Trumping justice
Federal prosecutors are rightly throwing the book at Sayfullo Saipov, the jihadist sicko all evidence shows heeded ISIS’ call to turn a truck into an instrument of mass murder. If there’s any justice — and there is, in federal courts with a strong track record of putting away terrorists — he will at the very least be locked away for a few lifetimes. And be a prime candidate for the rarely used federal death penalty.
Just one problem: The head of the executive branch has an id but no evidence of a superego.
Before midnight Wednesday, President Trump, who just hours before had insanely suggested he might sidestep the “laughing stock” federal courts altogether and send Saipov to Guantanamo Bay, tweeted this tough-guy demand: “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!”
We hope the little outburst made the President feel better — because, by assuming Saipov’s guilt and demanding his execution, he just risked under- cutting his own Justice Department’s should-be slam-dunk case.
In other words, he risked making the seriousas-a-heart-attack federal justice system more like the laughingstock he accused it of being.
Defense attorneys can now object to a judge that the prosecution will be, to use one of Trump’s favorite words, rigged. They can use Trump’s words to challenge the indictment to come.
They can make motions to strike jurors who might have been exposed to that tweet and others. And they can challenge a death penalty recommendation, should Attorney General Jeff Sessions offer one as only he is entitled to by law.
The death penalty is a matter of conscience — but count us among those who would be happy to see Saipov’s life ended by the government after a full and fair legal proceeding.
By broadcasting his pre-trial judgment to 41 million followers, Trump just made all that harder.
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, Mr. President: Just stop tweeting.