Washington
Why looming Georgia case could be most damaging to Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump could be in a position next year where he is reelected president, convicted of federal crimes, and able to pardon himself.
But if Trump is convicted of state crimes in New York or Georgia, he would, as president, have little control over the penalties.
UP FOR DEBATE: WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND REST OF REPUBLICAN 2024 FIELD STAND ON KEY ISSUES
The 2024 Republican front-runner faces 40 counts in the federal case in Florida related to classified documents, four counts in the federal case in Washington, D.C., related to the 2020 election, and 34 counts in the local case in Manhattan related to hush money payments.
In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is widely expected to present her case against Trump and potentially several others to a grand jury as early as next week. Trump could face charges that include racketeering for seeking to reverse the 2020 election in Georgia, which he lost by a narrow margin.
At present, he could see a maximum penalty of several hundred years in prison for the current charges against him if convicted, though judges would determine the appropriate sentence.
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, noted that Trump should also have a right to the full range of appeal options in each case.
“All of the cases involve novel or controversial elements,” Turley said. “It does not serve the country well to have those lingering questions when a court is ordering the incarceration of a former or sitting president.”
If he does become president again, many legal scholars appear to agree that the Constitution does not limit Trump from pardoning himself of federal convictions, but opinions become more varied on whether he can serve as president while in prison and whether he can therefore issue pardons from behind bars.
None of these scenarios have historic precedent, but regardless of what happens at the federal level, Trump’s powers over the state judicial systems have clear limitations.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, would have the sole authority to pardon Trump.
In Georgia, Trump would have to apply for a pardon through a five-member state board five years after he has been indicted, convicted, and completed any sentences.
Turley said that, in his view, while the New York prosecution is an “utter mess” and that a conviction would be met with potentially years of “very significant challenges,” Georgia is more of an unknown.
“If Georgia is based largely on the famous phone call with Georgia officials, it would be a relatively weak prosecution,” he said. “The question is whether they have additional witnesses or evidence to present.”
Alan Dershowitz, a retired Harvard Law School professor who has defended a number of controversial clients, including Trump during his first impeachment, echoed Turley’s sentiments while speaking on his podcast the Dershow, this week.
He called the New York case the “worst indictment” he has “ever seen,” but he conceded that Georgia is a “very weak case unless there’s more to it.”
Should he be convicted there, Dershowitz said that one avenue Trump could pursue outside of seeking a pardon through the state board would be to argue the indictment, if it occurs, would be related to a federal election.
“It’s a state indictment about a federal matter,” Dershowitz said. “He might be able to get it dismissed from a state court, saying it’s really a federal matter.”
One final scenario, which would only apply in federal cases, could involve President Joe Biden preemptively pardoning Trump, similar to how President Gerald Ford pardoned President Richard Nixon after Watergate.
However, Biden is unlikely to have an interest in pardoning his political rival, especially while the legal processes in each case are underway.
Dershowitz asked, “Would it be better for America, would it be better to try to unify the country the way President Ford unified the country at great personal sacrifice to himself?”
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Dershowitz added, though, that maybe Trump would rather be acquitted than pardoned.
“Pardon implies maybe he was guilty,” he said.
Vancouver Police Department, West Precinct, in Vancouver, Wash., June 29, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
The legislators will make an initial request of $3.5 million toward plans for the training center, which would serve new recruits and current staff. They will seek an additional $3 million during the 2026 legislative session as well as federal appropriations from Washington’s Congressional delegation, according to a letter from Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle.
“We really need one place to come together and have the ability to give our officers the best training,” said Vancouver Police Department Deputy Chief Erica Nilsen, who noted Southwest Washington’s booming population. “That’s really why we need the regional academy.”
The academy would primarily serve as a training site for police and sheriff’s department staff from Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties, Nilsen said. Her department hopes to have a facility where prospective officers could train on squad car driving, firearms and scenario training, and do classroom work.
Since January, the Vancouver Police Department has used a repurposed elementary school in the city. They also rent a driving track and send recruits to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission academy in Burien, about two-and-a-half hours north.
That distance creates barriers to hiring potential officers who are female or single parents, Nilsen said.
“To leave your family for four months is incredibly difficult. Sometimes that stops the conversation before they even get past that,” she said.
Lawmakers are pitching the idea of a potential location in Ridgefield on property that’s privately owned by the family of Boschma Farms, near where Clark College is currently building an advanced manufacturing campus.
The likelihood of landing such a request for state funds remains uncertain, given Washington’s projected $10-12 billion budget deficit. Clark County and the city of Vancouver are also navigating multimillion-dollar deficits.
“With the budget issues that we’re going to be facing, it kind of remains to be seen where we’re at. It’s going to be probably quite a stretch, but [law enforcement] is certainly my priority going into this next session,” said state Rep. Stephanie McClintock, R-Vancouver, whose district spans the north end of Clark County.
