Frank Figliuzzi is the former FBI assistant director for counter-intelligence, and he has a sobering message for failed one-term former president Donald Trump regarding the legal jeopardy he’s in with the U.S. Department of Justice: The DOJ’s batting average is astronomical and they only bring criminal cases they’re confident they can win.
Appearing on “Deadline: White House” today, Figliuzzi told host Nicolle Wallace that in 90% of all federal cases, the defendant pleads guilty.
“I don’t mean for anyone to infer that I think Donald Trump’s going to plead guilty. Rather, I say that to emphasize the strength of a federal criminal prosecution.”
He added, “The seriousness of the charges that get brought, and the strength of the evidence when you have agencies like FBI and others pulling out all their tools in their toolkit from informants, cooperating witnesses, surveillance coverage, wiretaps, paper analysis, you name it. The federal government brings it to the table, which is why cases are so strong.”
All of that means, Figliuzzi continued, “Jack Smith would not be bringing this case, and it looks like it’s imminent, unless he had it nailed down solid with evidence. The charges will not be light or fringe-like, and the evidence will be overwhelming because that’s what we see, generally speaking, in all federal cases.”
The DOJ would rather drop a case than lose it, he noted:
“So, this is the strength of what we’re about to see happen.Also, you led with this issue of the likely springboard that happened from the Jan. 6th work, excellent, the committee, to lead to where Jack Smith is today. I’m both disturbed by that and encouraged by it, disturbed because it took way too long for the FBI and the DOJ — and we learn more about this delay every day — for them to get their act together, and that’s bad.”
The House Select Committee on Jan. 6 is to be commended, Figliuzzi concluded, because they helped press the Justice Department into pursuing charges for Capitol insurrection on the biggest fish of them all, Donald Trump.
