Trump Indictment Dispels Last Illusions About Democracy and Rule of Law in America

Friday, March 31, 2023

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

On March 30, former president Donald Trump was formally indicted after a vote by a Manhattan grand jury. The indictment is yet to be unsealed, but several media sources are reporting that it includes alleged payments of hush money to an adult film star, as well as supposed financial misconduct during Trump’s 2016 campaign. The felony indictment will be announced in the next several days, currently filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. According to the New York Times, by then, prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, “will have asked Mr. Trump to surrender and to face arraignment on charges that remain unknown for now”.

Bragg and his predecessor Cyrus Vance Jr. started the investigation back in 2019, indicating obvious political motivation, as this should’ve been a simple case and yet, it went on for approximately four years. The main proof of this is that the Manhattan DA, which is regularly described as “pro-criminal” due to demands that prosecutors reduce charges for violent criminals, suddenly remembered the importance of law and order. The fact that the 2024 presidential campaign is heating up doesn’t help in dissuading this notion either. It’s virtually impossible to ignore the multifaceted interests of DA Bragg and his backers to indict Trump now, including the fact that he isn’t only the most likely candidate to win the Republican, but also the presidential race as well.

The influence on the so-called “swing voters” is also crucial in this case, as their choice will effectively decide the victor in 2024. The likelihood of the case dragging on is virtually guaranteed, leaving Trump and his team focused on the indictment instead of campaigning. The impartiality of the jury is also questionable at best, as Manhattan is widely considered a liberal bastion. This is further reinforced by the fact that Biden got over 86% of the votes in 2020, at least according to the New York Times. Considering those numbers, the jury will also certainly be more sympathetic toward the prosecution, effectively turning the whole controversy into a show trial. Of course, Trump has high chances of winning an appeal, but if the case drags on through 2024, the outcome of the trial won’t matter as long as it derails his chances of winning the election.

The conduct Trump is being accused of would’ve probably never even been considered at all against anyone else, especially when taking into account the behavior of his predecessors, such as the infamous Bill Clinton, who had an affair with an employee while in the White House, a scandal which didn’t even get him impeached, let alone charged for sexual misconduct. The indictment also marks a historic precedent, as this is the first time a former US president is being prosecuted and, in all likelihood, arrested. The charges brought by DA Bragg concern the events that took place before he was in office and are based on allegations that wouldn’t hold against almost anyone else, especially when compared to the plethora of evidence against Hunter Biden. And yet, the case of President Biden’s son has been dragging on for years, with strong evidence that the federal authorities have been obstructing the investigation before it ever began, including the “misplacement” of crucial evidence.

Trump’s alleged payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels would hardly win him the title of a husband of the century, but it certainly isn’t something he should be charged with, let alone jailed for. As for the indictment concerning the supposed financial misconduct, it is yet to be supported by actual evidence, although the mainstream media have been (ab)using it against Trump for years. Most Republicans are already certain that the charges are purely political in nature, while Trump himself has called it a “witch hunt”, a term which can hardly be considered misplaced when such controversial (at best) circumstances are taken into account.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s archrival in GOP primaries, also condemned the move, calling it the “weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda,” further adding that “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.” Considering the fact that Bragg is a Democrat, as well as his actual connections with the extremely controversial (to say the least) “philanthropist”, Florida governor’s statement can hardly be considered refutable.

Another important point to consider is that Trump has made quite a lot of enemies among the political elites in Washington DC, which he, ever so “endearingly” (but not without reason), likes to call “The Swamp”. His statements about Putin and Russia are effectively considered “heresy” among both Democrat neoliberals and his “fellow” Republican neoconservatives. Trump can be accused of many things, but warmongering is not one of them. While in office, he has had tremendous problems with warhawks within his own administration, resulting in several high-profile sackings, such as the case of the infamous John Bolton, one of the leading members of the so-called “war party” in Washington DC.

Trump even recently slammed his political opponents for underestimating Russia, calling it dangerous for US and global security. It seems that high-profile US political figures committing any crime can get away with it, including sexual misconduct with minors, as long as they support the official narrative, even when the said narrative leads to a world-ending thermonuclear exchange. However, fighting the narrative in order to prevent such a conflict will almost certainly result in years of incessant and largely unfounded slandering (at best) or even land one in jail on trumped-up (no pun intended) charges.

Source: InfoBrics