Of Course the Prosecution of Trump is Politically Influenced
Underlying all the specific issues, accusations and charges against President Trump, there is a foundational debate as to whether the prosecution of President Trump is political. Most folks’ opinions on that subject break along partisan lines – although a majority of Americans believe that politics plays a role.
In terms of political bias influencing the Trump indictments, you do not have to be a fan or supporter of the former President (which I am not) to answer that question in the affirmative. You can do it based on experience, common sense, and objectivity.
The enabler of political prosecution is something called “prosecutorial discretion.” It is the power of prosecutors to decide to indict, or not – and when, where and how to do so – that makes a mockery of the “rule-of-law” claim that is so highly touted by the judicial class.
Laws provide a rationale, but it is people – usually politically biased people – who actually decide who gets prosecuted, or not. When the case-in-point is political, you can rest assured the decision to prosecute will be … political.
After more than 50 years of involvement in the political process at the grassroots in Chicago – including a number of investigations of vote fraud and voter intimidation – I can say without refutation that I have witnessed hundreds – perhaps thousands – of cases of vote fraud far worse than what several of the defendants in Fulton County, Georgia are accused of. Virtually none of them were ever indicted – even in cases where the evidence was overwhelming and convincing.
There was a reason why none of those individuals were never prosecuted, indicted or convicted. Politics. Elected Democrat machine prosecutors and judges used their “discretion” – not the rule-of-law – to dismiss the cases as a matter of routine.
Has such political bias influenced the cases and charges brought against Trump? Well duh! Of course it has. In fact, it would be impossible for the decision to indict to NOT be tainted by politics. The only question is how much political consideration played in the various decisions to indict – and the nature and severity of the specific charges.
The first question is whether Trump broke laws. And even if he appears to have done so, is the nature and scope of the various indictments commensurate with the alleged crimes and prosecutorial traditions? Or is Trump being singled out for especially harsh treatment based on political bias?
It is no coincidence that in every case brought against Trump, the prosecutors are elected or appointed to their positions as political partisans. They ALL represent the Democratic Party. They ALL operate in communities with overwhelming Democrat political populations – and predominantly Democrat jury pools.
While the various prosecutors claim that they do not coordinate, they are bonded by a natural conspiracy of self-interest. They do not have to meet in a backroom to know what to do individually in terms of their mutual political advantages. Their mutual mission is to “get Trump.”
You see the bias in the timing. How is it that these cases rose only on the eve of the 2024 presidential election, with all the indictments hitting like a cluster bomb? Normally, the Federal Election Law charge in the Manhattan case would have been adjudicated within the first year after the 2016 election when the alleged payoff to Stormy Daniels was made. That was seven years ago. So, why now when Trump is the leading Republican candidate for President? That should be an easy question to answer.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is pursuing a case that totally incorporates the Fulton County issues. In such cases, the local prosecution often yields to the federal case. They do not normally run the same prosecutorial claims in tandem. It is not the American way to put a defendant on trial on essentially the same charges at the same time.
The federal cases have come to the peak in terms of indictments in an election year in which the defendant is running for President gains the people and the party representing the prosecution. There are legitimate questions as to why the Department of Justice waited almost three years to commence the investigation.
The dates that prosecutors have requested to start trials seem strategically selected to have the greatest impact on the Trump’s participation in the Republican primaries – with the Georgia date just days before super Tuesday.
Apart from determining Trump’s innocence or guilt on the various charges, were the prosecution and proposed trial dates strategically selected to cripple Trump’s ability to campaign and strip away some of his financial resources for legal fees and other costs?
One key question is whether Trump is being treated differently than others facing similar indictments. The answer to that is, “yes.” And there are lots of examples – the most notable of which is the fact that trial dates are being influenced by the timing of the election. Each of the prosecutors is trying to get their case in front of a jury before the 2024 election – when any negative impact would be maximized.
