A Good Day — Rule of Law sustained

Bryan Zepp Jamieson

April 4th 2023

www.zeppscommentaries.online

The Trump indictments got all the press, but the really big news today was the vote for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. There, an American moderate liberal defeated an individual heavily funded by a clandestine coalition of right wing groups that I’ve come to think of as the National Association of Zealots and Ideologues. Janet Protasiewicz is projected to handily defeat Dan Kelly, a right winger with ties to election deniers, anti-vaxxers, and who is on record advocating an end to all abortions.

Nearly all of Protasiewicz’s funding came from residents and the state Democratic party. Kelly’s money, some $30 million, came from groups and individuals outside of Wisconsin, with only $200,000 coming from in-state.

The election gave control of the Supreme Court back to non-fascists. You don’t need to tell me it’s utterly insane that supreme court judges are elected in contests in which powerful political interests control the funding (and far too often, the outcome) of elections. It is utterly insane. Not that the Senate is that big an improvement.

But for now, at least, Wisconsin residents are no longer at the mercy of dishonest fundamentalist hacks pretending to be judges. That puts them ahead of the country as a whole.

The list of indictments made for strangely easy reading. The same charge was repeated 34 times: Donald J. TRUMP, Defendant. THE GRAND JURY OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, by this indictment, accuses the defendant of the crime of FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN THE FIRST DEGREE, in violation of Penal Law §175.10, committed as follows: The defendant, in the County of New York and elsewhere, on or about February 14, 2017, with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise, to wit, an invoice from Michael Cohen dated February 14, 2017, marked as a record of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, and kept and maintained by the Trump Organization.

In each of the subsequent 33 charges, only the dates and check recipients/numbers changed. Each was a felony under New York State law. It wasn’t the actions Trump committed that were illegal. It isn’t illegal to bang a porn star if she is a consenting adult. It’s not illegal to try to hide that you did. It isn’t even illegal to buy her silence. Where Trump fucked up was in the accounting; he gave false information on where the money came from, who it went to, what it paid for, and how it was disbursed. As Dick Nixon could tell you, it wasn’t the crime (and in this case it wasn’t even a crime); it’s the coverup. And Al Capone could tell you that if they can’t prove you killed dozens of people and committed many other violent crimes, they can always get you on the bookkeeping.

In the case of Trump, it’s the facts behind the indictments that could leave him hanging out to dry.

Frankly, despite the bluster from Trump and his minions, I expect that he’ll eventually work some kind of plea bargain on this. It’s a white collar series of crimes, and incredible as it may sound, he’s a first time offender. It’s entirely possible he could get a suspended sentence and several years probation. It wouldn’t be too extraordinary in this situation. America may be one of the most savage nations on Earth when it comes to punishing people who steal bicycles or shoplift, but they’ve always had a warm fuzzy spot in their flinty little hearts for people who use pens to steal millions. The old saying has it, “Steal a loaf of bread, go to jail. Steal a million dollars, go to the Senate.”

He already has taken major political damage. His supporters swarmed New York City by the dozens, outnumbered by anti-Trump demonstrators, police, and reporters. Marjorie-Taylor Greene tried to seize the Trump banner, no doubt visualizing herself in Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People (what a mental image. Ohmigawd, woman, cover up! Bad enough that we have to see your PITS!). She lasted all of ten minutes before a hooting and whistling crowd, before retreating to her SUV and scurrying off in disgrace.

Trump and his wastrel sons made threats against the Judge and his daughter, and continued attacks against DA Bragg and his family. Trump, at least, could end up in jail on contempt charges if he keeps that shit up.

More important, the vote tampering cases in Georgia and the federal case surrounding January 6th present a far greater threat to Trump. He may settle this first case so he can help fight in the two bigger ones coming.

But settling will damage him beyond repair politically. Outside of his own small circle and the dead-enders on Truth Social, there had been mostly a silence, simultaneously awkward and thoughtful, from the far right.

They are finally realizing that neither reality nor history are on their side. The Great Crumble of the GOP may have begun.

The Indictment — Individual One meets his fate

The Indictment

Individual One meets his fate

Bryan Zepp Jamieson

March 30th, 2023

www.zeppscommentaries.online

After tossing a nasty curve yesterday by announcing the Grand Jury would be taking most of April off, Alvin Bragg put a scorcher right over the plate, announcing that the jury had found grounds to indict and the indictment would be issued. While nearly everyone was expecting an indictment, the timing took most people by surprise – including, critically, Trump and his minions.

