Unfinished business

DC Capitol Storming, by TapTheForwardAssist, CC BY-SA 4.0

It's been one year.

One year since the partisans of the former occupant of the White House stormed the Capitol. One year since the former occupant of the White House goaded his Sturmabteilung into initiating a coup attempt. One year since the former occupant of the White House plotted illegally to remain in power. One year since the gravest threat to our democracy since 1861 took place.

Many of us are impatient for justice to be meted out. Many are frustrated with the seeming glacial pace at which Attorney General Merrick Garland's Department of Justice is operating. "He's going after only the small fish! He's not going to indict the leaders! Trump will get off scot-free!" Many people who should know better took to sharing memes of AG Garland on a milk carton, mimicking the missing child campaign of the 1980s and 1990s. "Where's Merrick?"

Well, this is where he is:

In a sweeping speech marking the one-year anniversary of the Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back on criticism that the Justice Department's January 6 probe has not been aggressive enough, while signaling that no one would be off limits as prosecutors "followed the facts."

"The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last," Garland said. "The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law -- whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy."

Of course, this wasn't enough to satisfy the pettifoggers who trade on animus and rancor and despair. But for me, him saying that no one would be off-limits was more than enough.

And why is that? Because today, President Joe Biden will be speaking at the Capitol which was under siege one year ago, the Capitol where Trump's brownshirts were looking to hang Mike Pence and shoot Nancy Pelosi, commemorating the outrage which took place. And Pres. Biden will place the blame squarely on the former occupant of the White House.

What Pres. Biden and AG Garland are doing is a 1-2 punch. Mr. Garland has to speak in the careful words of a prosecutor building a case. But the very nuanced words he spoke should put fear into Trump's circle. Pres. Biden, however, has a broader remit. He's not bound by prosecutorial strictures. He can use that bully pulpit to explain what happened, what's still happening, and what he's going to do about it. And he can lay blame where it merits.

Too many people expect justice to be served in 43 minute story arcs. Of course, what legal procedurals hide is all the work that goes on behind those neatly wrapped up storylines. New York Attorney General Tish James and the Manhattan DA's office have been investigating Trump for years. They're are only now close to indicting him. It took three years to arrest and try everyone associated with Watergate. When you're going after a former president of the United States, you had best have all your ducks in a row. You get only one shot. And if it's so important for the survival of our democracy that this man and his minions never sniff power again, then you had better make sure you have the legal kill-shot. Satisfying our need for drama is neither here nor there. It's immaterial. This is real life, not a one hour show with breaks for car commercials.

We have unfinished business. But I'm more confident than ever that it will be finished. And woe betide those caught in the whirlwind. Justice will be coming down with furious force.