A Trump special counsel would be a big mistake according to a former prosecutor

In a column for the Daily Beast, former federal prosecutor Shan Wu made a strong case for the Department of Justice to skip appointing a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump -- claiming there is no reason why Attorney General Merrick Garland's DOJ shouldn't finish their investigations and press charges.

Earlier in the week it was reported that a special counsel appointed to look into Trump criminality is under consideration, with CNN reporting, "one of the issues for the Justice Department is the prospect of having a department that answers to Tump's potential rival in 2024 doing an investigation of a sitting candidate, an ongoing candidate. And so, one of the ideas is, does a special counsel insulate the department from political criticism."

According to Wu, the appointment of a special counsel would in no way stop criticism of playing politics, and that a special counsel appointment and all that it entails, would be like handing a gift to the former president.

Writing that an appointment would be considered if Trump announces his 2024 presidential run, Wu wrote, "Such a decision would hand Trump control over orchestrating further delays of any criminal investigation and potential criminal prosecution."

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As the former prosecutor sees it, flipping Trump to a special counsel "would inevitably cause delay in the process."

"An office of Special Counsel requires hiring and staffing that takes time and the selection of who to be the Special Counsel in of itself is a process that takes precious time away from focusing on the multiple investigations involving Trump," he advised while also stating that no matter who Garland appointed, they would be immediately be demonized by the former president's defenders.

Add to that, Wu claimed, there is no reason to farm an investigation -- or investigations -- to someone else because the circumstances don't demand it.

"There is no inherent conflict of interest with the DOJ investigating a former president the way there would be with investigating a sitting president," he explained before noting, "Robert Mueller was appropriately appointed to head the Russia probe because Trump was president during that investigation. But Trump is no longer president, so his criminal investigation and prosecution does not pose the conundrum of having the Executive Branch police itself."

Claiming that now, of all times as Trump is reportedly looking at making his 2024 presidential run announcement would look like an overtly political response, Wu suggested walking it back and Garland pushing forward with the DOJ's work no matter what.

"The best way for any prosecutor to be non-political is by investigating and prosecuting crime without reference to the timing of elections or who is running in those elections," he lectured. "Merrick Garland and the officials at DOJ are more than capable of investigating and prosecuting Donald Trump 'without fear or favor.'"

"Now they just have to do it," he added.