Also, were the cases and their timing intentionally designed to foment a flurry of hyperbolic reporting in the court-of-public-opinion? In other words, to intensify the drumbeat of political propaganda against Trump and the Republicans? The timing certainly accomplished that. The only debatable point is whether it was intentional. Since all the timing issues were at the discretion of the prosecutors – and intended to depart from norms — it is hard to imagine it NOT being politically strategic.
Whether Trump is guilty of the crimes for which he is charged or not, is not the point. He may still be treated unfairly based on the political biases and motivations of the prosecutors. Would all those Democrat prosecutors and law enforcement-run agencies be so aggressive if the target was not Trump – or if he were not running for President?
I suspect that most Americans have already answered that question for themselves. This commentary is meant for those who might not have – or may still retain some objectivity. Obviously, I believe that politics has played a significant role even if Trump bears some culpability.
So, there ‘tis..
If anything about the prosecution of Trump is political, it’s that they’re taking it pretty easy on him. Everything that Trump is accused of, it was done openly, widely reported at the time, and there is evidence out the wazoo to support the charges. If a normal person committed any of the crimes that Trump is accused of, they would be in jail with no bond until the trial. They would get arrested, mug shots, passports taken away. Threatening judges, prosecutors, or grand jury members would land them in jail immediately. There would be no negotiations or even considerations of delaying the trial for months or years, for any reason, much less for a political campaign. If anything, prosecutors have been a lot less aggressive than they would normally be.
Trump has spent his whole life thumbing his nose at the law, and courts have let him get away with it because he was (supposedly) rich. If he had been treated to the same sort of justice that everyone else back then, we wouldn’t have had 4 years of suffering under his destructive policies. He should have been convicted multiple times of rape and registered as a sex offender. He should have been removed from office – Republicans had two opportunities, and let them slip through their fingers, and now they’re paying for it. After all his complaining about Clinton’s emails on a server, he should have been locked up immediately for his handling of classified documents (among others) after he left office. And Trump himself has delayed the proceedings toward the election season. While he was President, he claimed immunity from all crimes – Republicans backed him up and his Attorney General quashed all the investigations. The only reason he’s running now is to try to get elected again so he can shut all the prosecutions down. Plus there’s still a lot of bribe money to take…
You claim to dislike Defendant Trump, but spend most of your column defending him, based on your half-century old recollections of old Chicago politics. Putting their thumbs on the vote count in Chicago is nothing at all like the conspiracy among Trump and dozens of Republican staffers and members of Congress to coordinate fake electors in a half-dozen states, call forth an angry mob, allow (and encourage) the violence of the mob, disrupt the Constitutional process to keep himself in office, create the conditions for calling in the military – in short, to steal an election that he lost. Or blackmailing the leader of another country to create dirt on his political opponent. Or colluding with the Russians to get elected in the first place. Everything done out in the open and widely documented.
Most of your columns are spent attacking Joe Biden for things that Republicans have made up – they’ve taken Hunter Biden’s business deal, tried to make it sound illegal, tried to connect the President to the made-up deal, tried to take the Russian-supply fake laptop and create a scandal out of it. Republicans try to project everything that Trump did onto Biden, and you just happily report it and try to give it some credibility. They call Biden old, yet he’s out there bicycling with his wife while Trump is about 100 lbs overweight and looks like he’ll die any minute. They call Biden senile, yet he’s pretty much run rings around the Republicans. Republicans complain about the economy, but it’s WAY better than anything Trump accomplished. Yesterday, they attacked Biden for admiring and petting a rescue dog in Hawaii – are you going to take that one up too?
We get it – you hate Democrats. But Republicans have turned into the Democrats you knew 50 or 60 years ago (only much worse), and you still haven’t figured that out.
Horist once again shows us his belief that everything is politics, almost everything Democratic is evil, and Trump is getting a raw deal. Poor Trumpy. Poor privileged Trumpy no can buy his way out of this one. Good luck Chuck, even good lawyers don’t want to work with you, a number are turning on you instead. The plight of the bully is when the worm turns, it really turns, and this one seems to be on a Jersey jug-handle about to complete it’s 180 turnaround.
