Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
CNN legal analyst Honig (Hatchet Man) delivers a disturbing analysis of how the U.S. justice system makes it so difficult to hold the wealthy and well-connected to account for their crimes. Though Honig's case studies include Mafia bosses, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and Jeffrey Epstein, his particular focus is on Donald Trump. Among factors that help to insulate elites from legal action, Honig identifies the use of lower-level actors to carry out crimes; the hiring of top lawyers who have the connections and knowledge to game the system; and prosecutors' reluctance to bring cases against powerful criminals without an overabundance of evidence. Zeroing in on Trump, Honig details how he was protected by the Justice Department's long-standing policy that a sitting president can't be indicted, and argues that the copious evidence of Trump's alleged crimes--including obstruction of justice, campaign finance violations, and incitement of sedition--should have resulted in an indictment soon after he left office. Honig is particularly harsh on Merrick Garland, arguing that the attorney general "took far too long to set his sights squarely on Trump--and even then, he behaved more like a tepid bureaucrat than a determined prosecutor." Though Honig underplays the politics involved in charging Trump, his fluid prose and sharp analysis amount to a slam-dunk case that American justice is far from blind. (Jan.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In his second book, CNN legal analyst Honig (Hatchet Man) sets out to highlight how powerful people are rarely prosecuted and convicted for criminal activity. The author considers various criminal charges, cases, and convictions of the Gambino family, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and others prosecuted by the Southern District U.S. Attorney's NY (SDNY) office in comparison with allegations and court actions against Donald Trump. The author compares Trump to mafia bosses and convicted criminals who often control the actions of subordinates without saying a word. Despite Trump being the focus of the book, there are some interesting stories about cases tried by SDNY prosecutors. Chapter 16 comes the closest to really examining what the title promises, as it looks at politicians who were convicted and then let off. There are also many tidbits toward the end of the book that say some judges and prosecutors are part of the problem. It would have been nice to have more chapters like these two sections to balance the focus. VERDICT This type of book is geared for public libraries more than academic ones.--James Rhoades
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Cogent analysis of how privileged individuals skirt criminal prosecution. After a frustrating attempt to bring a crime-syndicate kingpin to justice, CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Honig began to delve into the too-common phenomenon of wealthy, influential people avoiding punishment. Some of this material he covered in his previous book, Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department. Here, the author assesses the ways that privilege and power are used to game the legal system, exploring the tactics used by savvy, ruthless individuals to exploit flaws in the prosecutorial and judicial processes. In clear, concisely written sections, Honig digs into the evasive tactics employed by the well connected, how jury service can be intimidating, and how human and institutional biases affect how the rules and procedures of a lawsuit are followed (or ignored). Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal attorney, is just one of many high-profile villains Honig spotlights. Examining cases involving Steven Bannon, Roger Stone, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and, of course, Trump himself, the author notes the difficulties facing prosecuting attorneys in exacting justice amid a mountain of red tape, legal acrobatics, walls of financial blocks--and often despite smoking-gun evidence. Though Honig devotes attention to the executive privilege of a variety of nefarious billionaires and politicians, he focuses mostly on the bewildering acquittal record of Trump, a "lawless Houdini." Despite multiple impeachments, damning congressional findings, and hush-money payments, miraculously, Trump has never been formally charged with a crime. He remains "unburdened by ethics, shame, or even a logical sense of self-preservation." Outside of urging prosecutors to think more like their clients, using "creativity and aggression," Honig doesn't offer any solid solutions, but he does provide clarity about how the institutional justice system is "stacked in favor of powerful, wealthy, famous people," most of whom avoid accountability for their crimes. A distressing account of how power often trumps justice within the American criminal justice system. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
