Trump’s Indictment
Trump is being indicted for falsifying his business records in conjunction with paying off adult film star actress, Stormy Daniels, on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about their affair (dating back to 2006). https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/donald-trump-indictment/index.html
Trump denies almost everything, and he is entitled to a presumption of innocence before the judge and jury. He can only be convicted on a unanimous vote of a jury of his peers who would need to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he violated the New York and federal laws in question.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, already pleaded guilty and was convicted of this and other offenses; he was sentenced to prison and served his prison term. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/michael-cohen-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court-eight-counts-including-criminal-tax Trump was in the White House at the time, and as a serving President, he could not pursuant to Justice Department policy be prosecuted by the United States Justice Department.
According to Cohen at the behest of Trump, he also paid off Karen McDougal, a model and Playboy Playmate who had an affair with Trump in 2006-07. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cohen_(lawyer) David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer and a long time Trump friend and supporter, was used by Trump and Cohen to “catch and kill” the story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pecker AMI and Pecker paid fines imposed by the FEC; Trump was protected by the Republican Election Commissioners. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/01/trump-escapes-fec-sanction-for-hush-money-national-enquirer-publisher-pays-fine.html “Trump masterminded this whole thing, and so far he’s walked, Common Cause vice president of policy and litigation Paul Ryan said. Everyone who carried out his dirty work here, Cohen and AMI, paid penalties and did prison time.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/01/trump-escapes-fec-sanction-for-hush-money-national-enquirer-publisher-pays-fine.html
Now that Trump has been indicted and is about to face trial for the conduct that already landed his lawyer in prison and subjected his friend to a large fine, Trump and his political allies are claiming this is a political prosecution of a wholly innocent man. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/us/politics/trump-indicted-republican-response.html; and https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-protests-trump-indictment-new-york-rcna77594 The far right is complaining and threatening civil war and bloodshed on line, but not yet in the streets or public places in violent circumstances where they could be arrested, detained and tried for acting on their threats. https://www.wesa.fm/2023-03-31/trumps-online-supporters-remain-muted-after-his-indictment There is not any doubt whatsoever that Trump, his lawyer and his allies were purchasing the women’s silence to advance his political prospects in the 2016 election, so the case is inherently political by its very nature; it is not some dry technicality of bookkeeping and accounting. Trump, Cohen and Pecker bought the women’s silence, shortly after the Hollywood Access tapes came out of Trump claiming he could grope women and grab their genitals with impunity.
The potential legal and political fallout for Trump, the US justice system and our democratic institutions will be enormous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JL7POx0qd8 This is likely the first of four criminal prosecutions of Trump and the least compelling, but by far the most personally embarrassing, when and if it goes to trial. It is not in Trump’s nature, but, as a husband, father and grandfather, he should seek to plead to a misdemeanor offense in New York and save all the fireworks and drama for the Georgia and DC cases to come.
While there will be an initial impulse of elected Republicans to rally around Trump, I don’t think an endless discussion loop in the media and on line about his affairs with Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal and others while his wife, Melania, was pregnant and giving birth and raising their little baby will help his standing with suburban women, and evangelical women.