Trump Indicted on Felony Charges Over “Hush Money” to Stormy Daniels
UPDATE, APR 4:
I joined the right-wing UK outlet GB News on Tuesday morning to keep focus on the facts of the indictment of Donald Trump — and to take apart the gaslighting and misinformation of Trump supporter Steve Gill.
Trump’s defenders will portray him as the victim. They will bully, they will attack the District Attorney, the grand jury, the prosecutors, and indeed the judge.
All should be held accountable and none should escape accountability by attacking the system trying to maintain law and order.
UPDATE, APR 3:
With Donald Trump’s indictment in a Manhattan court scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, I spoke this morning with Monocle 24’s Emma Nelson and Markus Hippi about the latest legal and political dynamics.
Listen to Discussion from 8:52
For Trump and his allies, the entire legal system has to be taken down to protect him, which is part of the wider issue here.
You can either support the legal system to do its job or you can back Donald Trump against that system. There is no in-between.
At the end of the day, a legal system must have accountability and responsibility — but Trump doesn’t want accountability.
UPDATE, APR 1:
I also chatted with the Pat Kenny Show on Dublin NewsTalk on Friday morning about the legal and political dynamics.
Listen to Discussion from 3:20
I explain the process of the grand jury, the indictment, and the trial, emphasizing:
You do not prejudice the legal system. When you invoke politics — “You can’t indict Trump because he is calling his supporters out onto the streets” or “This could help Trump win the election” — you’re putting your thumb on the scale.
This is a case where Donald Trump and his allies don’t want to heal. They thrive on division.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: I spoke with international radio and TV outlets throughout Thursday and Friday about the indictment of Donald Trump on multiple felony charges — over his payoff of porn Stormy Daniels in October 2016, covering up their sexual encounters, and poossibly over his business and tax practices.
Listen to BBC 5 Live from 24:39
About 90 minutes after Manhattan prosecutors filed the grand jury’s indictment, I spoke with Colin Murray to set out the case, the context, and the legal and political situation.
When the New York and Manhattan prosecutors obtained convictions of the Trump Organization last year on financial malpractice charges, it showed you could complete cases against Trump’s businesses and dented the idea that he is Teflon Guy.
He has escaped conviction on impeachment charges but his businesses have not escaped accountability and he personally escape accountability, despite all his attempts to throw mud on the wall and dust in our eyes.
In the midst of the conversation, Trump issued his social media response, leading us to discuss further his “gaslighting” tactics to avoid accountability.
Listen to BBC Radio 2 from 11:08
I joined BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine on Friday afternoon to focus on the legal facts and on the political “gaslighting” by Donald Trump and his allies.
Unwittingly the other guest — the hard-right UK politician Nigel Farage, a long-time Trump ally — proved my point with a rant against the US legal system and a portrayal of Trump as victim. Unable to support his claims with any evidence, Farage tries to distract by laughing as I set out the actual position.
This is not a “political prosecution”. This is not a “witch hunt”.
This is not about District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whom they try to tear down. This is not about the prosecutors, whom they try to tear down. This is not about the grand jury, whom they try to tear down.
So let’s ask Mr Trump and Mr Farage: “Do you uphold the US legal system to proceed, whether Trump is acquitted or convicted?”
Listen to BBC Radio Scotland from 1:06.00
I chatted on Friday morning with Laura Maxwell about the significance of the case.
We have never had a former President charged with a criminal offense before, let alone a felony. We’ve never had a former President, who is running for the Presidency again, having been charged.
The issue of Trump v. the American system continues to be the greatest challenge for the US since 1865.
You either support the legal process or you support Trump’s attempt to quash it.
No, Lucas didn’t ‘take apart the gaslighting and misinformation of Trump supporter Steve Gill’. What he did do is gaslight and misinform himself, thus indicating his ubiquitous habit of projecting his own thoroughly distasteful and dishonest modus operandi onto the other person. But perhaps a more important thing that we all got a glimpse of the real Scott Lucas – a thoroughly intemperate, vicious ideologue, totally consumed by his hatred for Trump. And of course, the implicit reason behind Lucas’ current intemperance is the frustration that he has been, and is being, proved wrong over and over again – particularly when it comes to Syria, and the Ukraine conflict. What’s the matter Scott, afraid that your grift is finally coming to an end? Afraid that it will become apparent how totally inappropriate your title of ‘Professor’ has always been? Or is it just that your pathological hatred – of Trump, Assad, Putin – just can’t bear the fact that you are losing on all fronts?
Robert,
I’m struggling to find a fact in your long comment. Can you help me out?
Thanks!
S.
China issues report on human rights situation in the U.S: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-28/Full-text-Report-on-human-rights-violations-in-U-S-in-2022-1ixlHB1qpfq/index.html
“The United States is a country defined by extreme violence, where people are threatened by both violent crime and violent law enforcement, and their safety is far from being guaranteed………………Police violence gets worse. In 2022, a record 1,239 people died as a result of police violence in the United States, according to the website Mapping Police Violence………….The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and prison conditions are terrible. According to a report in the Guardian on Oct. 1, 2022, nearly 500 people per 100,000 were incarcerated in the United States, which is about five times that of Britain, six times that of Canada, and nine times that of Germany……….about 800,000 were engaged in forced labor, accounting for 65 percent of the total number of prisoners…………….a study showed that Muslims are five times more likely to experience police harassment because of their religion compared to those of other faiths. “
Btw, what China is doing to the Uighurs in Xinjiang is horrible. Iran has stood up for Kashmir with the risk of angering India, but never for the Uighurs.