the FBI or Biden-era Justice Dept are investigating Trumpland, then that doesn’t come from Biden and they’re completely independent. So it will be for all of the state and civil issues, of which there are plenty.

Here’s what I really think – I think that even if Biden wants to avoid investigating Trumpland, his DOJ will end up doing it anyway. There was literally criminality EVERYWHERE. The Biden administration won’t be able to walk into a room without accidentally uncovering ten criminal acts by the Trumpers. Not to mention all of the f–king criminality JUST AROUND THE ELECTION. Donald Trump is committing election fraud as we f–king speak!! Jesus Christ.

Trumps Welcome President and Mrs. Morales of Guatemala

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

60 Responses to “Pres. Joe Biden doesn’t want to investigate Donald Trump’s many criminal acts”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Snuffles says:

    I see his point. I don’t think he will directly order any investigations but he won’t prevent any from happening either. And he wouldn’t have a say in what states like New York do anyways. And New York is going to RIP THE WHOLE TRUMP CLAN TO SHREDS.

    • Seraphina says:

      Exactly Snuffles, it’s like I will not chase the intruder in my house, but I damn well will unleash my dogs to chase him/her down. And I am sure there are some that are waiting to be unleashed.

      • (TheOG) Jan90067 says:

        When I first saw the heading, I was thinking, “OH *HELL* NO!!! NO WAY that POS and his grifting crotch-spawn can be allowed to get away with it all!!!” But after reading you, Snuffles, and you, Seraphina, Ok.. Ok.. I can live with this. Let him let the dogs out. But I want to make damned sure those dogs are HUNGRY before I let them off leash!

        Yes, I am that bad (but only when it comes to Lame Duck et al 😄 )

      • Snuffles says:

        I just wanted to add that Governor Cuomo is probably frothing at the mouth and ready to pounce on Trump’s ass the SECOND he’s out of office. Trump has been personally attacking the state of NY and Cuomo this whole pandemic and threatening to withhold funds and the vaccine out of sheer spite.

        Cuomo is going to THOROUGHLY dismantle the ENTIRE family and relish every second of it.

      • Seraphina says:

        Snuffles, all I can say to that last last sentence is: I wish Cuomo God’s Speed.

      • Seraphina says:

        @(TheOG), don;t feel bad about how you feel, I feel the same way when it comes to the Trump Clan and his family.

    • Becks1 says:

      Yeah, I think the comments were very carefully worded. Biden wants unity! Biden isn’t going to prosecute Trump! but oh, the DOJ, its so independent, Biden would never interfere…….

    • Maida says:

      Agree, Snuffles. And with Trump actively trying to subvert a free and fair election RIGHT NOW, Biden has reason to weigh his words carefully. An independent DOJ that pursues facts is bound to have to investigate some of Trump and associates’ doings anyway.

      • Seraphina says:

        What astounds me that we all have a better understanding of the dynamics how government and government agencies work more so than the lame duck in office right now.

    • JanetDR says:

      And I cannot wait!

  2. Kiera says:

    Honestly if what I’m hearing coming out of NY is in any way correct Biden won’t have to investigate anything. There have been rumblings for ages that while Mueller was investigating Trump anything they found at a state level was handed over to those DAs. It sounds like the SDNY especially has a strong case on Trump but they can’t for some reason prosecute a sitting president on state crimes. This is coming from a close friend of mine down in DC with ties to the CIA and secret service. They’re full of great beltway gossip!

    • Chris says:

      Yeah, there’s been a some smaller news stories that haven’t been garnering much attention with everything else going on, about NY state gathering evidence on Trump’s organization. Is it that Mueller knew that Trump’s government would never actually hold Trump responsible so he passed the good stuff over to NY and probably DC? I only know what I’ve read in the news, any insider tips are welcome and exciting.

      • Kiera says:

        So I just talked to my friend and they said from what they have heard while Mueller was investigating he found a number of leads to crimes that had nothing to do with what he was supposed to be looking at. He had his people forward that information over the to the right people aka SDNY. He did this because if they had gone down those rabbit holes they would have been outside of their mandate and it could have tainted anything they found.

