Loser
You’ve heard of a “three time” loser? That’s a criminal who’s been convicted so many times that additional crime brings “enhanced” punishments – longer sentences in jail. So what about a twice-impeached, four-times indicted, facing ninety-one charges; candidate for President of the United States?
Woah – I hear all of my Trump-leaning friends calling out. You’re right: he was impeached (twice) but not convicted. He is indicted on all of those charges, but time will tell whether he’s guilty. I guess we’ll find out if this is all “just a Democrat-Prosecutor Plot”, or if the former President of the United States will end up in some kind of incarceration. I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I’d put money on Trump standing before the bar, sentenced for a crime. Out of ninety-one charges, something will stick.
Trump is using all the Rights tools. He claims that his First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech is violated. In particular, his political freedom to run for office (and make speeches) is restricted by – “Democrat, Racist, Biased, Judges”. Of course when he says that, he makes the point for the Judge. You really can’t call your trial judge racist and biased, at least not in the “real world” of American Justice. And he even goes farther with the Prosecutors; they’re demented. If you or I did that, we’d be getting a close-up view of the inside of a jail cell.
And maybe that’s the point.
Dodge the Bullet
In the “real world”, a candidate facing ninety-one charges, Federal and State, would probably drop out and find some way to defend themselves in court. A real billionaire might look for some safe foreign nation without an extradition treaty (I hear there’s some nice beachfront property for sale in Russian Crimea). But we aren’t in the “real world”. We are still, unfortunately, in “Trump World”.
From a legal standpoint, Trump’s best way out is to win the election and become President again. He can then require the Department of Justice to drop the charges. He can fire any Federal Prosecutor who won’t stop prosecuting him (or fire the person who can fire them until he gets someone who will, shades of the Saturday Night Massacre of 1973).
And he’ll be able to go to Georgia and New York and accuse them of interfering with the Presidency. It might work. Do you really think the actual President of the United States could “serve while serving” from the Washington State Prison (minimum security) in Davisboro, Georgia or the Queensboro Correctional Facility on Long Island? (We are sorry, Mr. President, the Cabinet meeting can only be held during visiting hours). Is the current US Supreme Court going to allow that?
MAGA Loyalists
“Trump World” depends on the absolute loyalty of his supporters. And what better way to “Rally the Troops” than prosecution twisted into persecution. In fact, they don’t need to hear or even see Trump himself to get even more riled up. They’ll show up in mass for the primaries, they’ll heckle and disrupt the efforts of other Republicans (ask DeSantis at the Iowa State Fair). And those “troops” will be at the height of their energy, if…if Donald Trump goes to jail.
Being indicted for a crime means that you are already under Court supervision. The Court has three goals for defendants: show up for trial, don’t commit more crimes, and don’t taint the legal process. Trump might already be committing crimes – intimidating witnesses (the former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia for one). And he definitely is “tainting” the legal process, claiming that the Court officers from Judges to Prosecutors are corrupt. All of that gets to the prospective Jury Pool. What he says does matter in the Judicial process.
If you or I did this, we’d be “inside looking out”, for sure. Trump is literally daring the Judges in his cases, from New York to Washington to Miami and soon Atlanta, to try it. In fact, he’s going so far, it makes me wonder: is this a political calculation? Trump’s formula seems to be: either I say what I want and get what I want, or “they” put me in jail, and all of MAGA’Dom goes nuts in my support. Other than being incarcerated, what’s the down side?
Go to Jail
Donald Trump is no Martin Luther King. I don’t expect a “letter from the DC Jail” if he’s locked away (though I bet his campaign tries). And he’s no Alexi Navalny, willing to risk death and return to Russia to be jailed. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that a man so used to getting anything he wants would allow himself to be incarcerated. But maybe it’s a short-term pain, long-term gain kind of thing. Getting jailed while awaiting trial is short term. If it could help him win the Presidency, the long-term gain is avoiding what essentially would be a life sentence for the seventy seven year-old man.
At least, then there would be some logic to what he’s doing. Otherwise he’s just a man so self-indulgent (and self-deluded) that he doesn’t think a judge would dare jail him. The question is: which Judge accepts the dare, and proves him wrong?
