I am weary of watching videos of an outraged Donald Trump complaining about election interference. Trump argues that the civil and criminal cases brought against him are politically motivated. Trump tells us that the cases would not have been brought if he were not running for president. Really? Most of us are not buying that argument. But is Trump, right? Would anyone else who committed the same business fraud of inflating property values to get more favorable loan rates have been prosecuted?
Last weekend, I reflected on “election interference” and concluded that the Trump legal proceedings meet the definition. They are distracting voters from critical issues that should be the focus of a presidential election–things like the economy, healthcare, education, civil rights, crime, and border security. But I also concluded that it was Trump, not the prosecutors and justice system that is attempting to hold him accountable, that is to blame.
Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Letitia James, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg likely thought about who they were investigating or indicting when they made their prosecutorial decisions to pursue Trump. They may have been thinking, “Somebody had to do something to stop Trump from returning to power.” But, most likely, they were also thinking, “Given what Trump did, he must be prosecuted.”
In his first 15 months as New York DA, Bragg and his team filed 166 felony counts for falsifying business records against 34 people or companies. Under his predecessor, former DA Cyrus Vance, in contrast, it took three years to charge about the same amount of business felonies.
“Equal Justice Under Law” is engraved into the marble above the main entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. The meaning of the phrase is obvious, but it also means that justice is not equal if accountability can be evaded by running for president.
The Constitution of the United States is deficient in not eliminating eligibility to run for president for anyone who faces a pending indictment for a felony under federal law. Such a provision would have nipped Trump’s scary attempt to return to office in the bud. If the Constitution restricts eligibility to run for president to people above age 35 who are naturally born citizens and have lived in the United States for 14 years, the Founding Fathers could have gone one step further and blocked people accused of serious crimes from running for president.
Naysayers, most of them supporters of the ex-president, will point out that such a modification to the Constitution would create the possibility of political opponents conjuring up phony charges and indicting candidates to block their elections. Such a scenario can be imagined, especially under a future Trump administration, but is unlikely in normal times. The party that engaged in such a stunt would be condemned by voters.
Imagine, for a moment, that Donald Trump was a patriot who loved the Constitution and democracy. That Trump would reflect on the 2024 campaign and realize that the biggest elephant in the room (the age of the two leading candidates being the second biggest) is preempting a discussion of issues and would drop out.
We are not hearing enough about the issues voters want to discuss, which is one reason many voters are checking out. Unless you are a political junkie, Trump’s efforts to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the Trump case in Georgia is boring. Equally boring are the asset valuation issues at the heart of Trump’s business fraud case in New York—the one where Judge Erdogan found Trump liable for more than $453 million dollars. Many voters shrug their shoulders and say, “Don’t all businesspeople cheat?” or “That has nothing to do with me!”
After months of watching Trump’s 2024 campaign, voters are waking up to the fact that Trump is portraying himself as a victim of an unjust legal system in his campaign. Few voters read the detailed and often bizarre policy proposals that the Trump campaign has put forward. If Trump is not talking much about them, why should voters read them?
Give Trump a stage, and you will hear the words witch hunt, deranged, sick, Trump hater, corrupt, and, of course, election interference repeatedly. If you are unfortunate enough to get a campaign solicitation from Trump, it will be more about his legal problems than about anything else. The main references to President Biden will be about his corruption and age. If policies are discussed, you will read about the Southern border being overrun, wokeness, crime, and very few other things. (If you were Trump, you would not want to talk about the economy, except for inflation, either.)
Imagine, for a moment, a 2024 election season where Trump was not running. Such a campaign would be different. President Biden’s age would still be an issue, but discussions of policy would be unavoidable. America would be on track for a better, more substantive election.
Trump’s legal problems, if you think about it, are the elephant in the 2024 room. They are the election interference, and one person is responsible for it—Donald Trump. Any decent human being facing the mountain of legal problems Trump faces would realize that discussion of the problems would preempt discussion of significant issues. Trump is not a decent human being. He could give a damn about something other than himself. He does not.
Trump could make the election interference referenced in his victimization campaign go away by dropping out. He will not.
If we are going to keep Trump out of the White House, we, the voters, must take matters into our own hands. We need to use the right to vote and execute our responsibility as citizens to speak out against a candidate who should not be running for president.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government and other subjects.
Wilson Dean says
Great article. Trump’s constant complaining that he is a political victim is laughing-out-loud ridiculous. Donald, you should remember the saying that you shouldn’t do the crime if you’re not ready to do the time (and put in the time for your trials). Can you imagine anyone else in this country accused of corruption, insurrection, fraud, etc. arguing before the courts that they shouldn’t have to go to trial because they want to run for President (and then pardon themselves if they won). How incredibly ludicrous!
The point made in this article that the Trump follies are detracting from our discussing more important issues is excellent. I’m very resentful we as a country aren’t having lengthy and substantive discussions of key topics such as border security, climate change, Russian aggression, how to handle the next pandemic, to name but a few. Unfortunately attempts to focus on these and other significant challenges are being derailed by Trump’s never ending antics, which have become exceedingly predictable and boring. Whether by convicting Trump for his numerous crimes and/or by rejecting him in the election, it is time to Dump Trump and start focusing on the substantive issues affecting us all.