“you do not have to be a fan or supporter of the former President (which I am not),” caused a coffee spew into my soon-to-be replaced laptop :>) You owe me a 21-inch gaming latop :>) That’s your best joke so far.
Horist hits the nail on the head with “Most folks’ opinions on that subject break along partisan lines,” to which I respond WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE. When will you figure out that Trump:
is a sex abuser.
a “digital” rapist or what I now call a dick-less rapist
a guy who defrauded his school students
and ripped off his own charity foundation, his kids might have helped on that one.
The guy is a criminal tax fraudster, long running, got his entire Mahogany Row doing it,
He hires well: five of his Presidential advisors found guilty
Many of these are court cases, mostly civil, not indictments. Often fines, never time. You really think each and every one of these were politically motivated? He was a freakin Democrat for a lot of these. Did you Republicans have a change of heart over law and order for this guy? This guy was a criminal well before he stepped into the political arena which he now sees as his only way out and he is fighting for his life, literally. He was more that willing to sacrifice you on 1/6/2021 and now he’s asking for you to do it again. What’s really politically motivated is you all giving him money to continue this circus, this travesty. If you stopped the juice, he would plead out today. He will never spend his own money, he will plead instead. Matter of fact, I would bet if the money runs out, he hops the plane to Moscow where his billions will go ever farther than in DeSantistan.
It’s over 90 different charges, do you really think he will skate? All 91 are political smoke screens. Wow.
Yes, the world is political, and when any of us make a decision, use discretion, there has to be political bias, just like every single factoid of bias that exists in the baggage we carry. It’s like Mr Spock’s human side; we fight the bias, but it’s always there. We are biased by upbringing, experience, education, nationality, religion, whatever…… every one of us. It’s called life, Mr. Horist.
Yes, law has discretion. From the cop writing you a warning instead of a ticket to the judge letting you off light for a first offense by a remorseful defendant and every position in between. Most people, being good, really want discretion. And I will tell you what: when they pull you over for 70 in a 55, you be praying for discretion, political or not, and thanks to God themself if you get it. When that judge told me “half the points, half the fine,” just for turning up, I said glory to discretion. When I was a long hair WV redneck rowdy hippie in a fancy muscle car (I faked it myself), bang — I not only got the ticket every time. I once got pulled over for smiling (I should not have winked). When I had my mid-life and was idling at 40 in my WRX in a 25, I got the warning with the old middle class white guy deferment. It’s life Larry, people have bias.
Discretion is not the problem; the problem is unfair discretion. Bias in not the problem, unfair bias is a problem. And that’s what Horist is really saying, these indictments are unfair, the discretion is unfair, the bias is unfair (actually that may be FOX, nor Horist).
I say look at Trump’s record, look at the facts, it looks freaking fair to me given the guy’s record for crime, at least the ones we caught him for. They have bent over backwards given extra time to be booked, no bail, released on own, it’s a sweet deal no normal person indicted for all this crap would ever get.
If he was innocent and could prove it, why did he duck Monday’s press shindig where he was going to blow the roof off Georgia with facts GUARANTEED to free all 19 of the indicted.
If he was innocent, why does he never volunteer to be deposed, take the stand, or even debate now. He told us only the guilty refuse deposition.
And the rare times he’s forced to deposition, he pleads the fifth, the anthem of the guilty (of something they will get caught for IF they answer the question honestly — Trump has said this too).
If he was innocent, why not rush the trials, get it over with, and show the world, you were right all along. I mean you were right about Russia, you got maximum political discretion to avoid guilty on Ukraine, you got political discretion against all sorts of crimes while you were President, what’s stopping you now? Dare I say: discretion of a personal kind?
The only way for anyone to prove what Horist believes here is to go to court and prove it. The rest is just positioning the message for the 2024 election to rationalize what the crazy will do at the voting booth. Let’s get it on, let’s get it over, let’s go to court.
