Right-wing extreme politicians and mistaken pundits argue repeatedly that the long-expected indictment of defendant Donald Trump, because of the unprecedented nature of the indictment of a former president, represents some kind of threat to our constitutional democracy. This is pure hogwash. Trump’s unprecedented role as the most lawless and corrupt president in the history of the nation is the problem.
The threat to our constitutional democracy would have been not indicting him for his effort to suppress evidence that might have cost him the 2016 election. He then conspired to conceal that evidence. The evidence demonstrating Trump’s involvement in this conspiracy is transparently obvious to even the most casual observer. The only question for a jury to decide is whether this corruption reaches the level of a felony.
Rather than Trump’s indictment representing a threat to constitutional democracy, the threat arises from those defending Trump’s ongoing lies and corruption. Our constitutional democracy would also be threatened if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had not indicted Trump for these crimes. The principle that none of us is above the law must be upheld. Grand juries should indict Trump again for the recorded Georgia voter fraud effort, again for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and again for absconding with classified and other government documents. Anyone other than Trump would already be in jail for these crimes. The sooner Trump is behind bars, the better.
Indicting corrupt individuals — whoever they are — is essential if our nation is to survive.
Alan Journet
Jacksonville