        Now this part my friend says they can’t verify but feel confident in. There are several sealed indictments in SDNY that have been floating around since the middle/end of Mueller’s investigation. The thought it that these are the indictments regarding the Trumps shady business practices and dealings associated with NY state. It sounds like they are sitting on them until Trump is fully out and can’t pardon himself or others with him. The kicker is that Biden’s team has been aware of this for quite some time as Kamala and Biden have lots of ties with various DAs throughout the country. Basically they just have to sit back and the work will be done for them.

        To give my friend some context for those reading they frequently have dinner(pre covid) with current and ex secret service, who are huuuuuuge gossips. I’ve heard some great stories about those dinners. When I once asked them if they work for the CIA their answer was that everything they do they do for the good of the country. Its an accepted fact among our friend group that they don’t not work for the CIA.

      • Kristin says:

        This is giving me so much hope right now!!

    • (TheOG) Jan90067 says:

      You can’t see me, Kiera…but I am smiling SO widely right now, just thinking about it! GO SDNY!

      • Kiera says:

        Me too!! This friend has given me just the best beltway gossip over the years. They told me about Lady G ages and ages ago. Which by the way is apparently accepted fact in certain circles in DC.

      • Chris says:

        @kiera do they have any whiff of why Lindsey Graham did a 180 on trump? I assume it’s not because of the lady g stuff because that seems to be an open secret at this point.

      • Kiera says:

        @chris just asked them. They say that accepted fact in beltway and established public fact are two very different things. Graham wouldn’t be able to get re-elected in SC if Lady G really came to light. They can’t confirm it but whispers of images/video have been floating around. However they think it has more to do with money and Graham being an idiot.

    • LightPurple says:

      Also, Mueller found evidence that Trump committed crimes but couldn’t indict because of that policy so those crimes are fair game now too..

    • Natters5 says:

      If the next administration does not come on down hard on the Trumps then what the American people and the world learn is that you can not only get away with crime but be rewarded too. What that would lead to is more people like Trump coming up in the future and corrupting our government which effects all of us. Just look at Italy and Russia. You have to tear the weed out root and all in order to make sure it doesn’t come back again.

  3. Frida_K says:

    For the benefit of this country, my vote is for prosecution. Open, out there for all to see, fair, unbiased prosecution.

    It may just be at states’ level, but there must be consequences.

    It needs to be clear to one and all, within and external to the United States of America, that these criminal acts are not going to be swept under the rug today, nor will they be allowed to fester and multiply for future political regimes.

    The damage is too deep. We need sunlight and truth and to get to the root of it all.

    • Mac says:

      I totally agree. Impunity breeds impunity. When Biden announces his AG pick we’ll have a better idea of possible investigations.

  4. Darla says:

    When we allowed Reagan to skate on Iran-Contra we set the tone. Reagan absolutely should have been impeached. We didn’t do it, we moved on, and what happened? The R’s impeached the next Dem president over a consensual sexual relationship. And in so doing, they made a mockery of the impeachment process, which paid off for them, with amazing dividends, less than 2 decades later during the impeachment of Donald J Trump for being a foreign agent.

    If we do this again, we really do not know what the repercussions will be, but they are always far wilder than you expect. Trump and his criminal family should be prosecuted. Frankly, Lindsey Graham should be prosecuted, and that’s just from this week. If we go back to the beginning, Devin Nunes should be prosecuted. There’s a long list.

    But sure, let them walk, see what happens.

    • Esmom says:

      I don’t think at all that Biden or anyone around them wants Trump and his enablers to walk. I think they realize that right now is not the time to call for their heads. This is maybe the one thing I’m not worried about right now. We need to get Biden safely in the White House first before I will side eye any calls to let any of this go.

      • Darla says:

        Oh I agree about keeping it quiet for now. I am a bit unhappy even with James in NY apparently saying she has sealed indictments against the trumps? I mean, I’m thrilled she does, but let’s get him out of there first. no need to make him even more desperate.

