EXPLAINER
Trump incorrectly declares the Justice Department is hamstrung in the lead-up to November’s vote as he looks down 2 federal cases.
Former President Donald Trump has stated the Department of Justine has a “60-day guideline” that avoids it from taking particular law enforcement actions versus prospects in the run-up to a United States election.
If Trump’s declaration were right, it would have comprehensive ramifications as he gazes down 2 federal indictments: one in Washington, DC, for efforts to reverse the 2020 election, and another in Florida for apparently hoarding categorized files.
Friday marks 60 days till the governmental election on November 5. So what are the truths behind the claim?
What did Trump state?
Trump conjuredup the “60-day guideline” while reacting to an upgraded indictment submitted last month in the federal election case in Washington, DC.
“It is DOJ policy that the Department of Justice oughtto not take any action that will impact an election within 60 days of that election – however they simply haveactually taken such action,” Trump composed on Truth Social.
Others have giventhat echoed that criticism. Last week, Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, questioned federal districtattorneys in the Florida case about whether holding a trial before the election would breach the guideline.
Legal professionals, nevertheless, have declined that position. And Jay Bratt, a federal districtattorney in the Florida case, informed Cannon that, because Trump had currently been charged, no guideline or standard would be broken.
So what was Trump talking about?
Trump was referring to an unwritten — and undoubtedly unclear — standard that Justice Department authorities haveactually embraced over the years.
A 201