“the last thing I want to do is put you in jail.”

Judge Juan Merchan

 

The media must stop prefacing every report about Donald Trump’s current and pending trials with an emphasis the cases are “unprecedented” as he is a former president or that he is again running for president … subtly implying he perhaps deserves special considerations.

Whatever legal insulation he might have enjoyed while in office, as of January 20th, 2021, Donald Trump became a private citizen again; subject to the same civil and criminal standards, legal protections and potential penalties as every other American!

Neither his past presidency nor his current candidacy should have any impact nor impart any special privileges or considerations before the law not available to every other American facing similar charges.  Other people who have held or were seeking critically important jobs have been indicted, convicted and sentenced for crimes they committed.

His non-stop claims about of “unfairness” and being a victim of a corrupt Administration, a rigged justice system and election interference may be fodder for his MAGA base but are pure nonsense.  Neither Judge Merchan nor the jurors, drawn for a pool of average citizens and vetted by both the prosecution and his defense counsels, are not radical leftist or never-Trumpers.  In fact, one testified they received much of their news from Truth Social, hardly a Democratic source.

The gag orders imposed on him are the result of his own narcissism and unwarranted words and actions to intimidate or taint witnesses, attacks on employees of the court and prosecution (other than the Judge himself and District Attorney), and unjustified criticisms directed toward members of their families.

Judge Merchan has bent over backwards in the face of Trump serial violations of the court’s gag orders issuing fines when any other individual with as many similar violations would likely have already faced jail time.  Soon, the former president may discover to his dismay that money cannot buy his way out of everything.

Given his proclivity to deny any wrongdoing, one wonders whether a thirst for power and retribution or the fear of possible prison time if the Supreme Court doesn’t support his absurd and dangerous for our Republic claim of absolute immunity.  Nowhere in the Federalist Papers, records of the ratification debates or the Constitution, itself, is there any language or even a hint of granting a president immunity for their criminal actions.

Teddy Roosevelt wisely noted,” No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.”