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I'm super confused by how this is being reported. We already know prosecutors *couldn't have indicted Trump himself*, per DOJ guidelines, and *nothing* that happened today suggests he won't be indicted after his presidency is over, so precisely what are his attorneys celebrating?
1/ I'll concede that one could argue that Trump Jr., Hope Hicks, and Allen Weisselberg can be happy today, given the *overwhelming* evidence that they participated in a criminal conspiracy (and knowingly), but DOJ would also need them as witnesses in a prosecution of Trump, so...
2/ ...couldn't it be said that, having given Weisselberg immunity, believing charges against Trump Jr. would lead to a civil war with Barr inside DOJ, and that a prosecution of the telegenic Hicks would be unpopular, they decided to just wait on Trump himself (post-presidency)?
3/ Needless to say, actually courageous prosecutors don't decline to prosecute someone because of the problems it would cause, but we already know that today's DOJ does this whenever the defendant is powerful or popular or famous or rich, so this isn't *that* much of a surprise.
4/ What's more significant is the mountain of evidence revealed today confirming that this was what any layperson and indeed many lawyers would call a conspiracy. When an establishment analyst like Ben Wittes is calling the DOJ decision a "head-scratcher," that tells you a *lot*.