It’s interesting that nobody said much about prosecutions until Trump announced another run for president. And from other politicians getting a pass and shielded by the commiecrats I have no use for our so-called justice system
Dan, first, let’s be clear. These indictments, and the timing therein, begin with the crimes. He picked that date.
Until 1.21.21, Barr/Mueller/DOJ memos all protect Trump, as President, from indictment. Investigations will move slowly, if at all. Post 1.6.21, much FBI/DOJ/judicial system is focused on insurrection with cases overflowing the federal docket. Trump picked these times.
Seeing indictments, in November of 2022, Trump announced his candidacy for 11/24 over two years before the election and earlier than any other candidate in modern history. And he began to build his campaign war chest which he uses to pay legal fees. Remember, by this time Trump is seeing all sorts of 1.6.21 convictions too. Trump picked his announcement time as a potential deferment on investigation and indictments, but it did not work. Later, I think he even followed up with motions in those regards.
In March of 23, he gets the Hush Money indictment; a case that had been churning through it’s investigations. — that’s five months from announcement. And there was plenty of people saying things about it.
In 8/22, they search Trump’s home; in June of 23, they indict. That’s 11 months after the search, the search date was picked by Trump’s noncompliance and lies over the document returns. Again, he pretty much orchestrated the dates and as of 8/22, we did not talk about too much else.
In 8/23, Trump is indicted on 1/6/21 and 11/20 election crimes; I am pretty sure we’ve been hearing about these prospective crimes since 1/6/21, a date that Donald J. Trump selected for his rally and even before ever since that famous Georgia phone call.
And finally, in 8/23, Trump is hit with the Georgia election crimes indictment which was telegraphed from earlier that year.
So, the earliest they could go was 1/21/2021 which is impossible. They could not finish the investigation while he is President. The latest they went was 8/23 which is over a year from the election.
Is that abnormal; I sure do not know. And since no other President has ever been indicted like this, for these crimes, I am not even sure how to tell.
How do you know that the timing is unfairly political? Seems that Trump orchestrated much of this by the date of the crime, the date of his way-early candidacy announcement. Frankly, again, I don’t see where it matters, it against the law, or is even political — remember, two of the four judges are Republican, one picked by Trump himself. He will get a fair shake, based on the evidence, and if it bothers his run for Presidency, IMO, he should have thought of that before he did the crime, obstructed the investigation, and now throws all those motions for delay, each of which is a delay just by the offering. Let’s get it on, let’s go to court, the prosecutors are ready to finish this by the Spring of 24. It’s up to Trump.
I just wonder were the Indictments against Hillary went?
Where were the indictments against Bill Clinton, or I wonder were is his Mug shot?
That is right , it was not sex, it was oral sex. I forgot.
Where was special council sent in for WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?
The country ( Democrat’s ) have their head up there asses when it comes to Trump.
Or at least N Y does.
I can not say good or bad as I did not live in NY when Trump was a Real-estate Mogul.
All I have to correlate this is to California were if Gavin Newsom becomes president
this country is finished.
Any one saying that is not so, now understands most positions on SOME of the people behind Trump.
I will vote for Trump Not because he is a Republican, but because he is the best person for the job.
What Democrat in office or any person on the Republican stage could have endured what Trump has been put through?
That determination is what I want in a President.
Anyone can sling Shit on a wall, it is what sticks that counts!
Whataboutism Hillary and Bill?
I don’t think Hillary had any indictments, although many a Congressional investigation by you fellows, all of which she was absolved.
Bill was impeached, found not guilty by the Senate, for lying about getting a blowjob. He was not indicted for that. And you are right, “I did not have sex with that woman” provided new insights as to the nuance in coming, an insight that many a teenage girl would be using shortly thereafter. Good job Ken Starr, legal blowjob scholar.
So, I am sorry, you were expected a blowjob indictment? What’s the charge?
I agree, special counsel for WMD ooops. Should of done it, Bush got away with murder, literally.
