April 5, 2023
With the indictment of President Trump unsealed, the only man implicated in serious wrongdoing is New York DA, Alvin Bragg. The charges are so flimsy even pundits with left-leaning news outlets, such as CNN and the New York Times, expressed dismay at their weakness.
There is nothing in the 34 felony counts that have not been known for the last seven years. The charges all stem from three payments- Hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, and a Trump Tower doorman- individuals threatening to go public with derogatory information denied by Trump.
Prosecutors often charge defendants with as many crimes as possible for the same offense to make their case appear stronger. Bragg’s charge-stacking highlights the unsubstantial nature of his case against Trump.
Further, emphasizing the dubiousness of Bragg’s charges, he does not specify what laws Trump allegedly committed. We know Bragg is asserting campaign finance violations only from the accompanying statement of fact.
The dozens of felony counts in the indictment are all based on the same misdemeanor falsifying records offense- a rarely prosecuted offense, often resulting in only a fine. Yet, here we are. With the world looking on, a former and possibly future President of the United States was fingerprinted and paraded into court for a “crime” no one else would be charged with.
Let’s not forget that to elevate the misdemeanor offense (which expired under the statute of limitations) into felonies, Bragg asserted Trump hid the true nature of the payments solely to aid his political campaign, never mind that Trump is a married family man with a global business empire.
During his press conference, Bragg laughably defended the charges claiming that he will “not normalize criminal conduct”. Yet, under Bragg’s direction felony prosecutions have dropped by more than half in NYC. And if Trump’s bookkeeping error was a prosecutorial crime, why did the DOJ, the FEC, and Bragg’s predecessor decline to prosecute? Further, Bragg has been in office for almost a year and a half. Why now?
The answer is obvious. Bragg is aware his charges are weak. But this case is not just about a conviction, which, even though meritless, could happen in far-left Trump-hating Manhattan. Bragg knows Trump’s arrest will tie him up with legal proceedings throughout the presidential campaign, sullying his name and reminding the American people that he is a potential convicted felon. The spectacle of Trump in and out of criminal court will also take the spotlight off Biden’s incompetence and scandals.
Antithetical to America’s system of justice, Bragg targeted the “man” and not “the crime”. Bragg claims that Trump’s failure to disclose the hush money payments interfered with the 2016 presidential election. However, as former Assistant United States Attorney and now Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy pointed out, the indictment asserts that Trump’s actions to defraud voters began on February 14 through December 5th, 2017- After the election!
Further, the Trump team made the payments in the closing weeks of the 2016 election. Under campaign finance laws, Trump did not have to disclose them until months after the election.
Ironically, Bragg is charging Trump with interfering in the 2016 presidential election when that is what he is doing in the 2024 election. No honest person believes that, if not for his 2024 presidential ambitions, Trump would be facing criminal charges for a record-keeping offense.
Undoubtedly Bragg gets an “A” for effort from his fellow radicals. But, it looks like his banana-republic tactics may backfire. Since the indictment announcement, Trump’s campaign has raised $10 million, 16,000 have signed up to be volunteers, and his speech from Mar-a-Lago aired by Fox News, drew 6.6 million viewers, double the closest competition. Trump’s support is stronger than ever.
These charges indisputably highlight what conservatives have known for years- An ever-increasing percentage of those on the left disdain our nation’s values and fervently believe their “righteous” ends always justify the means. Using the law as an instrument to prevent the former president and the Republican presidential frontrunner from becoming the next president is just the latest example.
With the precedent set, red state prosecutors must start fighting fire with fire. Political opponents are now fair game for investigations in search of a crime. Prosecutions, no matter how petty the offense, to effect a political outcome are also A-ok.
Even if Republicans do not want to sink to the debased level of today’s Democratic party, there are ample real crimes ripe for prosecution. The Biden family’s foreign corruption is a great place to start.
