(Photo
by
Yuki
Iwamura-Pool/Getty
Images)
Of
all
the
crimes
that
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
get
away
with,
the
murder
of
irony
and
shame
are
some
of
the
most
heinous.
Okay,
yes,
mounting
a
coup
is
worse.
But
after
a
jury
convicted
him
for
34
felonies,
this
guy
is
going
to
skate
because
his
lawyers
are
willing
to
say
with
a
straight
face
that
he’s
far
too
busy
preparing
to
be
president
to
waste
time
with
the
criminal
justice
system.
It’s
…
a
lot.
New
York
Supreme
Court
Justice
Juan
Merchan
was
scheduled
to
rule
today
on
Trump’s
motion
to
set
aside
his
conviction
based
on
the
presidential
immunity
decision
in Trump
v.
US.
The
Supreme
Court
majority,
in
their
infinite
wisdom,
ruled
that
evidence
of
official
acts
can’t
be
used
to
convict
a
president
of
crimes,
even
if
those
crimes
have
nothing
to
do
with
his
office.
Trump’s
conviction
was
secured
in
part
thanks
to
testimony
from
former
White
House
aides
Hope
Hicks
and
Madeleine
Westerhout,
so
Trump
demanded
that
the
verdict
be
vacated.
Trump’s
own
lawyers
demanded
that
any
ruling,
along
with
Trump’s
sentencing,
be
postponed
until
after
the
election
to
avoid
the
appearance
of
political
interference.
But
Justice
Merchan
did
not
issue
that
ruling
today.
Instead
he
acceded
to
a
joint
request
by
Manhattan
District
Attorney
Alvin
Bragg
and
Trump’s
lawyers
Todd
Blanche
and
Emil
Bove
to
—
once
again!
—
stay
all
deadlines
for
a
week
to
allow
the
DA
to
apprise
the
court
of
“appropriate
steps
going
forward.”
In
the
attached
correspondence,
ADA
Matthew
Colangelo
cited
the
“unprecedented
circumstances”
which
“require
careful
consideration
to
ensure
that
any
further
steps
in
this
proceeding
appropriately
balance
the
competing
interests
of
(1)
a
jury
verdict
of
guilt
following
trial
that
has
the
presumption
of
regularity;
and
(2)
the
Office
of
the
President.”
Of
course,
Donald
Trump
is
not
the
president,
and
requiring
him
to
sit
in
a
courtroom
for
an
hour
will
make
no
difference
to
the
presidential
transition.
Nevertheless,
Blanche
and
Bove
insist
that
“The
stay,
and
dismissal,
are
necessary
to
avoid
unconstitutional
impediments
to
President
Trump’s
ability
to
govern.”
In
support
of
this,
they
cite
to
the
Presidential
Transition
Act
of
1963,
specifically
this
note:
The
Congress
declares
it
to
be
the
purpose
of
this
Act
to
promote
the
orderly
transfer
of
the
executive
power
in
connection
with
the
expiration
of
the
term
of
office
of
a
President
and
the
inauguration
of
a
new
President.
The
national
interest
requires
that
such
transitions
in
the
office
of
President
be
accomplished
so
as
to
assure
continuity
in
the
faithful
execution
of
the
laws
and
in
the
conduct
of
the
affairs
of
the
Federal
Government,
both
domestic
and
foreign.
Any
disruption
occasioned
by
the
transfer
of
the
executive
power
could
produce
results
detrimental
to
the
safety
and
well-being
of
the
United
States
and
its
people.
Accordingly,
it
is
the
intent
of
the
Congress
that
appropriate
actions
be
authorized
and
taken
to
avoid
or
minimize
any
disruption.
In
addition
to
the
specific
provisions
contained
in
this
Act
directed
toward
that
purpose,
it
is
the
intent
of
the
Congress
that
all
officers
of
the
Government
so
conduct
the
affairs
of
the
Government
for
which
they
exercise
responsibility
and
authority
as
(1)
to
be
mindful
of
problems
occasioned
by
transitions
in
the
office
of
President,
(2)
to
take
appropriate
lawful
steps
to
avoid
or
minimize
disruptions
that
might
be
occasioned
by
the
transfer
of
the
executive
power,
and
(3)
otherwise
to
promote
orderly
transitions
in
the
office
of
President.
In
2020,
Trump
doggedly
obstructed
the
presidential
transition,
refusing
to
allow
the
GSA
Administrator
Emily
Murphy
to
sign
the
certificate
of
ascertainment
which
would
allocate
office
space,
brief
the
incoming
administration,
or
release
statutorily
allocated
funds
to
the
incoming
Biden
administration.
When
Murphy
finally
did
sign
it,
she
insisted
that
she’d
received
no
direction
from
the
White
House
to
delay
her
determination
and
whined
that
she
“did,
however,
receive
threats
online,
by
phone,
and
by
mail
directed
at
my
safety,
my
family,
my
staff,
and
even
my
pets
in
an
effort
to
coerce
me
into
making
this
determination
prematurely.”
Trump’s
absolute
refusal
to
participate
in
the
presidential
transition
last
time
forced
Congress
to
modify
the
Electoral
Count
Act
to
remove
the
GSA
Administrator’s
ability
to
unilaterally
hold
up
the
transition
process.
And
yet,
just
four
years
later,
he
is
so
deeply
committed
to
ensuring
a
smooth
transition
that
he
can’t
spare
an
hour
for
the
orderly
administration
of
justice
on
a
day
specifically
requested
by
his
own
counsel
just
three
months
ago.
Sometimes
cheaters
win.
Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.