NY and NJ have basically shrugged and let Trump off the hook for years. Our bad, but not totally in that Trump excels at tying up the courts which, at some point, do have to prove worth via cost/convictions. So, picking up a case that gonna drag on for centuries tends to make a prosecutor think twice. So, we grinned and bared it. He’s somewhat entertaining, and real estate is a last bastion of the tax cheat, just in front of investing which has many of the loopholes shut. We not only left him off the hook in NJ, Christie gave him parting gifts, and then we let him buy Bedminster. There’s a NJ joke how Trump buried Ivana there to get the cemetery tax break….
But, the NY case is a no-brainer, Cohen already went to jail where Trump is co-conspirator number 1 where the other guy went to jail and only Trump’s Presidency has saved him so far. He may skip some of the charges, but the co-conspirator one should be a slam dunk. Cohen is watching since when his early release was cancelled by Trump’s DOJ because he would not sign a non-disclosure before his pending tell-all book came out. So, he went to jail twice on Trump, once basically by Trump’s hand at weaponizing DOJ. It’s not like we invented politization of government agencies.
Does anyone know: now that Trump lives in DeSantistan; where does he work? Is there an office anywhere? What does Don Jr. do now that he turned the reigns over to Dad? Weird.
I like Gavin Newsome but really can’t judge his CA standing; I just like to hear him speak. Good stuff, plain speaking, to the point without the hyperbole.
Bill Clinton faced Ken Starr for over five years of investigation, he was even deposed (for which he was impeached for lying) by Jones’ legal team. He may have handled better than Trump, but he sure got as much shit thrown as Trump. The beauty of Clinton was that it seemed that anyone who attacked him ultimately got bitched slap in return without it looking like Clinton did it. It was like Teflon Ron with a bee stinger, gonna get you as he flies away.
Based on your metric of determination, you want Bill, not Don :>)
Fact is, IMO, Don sold the country down the river for popularity. He bought you with my money. and now my kid’s are broke. Along the way he did a number of things just not American. We don’t pull kids from families. As of 2/23, 1,000 kids still looking for parents, or vice-versa. We don’t refuse asylum forcing them into the hands of the cartels and criminals. We don’t threaten the World Court because they are investigating us. We don’t ban Muslims. We don’t incite insurrections, watch on TV, and try to steal elections.
And my President will NEVER claim “In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice.’ Today I add: I am your warrior, I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution!”
The face I saw in that mug shot was looking out, looking hurt, looking really angry, looking for retribution. This shall not pass. And I would never hope it for you.
(ps: unless Trump approved, they should fire that photographer, I may not like Trump, but he was President, have a bit, just the tiniest bit of professionalism and respect for the office)
What is not political about these prosecutions is that after being told by no less than ten people, advisors, family, etc. that he lost the election, he maintained the lie and developed a plan to replace electors and thwart the will of the people. He conspired to overturn a lawful election, even his own VP said so. GOP wants everyone to believe it is just politics because that way the GOP can hide from the public what all Trump really did do. Larry I am shocked that you cannot put aside politics to see the crimes your idol did!!! And how the party you love is maintaining the lie. And this is an independent/Unaffiliated point of view.
Tom … Are you losing it. I write endless commentaries critical of Trump and say many times that I will not vote for him in the Florida primary — and that I would like to see a different GOP standard bearer — and then you claim that Trump is my idol> I am shocked at your unhinged comment. To say that the attacks on Trump are politically motivated does not mean he is not guilty of somethings. Two things can be true at the same time. I got a kick out of your suggesting that I cannot put aside politics when you are mired in your on political views.
Larry, The issue here is you seem to think that prosecuting Trump for his crimes is a problem, because it is ‘political’. We should hold our governmental officials to a higher standard than others, not the other way around. It is obvious to anyone who cares to look that Trump has committed many crimes (I know republicans don’t care), so he should be charged and tried. This will happen Bottom line is-it makes no difference whether the investigations are somehow ‘politically’ motivated-he was a government official, apparently committed crimes, and needs to have his day in court. End of story..