According to CNN, Trump “faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a Manhattan grand jury, according to two sources familiar with the case – the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges.” Nobody knows what the exact counts are, so anyone declaiming that the indictment was “a miscarriage of justice” or “upholds the rule of law” is blowing smoke out their asses. I’m guessing that evidence to back the charges is likely to be pretty solid but that’s all it is; a guess. We’ll know more along about Monday or Tuesday.

Ron DeSantis, the ridiculous governor of Florida, already announced that he would not allow New York to extradite Trump. Given the constitutional mandate in such manners, DeSantis just placed one of his dainty white elevator boots on the wrong side of insurrection. That he didn’t even bother with learning what Trump has been charged with makes him look silly, futile and weak. But he has to play up to his anti-American base, the same clowns who are banning books, destroying education, and trying to outlaw entire lifestyles, philosophies and political opinions. When you are speaking for trash, it’s hard to sound classy, or even sane.

Trump is expected to turn himself in voluntarily for processing – fingerprinting, getting his Miranda, all that. He has tried to rile up his base by demanding he be cuffed and perp-walked, but unless he pulls some kind of stunt, he will not be, since the charges, while in some cases are likely serious felonies, are all non-violent and first offenses. American cops are notoriously deferential to wealthy white people, especially if there isn’t cause to break a few windows to play up to the public. I did suggest that if Trump did pull something that required him to be cuffed (unlikely, I admit, since Trump isn’t the sort to defy someone with a gun) that some fuzzy pink handcuffs of the sort people use on bondage-play sex games be used. The dignity of the occasion must be observed, you know.

The rest of the GOP circus are obediently lining up to defend their lord and master, of course. In a party as thoroughly sold-out and cowardly, did anyone expect anything else? Most still don’t dare defy Trump; some are doubtlessly hoping the indictment will give Trump a boost in the polls and thus shine some light on them for supporting him.

That notion may seem odd, but there is historical precedent: when the Republican GOP impeached Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky thing, his ratings climbed. In fact, the day the Senate acquitted him, his rating were the highest he reached in two terms.

The two situations aren’t the same, though. People – including many of the people who wanted Clinton disgraced and forced from office – knew that the impeachment was purely a political animal, and that the charges – lying about getting a blow job from a consenting adult – just weren’t that serious.

When the charges are released, you’ll note that “banging a porn star” won’t be among the charges. Stormy Daniels is an adult, and nobody disputes that she gave consent. Thus, it isn’t a crime.

Had Bill Clinton taken a hundred thousand dollars and had his lawyer pay Monica for her silence, and then misrepresented where the funds came from and what they were for subsequently, he would have been convicted by the Senate, expelled from office, and might even have done some jail time, since those, unlike casual sex, are felonies. White collar crime, to be sure, but still felonies. That’s the big difference between what Clinton was facing and what Trump is facing. Clinton was guilty of indiscretion. That’s not even a misdemeanor. It doesn’t even rise to the level of a parking ticket.

When the counts are enumerated, any ‘bounce’ Trump may enjoy over the weekend should dissipate fairly rapidly. If CNN is right and there are more than thirty counts pending, that should make a pretty daunting array of legal instruments brought to bear against Donald.

Also keep in mind that indictments in the Georgia vote-tampering case and the events of January 6th are still pending. That’s a bigger pair of avalanches looming over Trump.

I also think the open racism and threats that some of Trump’s supporters are making will undermine him, as well. Describing Alvin Bragg, the DA, as “George Soros funded” is not only untrue, but is a dog whistle. Anyone saying that is actually saying “dirty joos that secretly run the world are controlling a puppet DA.” It’s shabby, it’s tawdry, it’s disgraceful, and most people are better than that. The threats – including the white powder sent to the DA office will put a lot of people off.

And Faux News, historically Trump’s biggest promoter, have self-negated their cause with the evidence showing their dishonesty and hypocrisy regarding Trump. So I don’t see anything more than a ripple of support from the general public, one quelled by the tsunami of fake rage, threats, and general viciousness from the performance artists of the right. Their act is deader than Vaudeville but they haven’t realized it yet.

But they’ll do what damage they can, oblivious to the fact that most of the damage will be against Trump.

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