  5. sa says:

    The President shouldn’t have a role in investigating his political rivals. And the President shouldn’t interfere with law enforcement going after criminals. Biden letting the Justice Department do it’s thing is the correct approach.

    If Biden can restore the Justice Department to what it’s supposed to be, we’ll get those Trump investigations. We may not hear about all of them, because they tend to bring charges only when convictions are sure things, but I have no doubt that there will be investigations.

  6. GuestWho says:

    I sort of see where they are coming from. I would love to see them go scorched Earth on this crime family, but it would be incredibly divisive and time/energy consuming. Let NYS handle the prosecutions. The money laundering will tie him in to Russia, et al, they’ll get him for his tax shenanigans, and a number of other idiot crimes these morons aren’t smart enough to hide. That’s how they get all the big fish into prison. Frustrating? Yes! But I really don’t think he’s going to be able to swan off into noble retirement like Nixon was.

    Read a great article about the Scottish Parliament moving to investigate money laundering via “unexplained wealth orders” regarding the acquisition of his properties there…accusing them of repeatedly reporting fraudulent financial details to US office of government ethics, while reporting a different set of figures to uk regulators. Add that action to all the foreign loans coming due in 2021. He knows what’s waiting out there for him. That’s why he’s so incredibly desperate to remain in the WH.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      The SNP need to be very careful as they financially benefited from the Trumps – it was them who gave Trump permission to extend his golf course onto protected land (due to endangered fauna and animals). It was later revealed that he ‘donated’ a large sum of money to the SNP around the time he got permission for his golf course extension. They are just as dirty in their dealing with the Dumps.

  7. Ladybug says:

    I know he doesn’t want to but at this point he has to. Just to stop this from ever happening again.

  8. lucy2 says:

    I don’t believe a President should be able to order investigations like that. That’s the job of the DOJ, and federal and state agencies. Biden is, rightly, saying he’s not going to instigate it, but will step back and allow them to do their jobs. If (ha!) there’s evidence of crimes, they will prosecute

  9. Josie Bean says:

    I can understand Biden not wanting to get bogged down with Trump investigations. However, as mentioned previously, that has nothing to do with individual states conducting/continuing their own investigations and the IRS have an ongoing audit of his tax return(s), and they do need to press on with that.

  10. grabbyhands says:

    Not investigating 45 would be a colossal mistake on his part and a huge slap in the face of huge groups of people who voted for him.

    I really hope this is just optics semantic bullshit because otherwise the Democrats are once again snatching a defeat from the jaws of victory and they will pay for it at the mid-terms, by once again allowing his criminality to be normalized and go unpunished. Christ, how many more times are they going to pander to this fascist’s supporters?? It’s pathetic watching Democratic leadership constantly crying “do you like me yet???” To this demographic while ignoring their own constituents.

    I was under no delusion that Biden would be anything other than “conservatively liberal”, but if this is true, it’s fucking disappointing. Not to excuse the war crimes of Bush and his cronies, but the big difference here is that 45 and his little cabal have actively used the office to commit criminal acts against their own country, for personal benefit and to completely undermine democracy to install a dictatorship.

    Saying you have no interest in prosecuting it is condoning it. The country isn’t going to heal if you just ignore it.

    • Darla says:

      100% agree, and the Fascist right will be even more emboldened. It’s a huge mistake.

      • Chris says:

        I don’t think that’s what he’s saying. I think he was being political in saying HE will not instigate an investigation. That doesn’t mean the DOJ won’t. It would help the investigations in the long run because it would be harder for Republicans to argue it’s only politically motivated if Biden stays out of it. NY is already pursuing investigations. I trust that Kamala as a former prosecutor and state attorney general has an idea about the best course of action.

    • cer says:

      It’s optics, but as already pointed out, its not his job as president to order the investigations, it’s the DOJ.
      And Congress will continue to investigate, and there will probably be internal department investigations since pretty much every cabinet secretary and department head was corrupt.