J. Dean says
Thank you for the comment. As you might see from the other comments in the Chestertown Spy, not everyone liked the piece. The two realities are that if you commit a crime, expect to be held accountable, no matter who you think you are. Second, today’s issues are so important that having an election where Trump’s battle with justice pre-empts a discussion of today’s important economic and foreign policy issues is tragic. Trump can make “election interference” go away by simply ending his campaign. He won’t. He doesn’t care about anyone except himself.
Paul Rybon says
Mr Dean is right. If Donald Trump weren’t running, most of the charges against him would go away. If Trump weren’t speaking out, we might not have heard about Burisma and Other Ukrainian corruption. We wouldn’t have found out that Biden conducted his POTUS campaign from his basement, that many NATO countries weren’t paying into the group defense fund, that he was unlawfully being spied upon, that the Russia Dossier was phoney, and so much more. And Dean is right about another thing….that the voters will decide all that.
J. Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. Why are the alleged “crimes” of Biden your concern, but you seem not to worry about the 91 felony counts against Trump? Forgive me, but you seem to assume that Biden and his “crime family” are guilty and that Trump and his family of “patriots” are innocent. To me, that’s a problem.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Ah, is the The Onion or are you being willfully ignorant? First of all, every statement you wrote is
factually wrong. All.Of.It. To suggest there are “dues” for NATO is laughable and that is why Trump
makes his sick-in-the-head comments to his self selecting audiences. The Europeans supported us in
Iraq and Afghanistan; (Trump has never heard a shot fired and anger and blatantly avoided serving his country.) We all know alliances are what has kept us out of WW111.
Now Trump wants a 10% tariff that every person in the USA who buys appliances and other imported
goods will end up paying.
This sorry excuse for a former “President” is nothing but a charlatan who requires low information-
shoot from the hip-mad at their place in the world – everyone but whites are to blame types to swallow
his garbage. And that is being kind.
Charles Barranco says
In another response, Mr Rybon referred to Benedict Donald as a Remarkable Patriot. Since when did any patriot in history incite his followers to storm the Capitol to disrupt the Certification of a Constitutional Function and instruct his followers to chant, Hang Pense, his Vice President?
Can anybody remember a presidential candidate who has spent $2.9 million in legal fees in one month, (January 2024), defending himself for rape charges, fraudulent business activities and defamation, and still owes, $1.9 million in unpaid attorney’s fees?
Mr Dean is so on point, Trump should not be running for president. However I am confident the Courts will grant Mr Dean’s wish when Trump stands trial for the first of many felony charges, beginning, March 25, 2024 in Manhattan.
Paul Rybon says
Mr. Barranco evidently forgets that Donald Trump was tried and found not guilty in his impeachment trial. While it is true that he faces several more charges, most of them seem to have no victim, no crime, and no loss by a victim. You have to admire a person who is willing to face all of these charges with determination and resolve to soldier on for the benefit of the American people with no benefit except gratitude.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Yes, just where the grifter wants you! He was not found guilty by Republicans because “they believed the courts should try him”. LOL, he is a crook, the worst kind: Slippery and has gullible poor souls
behind him.
Mickey Terrone says
If Mr. Rybon or Mr. Trump thought for a minute that Trump’s trials would actually acquit him, he’d be all over it to finish the trials and clear himself before the 2024 election. But Mr. Rybon, along with Trump and millions of extremist Republicans are desperate to delay his trials to decide on his 91 felony charges (or as Mr. Rybon describes “several more charges”). Why? Becaause they knowhe is as guilty as sin itself.
People like Mr. Rybon fear that the US system of justice, which gives wealthy people like Trump every conceivable disadvantage to avoid being found guilty in court. He might get the obscene opportunity to delay his court cases so he can be elected POTUS in order to avoid criminal prosecution, including his attempt to overthrow the Election of 2020 on January 6th, 2021.
If this isn’t unamerican enough, Trump and extremist Republicans are certain to make yet another hollow, empty claim that the 2024 Election will have been rigged against him again. Trump is trying to distort the law and the legal process and then put himself in charge of our American system of equal justice under the law. What kind of American thinks or acts like that?
What kind of American would turn his back on the brave people of Ukraine who daily confront Putin’s horrendous brutality? What kind of evangelical Christian Republican, such as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives cannot summon enough courage to allow his members to vote for or against the people of Ukraine? How can any American not be ashamed of Trump, Andy Harris, Mike Johnson and the fake evangelical Christians who betray democracy in Ukraine and Europe?
Even now, Trump calls openly for political power far beyond the constitution to save himself and weaponize the justice department. He wants to be an authoritarian leader. Trump supporters aren’t thinking much at all about who may come after Trump once the Good Lord comes and carries him off to his eternal reward. Maybe the congress and SCOTUS ought to be thinking about that now because they themselves are far less likely to be needed or have their jobs after Trump takes control, regardless of what party they represent.
Everything about Trump is degenerate, from his ego, to his handlers (Bannon, Miller, etc.) and co-conspirators, to his brownshirts and his fraudulent schemes. He is dragging America down to his level of degeneracy through the blind, disingenuous support of his minions, who appear to have forgotten their school civics lessons and our imperfect, but great history.