By Election Day 2024, Trump will be dead, indicted, or in prison. I predicted that in “The Fate of Democracy” on June 12, 2021. He’s not in prison yet. And he’s not dead.
But prosecutors have indicted him twice. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg indicted him in April. And Special Prosecutor Jack Smith indicted him yesterday.
Jack Smith indicts Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on charges stemming from the federal investigation into his handling of sensitive government documents after he left the White House, a historic move that is likely to roil the ongoing 2024 presidential race.
(CBS News, June 8, 2023)
Unsurprisingly, Trump is trying to neutralize Jack Smith. He’s using the same tactics he used to neutralize Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Trump is deflecting from his alleged crimes by making outrageous accusations against Smith.
For example, he’s calling Smith a Democratic hitman on a witch hunt. And he’s claiming that Biden wants Smith to neutralize him before the 2024 presidential election. Trump is even demanding Smith indict himself.
What is surprising is that Smith is behaving just like Mueller. He, too, is letting Trump poison public opinion with lies.
But AG Merrick Garland needs to counter those lies with facts today. He must have the indictment unsealed. After all, given the Mueller precedent, it would be malpractice to wait until Tuesday to do so.
The chickens come home to roost
Of course, Trump is only doing as Trump does. He’s using smoke and mirrors to divert attention away from his crimes. And Trump is playing the victim card. That, while claiming he’s a hero fighting against a “weaponized” Justice Department.
Of course, everything Trump says reeks of gaslighting. But that has always worked for him. So who can blame him?
The American people might be stupid enough to trust Trump again as commander-in-chief. But no foreign leader will trust him as far as they can throw him. On the contrary, his alleged mishandling of classified documents will cause every foreign leader to shun, manipulate, or bribe him.
Profiting from his indictment
Ultimately, it’s all about the grift. That’s why Trump ends every protestation of his innocence by soliciting donations. And his MAGA supporters never fail to oblige. He’s exploiting them. But they seem brainwashed.
They take aspirational pride in hailing Trump as a billionaire. Yet they take foolish pride in sending money to help him pay his legal bills. They keep buying his schtick – that somehow defending him is in their personal interest. Go figure!
But his MAGA supporters have nothing on Republican politicians. The latter are rushing to TV cameras to defend Trump. And they couldn’t care less that they have no factual basis to do so.
Hell, the way they’re condemning Smith, you’d think they were condemning the Romans for crucifying Jesus Christ. Of course, Trump’s behavior makes him more akin to the criminal Barabbas.
But Republicans sacrificed their principles and pride long ago. They have vested their political survival in pandering to Trump’s MAGA supporters. The welfare of the country be damned, so long as they survive.
The Media Circus
Again, this is his second criminal indictment. So there is nothing “unprecedented” about it. What’s unprecedented is Trump’s behavior. His post-presidency is setting precedents for breaking established norms and laws. But it’s only aping his presidency.
And the media cover him like he’s still performing on his reality TV show, The Apprentice. For them, it’s all about revenue-generating ratings. That’s why anything Trump says and does eclipses coverage of everything else. And that includes coverage of major developments in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
P.T. Barnum had nothing on Donald J. Trump. Sad.
UPDATE
Later same day
The indictment is unsealed!
Jack heeded my advice.
Federal prosecutors laid out their case against former President Donald J. Trump in a 38-count indictment on Friday, saying he mishandled classified documents — including some involving sensitive nuclear programs and others that detailed the country’s potential vulnerabilities to military attack — after leaving office, then obstructed the government’s efforts to reclaim them.
Jack Smith, the special counsel who is bringing the case, cast the investigation as a defense of national security in brief remarks on Friday, urging the public to understand the “scope and gravity” of the charges.
(The New York Times, June 9, 2023)
Enough said.