  11. jessamine says:

    As much as I want fire and brimstone and vengeance, I think he’s right to claim at least the appearance the Ford-afer-Nixon high road — SDNY and an independent DOJ are the perfect strike team for this. Not only is Biden going to want to avoid the appearance of “political retribution” (even if it’s deserved) but asserting pressure on federal investigations would mire his adminstration at a time when there is a metric f**ktonne of work to be done. Also, the more he signals that he’s not interested in pursuing prosecution, it makes it less likely that Trump will try to force another constitutional crisis on the way out the door by preemptively pardoning himself or his family members.

  12. Rad says:

    Well… not MANY of his criminal acts, but at least one ore two… Committing treason comes to mind.

  13. LightPurple says:

    Trump’s whole 2016 campaign was based on investigating and locking up his political rivals and while he hasn’t succeeded in the latter, tens of millions of our tax dollars were wasted in more investigations of emails and laptops and other stuff that had previously been found to be nothing. It is the hallmark of a banana republic dictator.

    Biden is seeking to avoid that. He won’t be the one calling for the investigations BUT an independent DOJ is certainly free to do so as is Congress. And Letitia James isn’t backing down soon. Nagini freaked out on Twitter last night, accusing James of ruthless harassment. Sounds like Nagini has something to hide.

    • Darla says:

      Trump’s political rivals hadn’t committed any crimes. They always do this, and Trump is a master at it, but honestly so is McConnell. I get what you are saying, and I agree it’s a tough spot, but it’s my view they cannot walk. In the longrun that will be even more dangerous. There is no safe way out of here though. That’s for sure.

      Oh and I loved watching Ivanka squirm on Twitter. I just kept tweeting at her ‘LOCK HER UP LOCK HER UP”. I do need some fun.

      • LightPurple says:

        They won’t walk. Biden just won’t be involved in it, that’s all. He’ll stay above it while his AG and the US Attorneys do their jobs. And I do hope his AG is Sally Yates or Preet Bahara, THAT would be sweet justice.

    • lucy2 says:

      Yeah Ivanka sounded a little nervous, huh?
      Good.

      • Chris says:

        I cannot wait for NY to bring down the hammer on the whole family. If they’re convicted by the state Biden couldn’t pardon them even if he wanted to (lol). So Republicans couldn’t pressure Biden to do it which they absolutely would if he was convicted by the federal government. The DOJ will probably cover all of the criminals that worked throughout the government appointed by trump. I’m feeling absolute glee about them all ending up in prison.

      • LightPurple says:

        Her plastic facade cracked a bit. It was delicious.

  14. Chris says:

    Yeah I agree with you. I think this is a political move on the part of Biden. He’s trying to stay out of it to avoid the appearance of it being purely politically motivated so when Trump is charged later on it will be harder for Republicans to cry foul. I think he wants to work towards breaking the normalization of using the power of the office to pursue politically motivated investigations. Unfortunately only Democrats seem to care about preserving democracy at this point.

    I’m also happy to give trump as little attention as possible, he thrives on it. Both good and bad. NY is already moving on investigating trump. I don’t doubt the DOJ will investigate trump AND his criminal buddies throughout the government. However, I’m fine with letting them do their jobs without having to hear it covered like reality show drama. Trump’s presidency has been exhausting enough.

  15. Arb says:

    Biden is Carter. He was put there to serve on term and reestablish civility. That’s his whole job so far as the Democrats are concerned. I’m sorry, but it is simply not good enough. We are facing climate destruction. America needs to lead again.

    • cer says:

      He hasn’t even nominated cabinet members or taken office yet. Perhaps hold off on the ‘failed presidency’ bit until he’s actually president?

      • Darla says:

        Yeah, and he wasn’t “put there”. The democratic base voted him in as the nominee, and then the people elected him by giving him more votes than the other guy. I do suspect Biden may surprise a few people, including me.

    • windyriver says:

      Maybe do a little reading on his website, see among other things what his priorities are – including climate change. Lots of information there.

  16. Moxylady says:

    Yeah. In a functional government, the president doesn’t order the investigation into anyone. That’s not his department so to speak.

