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Sunday, May 21, 2023

Indictments of Trump Must Come or Confidence in the Ability of Government to Enforce Laws Will Drop Significantly

That's a long title for an article, but it says, in a nutshell, exactly what needs to happen, and relatively soon.  We do not have the luxury of conducting long investigations which leave potential criminals on the streets.  In this case, we are talking about a criminal politician, not the first in American history, but arguably the worst, who is putting together a campaign to run for office again, with the openly clear intention of using that office for his own personal gain and protection.  That's a slap in the face to our justice system and to the rule of law.  It makes it seem as if the latter only applies to people who are not wealthy or influential enough to buy their way out of the system.  

Is that the image we want people to have?  That undermines the credibility of the constitution and our system of laws and justice.  

Trump has flaunted the law all his life, and he has gotten away with it.  Long before he decided to run for President, he was engaged in business fraud, tax evasion and fraud, had multiple defaults on debt, and was known as a manipulator of the law for his own benefit.  He knew, instinctively almost, that a very wealthy person with a big mouth could gather enough political influence to avoid accountability, expand his fortune and make himself wealthier at someone else's expense.  He openly called those who were honest in business, who followed the law and paid their fair share of taxes "suckers."  

That was followed up by his four year Presidency, a historic disaster of epic proportions in virtually every way.  He added to the crimes he committed by running his campaign like a criminal enterprise, a mountain of collusion with the Russian government, documented in the Mueller Report from which I, and millions of other Americans, expected indictments to come, knowing that the DOJ under Attorney General Barr was nothing more than another way for Trump to avoid having to pay for legal services.  And no, I didn't believe Barr would do the right thing.  That was my expectation, not my belief or connection to reality.  And of course, he didn't.

And that disappointment is one reason why the DOJ can't let this opportunity slip by on a technicality or in political ignorance.  There's a mountain of evidence underneath what has already been confirmed by the media regarding the former President's criminal activity related to January 6th.  What we know proves seditious conspiracy, at least, if media reports are accurate it does.  And if there's more evidence, fine, but this has to be put together, indictments served and trials started long before Christmas to get it done in time so that it avoids being moot because of circumstances.  

The same holds true with the documents case.  If what's been reported in the media, on the surface of that case, is accurate, then the evidence in the hands of those who will prosecute the case must be pretty damning, because what we already know about it is damning.  

Who Gets to Prosecute First? 

News has come out of Georgia that Trump is likely to be indicted there in August.  He's already been indicted in Manhattan, and already been convicted in the civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll.  Clearly, there's no strategy or plan or coordination between the various courts and jurisdictions when it comes to their prosecutions.  Figuring out how to navigate through all of that, along with what the DOJ is doing, is likely creating gigantic legal bills and a clear crisis for the Trump legal team, which appears to be losing personnel over this exact scenario.  

In the long run, it doesn't matter who gets a conviction first.  What matters is that all of the potential convictions are secured well before the 2024 election.  Do we trust that those in charge of the cases all know that and are aiming for that goal?  There is absolutely nothing wrong with considering the potential political consequences of letting this danger get close to an election and deciding to use the power of the office to get done what needs to be done in order to prevent a national catastrophe.  

One of the concerns I have is that some left-leaning media, and some Democrats, are actually talking about the fact that if 2024 is a race between Biden and Trump, that may be the best scenario for Biden to win.  I think all of the political indications at the present time point to Biden being able to pull off a bigger win, adding a few more states to his electoral total, than 2020.  But if justice is to prevail, and if we are to be able to live up to the claim that we are a nation of laws, and that all are equal under law, Trump must be indicted, tried, convicted and ruled ineligible for public office before he wins the GOP nomination.  

It has to happen that way for the sake of justice and the rule of law.  

This is why I Supported Biden in the Primary 

The Democrats have put a lot of excellent candidates up for the Presidential nomination for several cycles now.  I could have easily supported any of them in either 2016 or 2020, and no one was more disappointed than I was when Hillary lost in 2016.  What tipped the balance for me, in 2020, was Biden's experience, and his addressing the issue of Trump's prior criminality, and his claims of immunity as President, supported by his corrupt Attorney General Bill Barr, even before January 6th and the document scandal.  He was much more clear on this than any of the others, except, perhaps Amy Klobuchar, but in addition to his words, there is his long experience in Washington, and that gives him an advantage in choosing the kind of people to run the DOJ who will get the job done.  

And this is still my expectation.  I have no doubt President Biden knows what is at stake.  So does just about every other Democrat in the House and Senate.  But I also know that there is political positioning and maneuvering involved, it would be naive not to consider that.  This is a democracy and the people have a voice.  And this voice is one that is encouraging those engaged in this job to get it done and do what you promised us you would do when we voted for you.  

The American people responded to the corruption and incompetence of the former President's administration and term in office by exercising their power and putting someone else in office.  We did that in response to what he had done at the time, not knowing that in his last few months in office, it would get so much more corrupt and so much worse.  This American is joining his voice to millions of others asking that this be done quickly and effectively, as we believe the evidence shows that it can be.  


  


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