In a historic ruling, Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush-money trial brought against him by the Manhattan District Attorney. This makes him the first United States president to be put on trial for and convicted of a felony. Trump is, of course, calling this trial a sham, a witch hunt, and political persecution (even comparing himself to Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa) with MAGA Republicans falling in line to support his claims. But that is their typical stance when anything negative is directed at Trump, and the truth of the matter is that justice was served in this case.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he did nothing wrong and that the case was brought against him by Joe Biden to interfere with the upcoming election. But the fact is that federal prosecutors passed on the case, perhaps because Merrick Garland was hesitant about going after a former president because it could be spun as political persecution (and it has been). But the fact that Trump previously held the title of POTUS should not make him immune from prosecution (despite his claims to the contrary), and the Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg, decided to pick up the case.
Trump has claimed that Alvin Bragg and Justice Juan Merchan are conflicted and politically motivated and that the jury was heavily biased against him in the case. He has also claimed that his First Amendment rights were violated by the gag order. But these and other claims have all been debunked, and this is simply part of Trump’s strategy of placing doubt on our democratic institutions. Trump has been attacking the justice system since he first entered office back in 2017 and has continued to stir up doubt among the public when it has worked against him, even if it is doing exactly what it is designed to.
All this goes back to Trump’s authoritarian approach to the presidency as he believes he should be allowed to reign unfettered while also being shielded from any consequences of his actions. His attacks on the justice system to instill doubt in that body are simply an exercise in Fascism 101. In fact, he regularly pulls from that playbook, as I discuss in more detail at this link, showing his contempt for our Democratic system. That is furthered by MAGA Republicans who have gathered in support and are echoing his attacks on the justice system and other democratic institutions.
But the fact is that this started as nothing more than a scandal, and Trump himself could have put an end to it years ago. It’s not a crime to have an affair with a porn star (or anybody for that matter). It is not a crime (in the state of New York) to engage in sexual relations outside of marriage. Trump could have fessed up to the affair and said it was just an indiscretion on his part, or he could have just denied it. Either of those would have brought the same publicity as the hush-money claims when they first emerged, but that would have eventually died out. And no matter how much Trump claims he wanted to keep the truth of the affair from his wife, the fact is that he has a long history of similar affairs, so she knew what she was getting into.
Instead, Trump chose to make illicit payments in an attempt to cover up the affair (which failed to keep it out of the public eye), and those were linked to campaign finance violations. Considering his long history of shady business dealings, his actions should not come as a surprise. What should be surprising is the GOP’s blind support of Trump in the face of blatant evidence against him, but their sycophancy has just become expected at this point. And already, Trump appears to be inciting violence if he is incarcerated, something the Republicans should denounce but have not.
The fact is that much of this is just projection on their part. Trump claims that the justice system is being used against him for political persecution, but he has said himself that is exactly what he will do if he gets back in office. The claim is that Bragg, Merchan, and others are heavily biased against Trump, but the fact is that he and the GOP have worked hard to establish a biased justice system, most notably the highest court in the land (which I discuss in more detail at this link). They are accusing others of weaponizing the courts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the justice system, but they are really telling us exactly what they will do if the opportunity presents itself.
The evidence has upheld Trump’s guilt, as decided by a jury of his peers, and this is very much in line with what we have come to expect from the man. He has proven himself to be a shady businessman, he was a shady president, and now he is starting to face some consequences of his actions. The fact that he and his cronies are attacking the justice system because of that just goes to prove their contempt of the democratic institutions of the United States and brings serious doubt whether they are worthy to hold their positions because they place one man above the law. We have learned the dangers of that, and Americans should say no to dictators for one day and every day. We should not believe the lies and political rhetoric coming from Trump and his MAGA followers around this case, and we should put our faith in the system of justice in this country and do everything we can with our voices and our votes to assure it remains as fair as possible for all that it touches.