McClintock said that in addition to being a training academy, she hopes such a facility would provide a new administrative home for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials with the Vancouver Police Department and county sheriff’s office have both recently said they are among the lowest-staffed departments in the state per capita. McClintock said a new training facility could help attract more law enforcement officers.
“We need to send a message that they are a priority,” she said. “It’s a morale issue. And it’s a good recruiting tool to show that we support our law enforcement here in Southwest Washington.”
In November, the city of Vancouver attempted to increase property taxes to fund 80 new police officers. The proposal was rejected by voters. Clark County is considering asking voters to pay for 30 new sheriff’s deputies, according to the mayor’s memo.
From 2020 to 2023, Clark County saw a 3.5% increase in population. While a new law enforcement facility would take years to complete, the need to train officers will increase as the population of Southwest Washington continues to grow.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville (8-4, 5-3 ACC) is set to face Washington (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m. EST at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Here’s how the Cardinals stack up against the Huskies:
*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*
|
Washington |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
AP/USAT |
NR/NR |
RV/RV |
|
CFP |
NR |
NR |
|
SOS |
12th |
28th |
|
SOR |
46th |
25th |
|
SP+ |
61st |
18th |
|
FPI |
45th |
12th |
|
Sagarin |
47th |
17th |
|
Kelley Ford |
49th |
13th |
|
CFB Insiders |
41st |
11th |
|
Washington |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Total Offense |
68th (383.7) |
10th (455.8) |
|
Yards Per Play |
52nd (5.96) |
3rd (6.88) |
|
Scoring Offense |
109th (22.5) |
9th (36.6) |
|
Passing Yards |
39th (252.3) |
20th (272.4) |
|
Yards Per Completion |
113th (10.97) |
37th (12.82) |
|
Rushing Yards |
93rd (131.3) |
37th (183.3) |
|
Yards Per Rush Attempt |
85th (4.07) |
9th (5.60) |
|
First Downs Gained |
76th (248) |
57th (261) |
|
3rd Down Con. % |
102nd (36.4%) |
74th (39.7%) |
|
4th Down Con. % |
101st (45.8%) |
(116th (40.0%) |
|
Red Zone Con. % |
85th (82.2%) |
95th (80.8%) |
|
Turnovers Lost |
19th (11) |
19th (11) |
|
Interceptions Thrown |
26th (7) |
10th (6) |
|
Fumbles Lost |
15th (4) |
30th (5) |
|
Tackles for Loss Allowed |
87th (5.83) |
19th (4.17) |
|
Sacks Allowed |
111th (2.83) |
23rd (1.25) |
|
Avg. Time of Possession |
66th (30:10) |
73rd (29:57) |
Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)
|
Washington |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Total Defense |
27th (324.8) |
58th (360.1) |
|
Yards Allowed Per Play |
28th (5.00) |
49th (5.28) |
|
Scoring Defense |
45th (22.8) |
52nd (23.3) |
|
Passing Yards Allowed |
5th (166.8) |
80th (224.7) |
|
Rushing Yards Allowed |
83rd (158.1) |
43rd (135.4) |
|
First Downs Allowed |
69th (241) |
40th (229) |
|
3rd Down Defensive % |
106th (43.9%) |
39th (35.5%) |
|
4th Down Defensive % |
91st (57.1%) |
112th (64.5%) |
|
Red Zone Defensive % |
53rd (81.0%) |
63rd (81.8%) |
|
Turnovers Gained |
91st (14) |
69th (16) |
|
Interceptions Caught |
93rd (8) |
75th (9) |
|
Fumbles Recovered |
69th (6) |
49th (7) |
|
TFL Per Game |
132nd (3.6) |
39th (6.4) |
|
Sacks Per Game |
90th (1.67) |
40th (2.42) |
Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)
|
Washington |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Net Punting |
131st (34.49) |
109th (36.74) |
|
Avg. Kickoff Return |
30th (22.42) |
60th (20.53) |
|
Avg. Kickoff Return Def. |
92nd (21.83) |
24th (17.42) |
|
Avg. Punt Return |
74th (7.27) |
106th (5.13) |
|
Avg. Punt Return Def. |
126th (14.94) |
31st (5.00) |
|
Field Goal Attempts |
18-26 |
18-25 |
|
PAT |
26-26 |
55-55 |
Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)
– FPI Prediction: Per ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Cardinals have a 74.8 percent chance to win against the Huskies. Louisville has an FPI rating of 16.4 (12th overall), whereas Washington has an FPI rating of 5.1 (45th overall).
– SP+ Prediction: Per Bill Connelly’s SP+ model, the Cardinals have a 76.89 percent chance to take down the Huskies. Louisville has an SP+ rating of 15.5 (18th overall), whereas Washington has an SP+ rating of 3.0 (61st overall).
