On Saturday, the Justice Department told Judge Ronnie Abrams of the Southern District of New York that the court should move toward ordering the incarceration of Archer. The timing was viewed by many as intimidating and was reminiscent of the IRS visiting the home of journalist Matt Taibbi on the day that he was testifying to disclose the government’s massive censorship program. (Later, the ranking Democratic member Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) suggested that Taibbi could be arrested for perjury).
The Justice Department then sent a second letter to the court saying that it can wait: ‘To be clear, the Government does not request (and has never requested) that the defendant [Archer] surrender before his Congressional testimony.” Archer can testify . . . and then we can incarcerate him.
The letters seem to be speaking to Congress, the public, and, of course, Archer rather than the court itself. The Justice Department continues to stumble through this scandal. While it allowed major felonies to expire in the Hunter Biden investigation, it seems on a hair trigger for those who may accuse him or the Department of wrongdoing.
It often seems like the Justice Department under Merrick Garland is a series of step-on-the-rake moments.
