A Few Side Issues to Think About All This
Trump Earns His Frequent Flyer Badge for Indictments
This latest indictment is being thoroughly covered by everyone, so no point in going over the case here. I would note that the indictment is remarkably short and easy to read. If you have not done so, read it. Copies are easy to find. Here is one such link: https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2023/08/trump-indictment.pdf
There is a lot more I would like to have seen him charged with, but Smith knows what he is doing in keeping it short and simple.
So much of this is unique, yet so much of it is simple justice. A few outlying factors struck me as worth noting in all this.
About Trump
Family: I have to say it is not surprising but striking that not one member of Trump’s family has accompanied him to any of these indictments – didn’t even fly into town with him. Really striking. Seems like they all follow his model of look out for yourself, to hell with everyone else.
Pleas: It is hard to imagine Trump pleading guilty to any charge. But if there are cases still going after the primaries and the general election, and he loses those races, he might swallow his hubris and seeks some deals. The federal conviction rate is in the high 90% range; stick your tongue out at your own risk.
Conviction: I am betting that if he is convicted in any of these cases before the primaries close out, he will lose the nomination. He surely will loose the national election if he runs, as a Republican or as an Independent. Already, almost half of Republican voters say they would not vote for him if convicted. That number will grow.
Prison: If Trump is convicted, there needs to be actual prison time served. It is not impossible to imprison a former president, even with his Secret Service detail. Hundreds of people who followed Trump have gone to prison. No justice if he gets a pass.
About The Process
Calendar: Scheduling all these trials – and there appears to be at least one more in the pipeline – plays a bit into Trump’s delay tactics. Getting all this sequenced and done correctly will be quite the juggle. Smith and company are smart to keep this latest indictment clean, simple, and ready to go. It might be the first case to be adjudicated. Good. Judges in such linked multiple cases often coordinate the timing of all the cases. Wonder if they will do so now?
Cameras: I understand the rationale for not having cameras in court rooms, which is the federal courts rule. But this one really needs in the strongest way to be an exception. The country needs to see and hear this, fully. If we are going to begin turning the hearings on on this evil period, we need many of us to be witnesses. We know televising the congressional sessions on Nixon and the January 6 hearings had real effect. We need to open the process this time around
Timing: Trump was charged almost two years after he tried to overturn the US government. Don’t know if we will ever really know why it took so long to do this. Smith has moved quickly, but wouldn’t it have been great to have had him working this over a year ago? And it appears from the outside that the outstanding work of the January 6 Congressional Committee finally pushed the DOJ to get moving, as well as that committee providing much of the information needed to make indictment decisions.
About Other People
Where’s Waldo? Where the heck is Mark Meadows in all this? He must be doing some serious cooperating to not be an unindicted coconspirator. Either that or they are working up a completely different case against him. I really want to know the story on this guy. He deserves to pay a price for his conduct.
Coconspirators: Looking at the list of unindicted coconspirators, it seems at least some of them will be important witnesses. Nevertheless, I hope all of them are eventually indicted and tried. Doubly so for Clark, who sought to gut the DOJ from the inside. A shameful man who deserves a very hard fall.
Four Other Issues Today Besides Trump’s Indictment
Courage? Never Mind: The level of gutlessness among GOP presidential candidates remains breath taking. Most of them STILL defend Trump and refuse to call him out. Such cowardice is extraordinary. So far, most all show they are unworthy as candidates. Heck, unworthy as citizens.
The Circus Continues: Looking elsewhere, we see the Republican’s Hilarious Conspiracy Theories Club continues to shoot themselves in the foot. They had their big secret hearing recently on poor Hunter Biden and got the opposite of what they hoped for from their key witness. Hunter is a sad, damaged guy but will not have any effect on the election. Relatives never do. We went through this with both Carter and Reagan’s brothers. There is nothing there. Give it up, fellows – this is a dead end, just picking on a damaged human being.
We’ve Been Fitched: The Fitch downgrade of US bond rating is interesting. Odd timing, given all that the Biden administration has racked up, and it is unlikely to affect much. But the point they raise is not bogus. Over time, our deficit track is unmanageable. We really do need to break the decades long gridlock of government and deal with this giant issue. Reelect Biden and give him a decent margin in both houses of Congress and you will get a workable solution enacted.
Next at Bat: Tired yet? Too bad! Believe it or not, time to start thinking about 2028. Yeah, really. As the 2024 election process begins, watch the second and third rows of politicians to see who starts a rise. One hint: who will have key speaking roles, especially the keynote speeches at the party conventions. There is some real talent out there. Look carefully – you will like a lot of what you see and hear.
See you later.
Bill Clontz
If you find this blog worthy of your time and curiosity, I invite you to do three things:
(1) Join the conversation. Your voice counts here. If you wish to share COMMENTS anonymously, make the last word in your comment “PRIVATE.” I will assure your privacy via anonymity.
(2) Share the word about this post with friends and colleagues. Share a link in your emails and social media posts (https://agentsofreason.com).
(3) You are welcome to share this post with anyone. It is easy to pass on via email, of course, but also on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Reddit; simply click on the links for these services at the end of this article.
Let’s grow our circle.
Love this post. Thanks for the handy links to the indictment document. It’s great to see the clear language about the charges. There’s power in simplicity.
Welcome comments from a respected source!