– Kelley Ford Prediction: Per the Kelley Ford ratings, the Cardinals have a 73 percent chance to defeat the Huskies. Louisville has a KFord rating of 16.5 (14th overall), whereas Washington has a KFord rating of 5.1 (48th overall).
– College Football Insiders Prediction: Per College Football Insiders’ IPR metric, the Cardinals have a 71.99 percent chance to take down the Huskies. Louisville has an IPR rating of 65.5 (11th overall), whereas Washington has an IPR rating of 53.5 (41st overall).
– Personal Prediction: Louisville 28, Washington 24
(Photo via Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
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You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky
Notre Dame football continues transfer portal haul with TE Ty Washington
Ty Washington’s 2024 season ended abruptly. The redshirt sophomore tight end was dismissed from Arkansas in late October for what head coach Sam Pittman described as a violation of team rules.
Notre Dame football wants to give Washington a second chance. The 6-foot-4, 247-pound tight end with two seasons of eligibility remaining announced Wednesday his commitment to transfer to Notre Dame.
Maybe Washington can find more success with the Irish after catching 14 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns in 21 career games with the Razorbacks. Pro Football Focus gave Washington the second-lowest offensive grade on Arkansas’ roster for his play in the 2024 season. He received a 42.3 offensive grade on his 116 offensive snaps. The lowest offensive grade on Notre Dame’s offense so far this season is reserve offensive tackle Ty Chan’s 47.8 on eight snaps.
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Washington will be a depth option for Notre Dame’s tight end room. The Irish will lose starting tight end Mitchell Evans to the NFL this offseason with four seasons of eligibility used. Reserve tight end Davis Sherwood will also have exhausted his eligibility. Seldom-used graduate senior Kevin Bauman still has one season of eligibility remaining, but it’s unclear if he’ll be on Notre Dame’s roster next season.
The obvious options to return to Notre Dame next season are current junior Eli Raridon, sophomore Cooper Flanagan, freshman Jack Larsen and 2025 signee James Flanigan. Raridon has played in all 13 games this season and caught nine passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns so far. Flanagan caught four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games this season.
So Washington’s impact at Notre Dame seems far from guaranteed, but that’s much better than the situation he was in at Arkansas. Washington shared his side of the story about his dismissal on the “4th and 5 Podcast.” Washington refused to enter a 58-25 victory over Mississippi State in the fourth quarter when the coaching staff wanted to put him in the game. Prior to the game, Washington said, he learned that his grandmother was in poor health and that put him in a bad place mentally.
“Our team was kicking butt,” Washington said on the podcast. “Our tight ends were doing their thing. Shout-out to Luke [Hasz] and shout-out to Andreas [Paaske] because they were playing a hell of a ballgame. To be honest, I didn’t think that I needed to go in to just try to fight through something and look bad or mess up the team in general when I’m already going through something mentally.
“To be honest, that messed me up and I should’ve taken accountability for that because that was the reason why I was thrown off the team — for not going into the game. I know I could’ve handled it differently, but at the time I let that shut me down. And it shut me down because mentally I’ve been going through a lot of stuff and physically I’ve been going through a lot of stuff. It broke me down a little bit. I’m only human.”
Pittman declined to expand on Washington’s dismissal after reporters heard Washington’s retelling of it. Hasz, Arkansas’ starting tight end this season, has already committed to transfer to Ole Miss.
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Washington signed with Arkansas as a three-star recruit out of Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County. Rivals ranked him as the No. 31 tight end in the 2022 class.
Washington redshirted his true freshman season by playing in four regular season games and a bowl game. His only catch of the season was a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a 55-53 win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.
Washington’s playing time increased in 2023 with three starts in nine games, but his season ended with a shoulder injury. He recorded 11 receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the four-game stretch before his injury. The 2023 season was Washington’s best, according to PFF. He received a 77.3 offensive grade with an 86.6 in the passing game.
Washington started just one game this past season and caught two passes for 25 yards and one touchdown in seven games played. His dismissal came after the eighth game of the season for Arkansas.
Notre Dame’s incoming transfer portal class is currently bigger than its outgoing transfer class. The Irish added Alabama defensive back DeVonta Smith, Virginia wide receiver Malachi Fields and Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling prior to Washington. Fields and Pauling announced their commitments on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, making Washington the third commitment in three days.
Notre Dame’s three outgoing transfer portal players were no longer with the team for most of the season. Defensive tackle Tyson Ford and defensive end Aiden Gobaira weren’t on the roster this season. Cornerback Jaden Mickey opted to seek a transfer after playing in the first four games of 2024, which allowed him to preserve a season of eligibility. Both Ford and Mickey have already committed to Cal.
Notre Dame has yet to address arguably its biggest transfer portal need this offseason: defensive tackle. At least in terms of public commitments. But at the rate this week has gone, who knows how quickly that could change.
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