MSNBC anchor Ari Melber on Tuesday broke down how former President Donald Trump’s apparent efforts to dodge prosecution with his unprecedented early November 2022 declaration to run for president again actually backfired.
The host of “The Beat” likened the Republican 2024 front-runner’s situation to the mythological tale of Oedipus.
Melber noted how Attorney General Merrick Garland announced special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case just days after Trump’s campaign declaration.
Garland said at the time that his decision was “based on recent developments, including the former president’s announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election.”
Had Trump announced his candidacy several months later, suggested Melber, investigators may not have been ready to bring indictments until too close to the election, and Department of Justice guidelines would have made it very hard for any prosecution.
“Without Trump’s early campaign announcement, there’s no special counsel Jack Smith. It is the ultimate Greek tragedy. Donald Trump trying to outrun his fate and sealing it, playing himself,” said Melber.
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