  17. Emmitt says:

    Nothing the bankers at the time did was against the law, so Obama couldn’t throw them in jail.

    Presidents are not supposed to be directing the DOJ to investigate a particular person so Biden will not be ordering the DOJ to investigate Trump. PERIOD.

    Now if DOJ or state attorneys general want to investigate Trump, Biden will not stand in their way.

  18. Bevvie says:

    Not investigating the Trump crime family is not going to appease his base or unite the country. Let the new AG and governor Cuomo go for it.

  19. MsIam says:

    I get where Biden is coming from, plus if Trump really is planning to run again in 2024, why give him a chance to be a further martyr to his base? The country needs to move on and let the states handle things hopefully the Trumps will end up doing some time in prison.

  20. Leah says:

    That’s not his job. It’s the job of his AG and the DOJ.

    NY is sharpening her claws, she’s had four years of waiting for this moment.

  21. jferber says:

    I see his point and agree. Don’t make Biden’s presidency about Trump: that’s exactly the attention trump wants. He’ll raise money, have incendiary rallies, etc. Pardon him federally and let the New York State courts take him down. No more national media attention for this traitor. God I wish banishment were a viable political tool. trump has forfeited his place here as an enemy to democracy. Even Benedict Arnold was classier than trump. As far as I’m concerned, he will never raise his face out of the mud.

  22. Thirtynine says:

    To fail to investigate or further the cause of justice is a complete betrayl of those who voted f or him, and would destroy his presidency. You dont wrap a clean bandage over a festering wound and pretend all is good because you can’t see it. It has to be lanced and drained, or the poison spreads and you die.

    Even considering this is a disgusting piece of privilege. What about the actual victims of Trump’s crimes? Don’t they deserve to be heard?

    If Biden is quietly letting this be known so as not to further inflame Trump before he’s out- well, fine. But after that he needs to be clear to the DOJ that justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done, and let them get to work on it. People have lost faith in law and order under Trump, as it was one law for them and another law for everyone else. Biden needs to make a point of publicly stating that in his presidency, crimes will not be connived at or covered, b ut that everyone, without any prejudice or protection will stand or fall under the same laws.
    Justice first, reconciliation after.

  23. Rise & Shine says:

    I totally agree it must be done. Yet, personally, I think he will do it, but it will be conducted by others in the administration. And yay, Obama’s memoir that was just released is a bestseller already (YAY), NYC is going after Trumps and Ivanka in a big way now too. All of which is driving Trump Kushners bonkers lol. So I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE and stay cool everyone. Hang in there and have a great weekend. Better times ahead, love ya all.

  24. HeyJude says:

    Unlike Trump, Biden’s not going to say he’s going to investigate his direct presidential predecessor because that is completely legally inappropriate and suggests frivolous, retaliatory prosecution just because they’re political rivals which is a criminal act called public corruption in the non-Trump led United States.

    But Joe Biden is not going to protect Donald Trump and once again as it’s supposed to be the Justice Department will operate independently of Oval Office direction and they can and will prosecute the gravest crimes the nation has fallen victim to.

  25. Thirtynine says:

    Hey Jude, I hope so. Not personal or retaliatory, but application of the law to the fullest extent by the appropriate powers acting appropriately. Yes, I hope so.

  26. Rise & Shine says:

    I agree it should be done, and I think it will. Biden will not deal with it directly, not should he have to, he has work to do and is already doing it for us. But I believe that he will see that others look into it. I think so anyway. And love that Obama’s book is an instant bestseller, Trumps and Kushners, including Ivanka are in more trouble in NYC, and that it is Joe Biden’s Birthday. (Haha all of which, YOU KNOW, its driving Trump Kushners bonkers 🙂 Hang on all, and have a good, safe weekend. And Happy Birthday Joe!

  27. jferber says:

    President Biden will have all he can do to get out of the strait jacket of country-destroying acts trump is perpetrating in order to booby-trap and sabotage the presidency for him. And yeah, trump WILL run again in 2024 because duh, true assholes never leave willingly.