Thread by @emptywheel

This is a legit question. First, gap arises from delays that were inevitable w/president and first attempt to prosecute one. That took 21 months at least.

Also, it's POSSIBLE Smith is avoiding indicting anyone else until he's sure Trump can't pardon them.

https://twitter.com/FightingForDem7/status/1845081872180617416

There are VERY subtle suggestions in the immunity filing that several people started cooperating after being exposed in state cases. But Mueller investigation is testament to why you can't cooperate your way up to Trump.

Or let me sum up delay better:
1) Trump conspired through lawyers. Each lawyer's phone/email took 9 months of privilege review.
2) Trump hid behind exec privilege: That took 10 months.
3) Immunity Q had to be decided. That has taken a year, so far.

People now complaining about why Mueller obstruction not charged. I describe that here.

emptywheel.net/2022/02/10/on-…

It's also the topic of this week's Ball of Thread (and one we hope to finish in the next week -- it's two parts).

Some folks asking what I meant by cooperating.

Remember how Paul Manafort pretended to cooperate but all that did was give him a sense of what investigators knew, and then he got pardoned?

So long as POTUS can pardon himself out of an investigation, you can't flip witnesses.

It APPEARS that at least a few of the people cooperating at state levels have provided new information to Jack Smith at the Federal level. People will only flip if Trump can't help them out.