The Martyrdom of Donald Trump

This article first appeared in New English Review. 

As I write these words, the news is all ablaze that former President Trump will be likely charged Tuesday by a Manhattan grand jury regarding alleged hush money payments to a porn actress named Stormy Daniels (stage name). Allegedly, Trump arranged payments to Daniels through his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, to keep silent about an affair that reportedly occurred prior to his candidacy for the presidency in 2016. Trump denies all charges.

Full disclosure: I voted for Trump twice, I think he did a lot of good for the country, but I would much prefer to see Ron Desantis run for president in 2024. Trump has done much and said much to sour my opinion of him, and frankly, I am sick of the drama. That said, this pending indictment is sickening, not that I believe we should have a two-tiered system of justice, which I don’t. If true, the arrest of Trump will convince me that we do have a two-tiered system of justice. For the past several years, we have watched how the FBI scoffed at a mountain of evidence that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton engaged in exchanging classified information on her personal communication devices in clear violation of the law. We have also seen how the FBI has ignored a mountain of evidence that Joe Biden, his son, Hunter, and other family members have used Joe’s political positions and status to enrich Hunter and the whole family from curious sources such as China, Ukraine, and Russia. Yet, the FBI and the Manhattan District Attorney are bending over backward to find something-anything- to nail Trump on.

And here it is. Just when we all thought that Stormy Daniels, her sleazy former attorney, Michael Avenatti, and the aforementioned equally sleazy attorney, Michael Cohen, were ancient history, Daniels and Cohen at least are front and center again as Trump accusers. Can Avenatti be far behind?

Then we have New York City DA  Alvin Bragg, under whose tenure, the city has returned to its days of being a dangerous jungle where criminals roam free. Bragg has no interest in locking up the violent elements who prey upon people in the Big Apple, but he sure is dedicated to prosecuting a former conservative Republican president, and to do so, he is willing to put two very questionable characters on the stand as his star witnesses, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. You couldn’t put a dog in the pound based on their testimonies.

And if the far left and our disgraceful media think this will stop Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, they are mistaken. There will be a wave of protests that will sweep the nation when the arrest becomes official, and I predict his political support will go through the roof. I truly hope it doesn’t result in another January 6, if not several.

I do believe there should be peaceful protests, however. If the predictions are true about an indictment. it will be a serious perversion of the law, at least the spirit of the law. Think about it: Is this really a case where a crime has been committed and investigators are tracking down the evidence and those responsible? Or is it a replay of the old Soviet adage, “Show me the man, and I will find the crime”?

I say this as a retired member of the law enforcement community. I am very worried about what is happening to our justice system today. This is not the way our justice system is supposed to work.