Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was arrested and processed in a Miami (Florida) area courtroom yesterday on 37 separate counts of mishandling classified documents relating to U.S. security interests. It was the second criminal indictment in two months for possibly the nation’s–if not the world’s–most controversial figure.
Recently, Trump was heard on tape nonchalantly admitting to two civilian U.S. citizens without security clearance that he had maintained one particular document in his possession after having left the White House, of which the topic centers around a possible attack on Iran.
This led the U.S. Department of Justice Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to take on the prosecutorial role in this far more serious, federal case of attempting to hold Trump accountable for essentially endangering the security of the nation.
The nation has recently grappled with the concept that nobody–not even the President–should be “above the law, ” despite the fact that its founding Constitution clearly affords for that concept.
Yet, many–if not most–of his supporters continue to assert when interviewed that even if it is determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump did indeed commit these crimes, that he should be found “not guilty” simply because he is a “patriot.”
It should be clarified that the term “patriot” has come to represent in the U.S., as of late, a thinly-veiled code word for doing whatever it takes–regardless of existing laws in place–to effect a white nationalist, conservative, populist agenda for the nation.
Of course, the vast majority of his supporters also continue to bloviate that former President Clinton and his wife–along with former President Obama and current President Biden–should be “locked up” for what are undoubtedly far lesser allegations, and for which these individuals were exonerated from any culpability on their parts, anyway.
While Trump did enjoy the support of literally tens of supporters cheering him on outside the South Florida courthouse–many of whom ironically sang “Happy Birthday” to him on his 77th–most reputable legal analysts predict that if even half of the charges prove true, there will be significant consequences.
Yet, plea deals are always in the picture, especially for high profile, rich-and-powerful public figures, of which Trump might be considered the very epitome in that classification. In addition, the judge who has been “randomly” assigned to oversee the case had been appointed to her position by Trump in the first place.
Talk about the fox guarding the hen house…