Donald Trump had the media all atwitter on Saturday. He “truthed” (on his Truth Social) that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg will arrest him today.
But Trump was trying to intimidate the prosecutor. You know, the way he intimidated special prosecutor Robert Mueller. And that was no different from him blurting out that the FBI was “raiding” his home.
His aim is always to create chaos and delay.
Trump says he’ll be arrested
Trump is a Barnum & Bailey shyster. He thinks creating a media circus is the best defense against any allegation. And he knows the media will aid and abet him. That’s because Trump is still the golden goose for revenue-generating clicks and likes. It’s 2016 all over again…
Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he expects to be arrested in connection with the yearslong investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and called on his supporters to protest any such move.
(CNN, March 19, 2023)
Trump is trying to intimidate Bragg
Of course, Trump made the whole thing up. But that didn’t matter. The media couldn’t resist covering his narcissistic, nihilistic shtick. So they reported Trump griping with trademark projection as breaking news.
In this case, he’s accusing Bragg, who is Black, of being a racist. You know, like he accused Latino Gonzalo Curiel of being a racist. Curiel is the judge who presided over the Trump University fraud case.
Only law-enforcement officials who pledge abject loyalty to him can investigate him. That, in effect, is what this brazen racist is asserting.
Hell, this projection has Trump also accusing Bragg of committing election interference. He’s even calling for Bragg to arrest himself.
Despite Jan 6, Trump is using the same playbook
The FBI took pains to perform their lawful search of his home on the down low. They did so as a courtesy to him. But they also wanted to avoid inciting his insurrectionist MAGA supporters.
Except that this thin-skinned, gaslighting oaf never shows any discretion. He doesn’t even when it would benefit him to show a little.
DA Bragg was taking pains to arrange his arrest on the down low. He was doing so in the interest of public safety. But he also wanted to avoid inciting his insurrectionist MAGA supporters.
Except that blurting it out was Trump’s mob-boss way of telling his MAGA supporters to “stand back and stand by.”
Besides, Trump would rather plunge the country into civil war than face justice. And he couldn’t care less how many MAGA suckers end up in jail or dead for heeding his calls to obstruct justice. That’s the lesson of Jan. 6.
Trump has never won a popular vote. And this gilded-tower grifter’s campaign venues are now only half-full. He can’t even get die-hard MAGA supporters to attend.
For example, he called for his supporters to protest his arrest. Hundreds of media reporters showed up like Pavlovian dogs. But only a handful of supporters answered his call. So his bark might be worse than his bite.
Republicans standing by Trump, the rule of law be damned
Republican leaders are condemning Bragg. Speaker McCarthy and former VP Mike Pence are leading the chorus. And their only hymnal is Trump’s fearmongering “truth” about his pending arrest.
I noted years ago that supporting Trump means seeing hypocrisy as a virtue, not a vice. Now Trump is inciting violence to prevent his lawful arrest. You know, like he incited violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on Jan 6. Yet they are standing by him now. You know, like they did back then.
Only one thing that explains this cognitive dissonance. Republicans now value loyalty to Trump above all else. The rule of law, the welfare of the country, and even their own safety be damned.
And so, they are executing Trump’s threats to investigate Bragg. You know, like they championed his threats to investigate Mueller…
Of course, Bragg is not the only prosecutor who has Trump in their sights. So legal and political pundits are urging prosecutors to coordinate indictments. That’s to ensure indictment for Jan 6 or mishandling classified documents come first. But indicting Trump for sex crimes is no different from indicting Al Capone for tax crimes. A criminal indictment is still a criminal indictment.
Also, prosecutors across America have indicted crooked politicians as often as crooked bankers. Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards comes to mind in this respect. But, listening to Republicans, you’d never know this…
Why is Chris Rock defending Trump?
Will Smith slapped all the common sense out of Chris Rock. Only that explains Rock chiming in like another useful MAGA idiot.
He’s parroting the Republican’s fearmongering spin. It’s all about arresting Trump triggering massive protests and making him more popular. They seem desperate to make these self-fulfilling prophecies.
Trump will become the first former US president arrested. But this will only add to the litany of his other dubious firsts. Most notable, of course, is that he’s the first to attempt a coup.