In a surprising turn of events, Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, was arrested and arraigned on 37 felony charges. However, this momentous occasion felt like an anticlimax for several reasons. Firstly, the powerful and precise indictment, which exposed Trump’s attempt to conceal sensitive national-security documents, was unsealed on Friday, so there was no new information revealed today. Despite concerns about potential violence or disruption, Trump entered and exited a federal courthouse in Miami without serious incident. Americans have become so accustomed to the circus that follows Trump that anything less is a surprise. The media provided extensive coverage, but their cameras and recordings were not allowed in the courtroom, resulting in limited visibility of Trump’s appearance.
Moreover, although these charges are more serious than previous ones filed in Manhattan, this is not the first time Trump has been indicted. Consequently, the idea of a major presidential candidate facing numerous legal troubles has become the new normal. This left Trump’s speech in New Jersey as the main event of the day. However, even this turned out to be somewhat disappointing. Trump’s fiery rhetoric did little to shed light on the case or explain his refusal to comply with the federal government’s requests for the return of documents that did not belong to him.
During his speech, Trump made bold yet unsupported claims, such as declaring Joe Biden as “the most corrupt president” in U.S. history. There is no evidence linking Biden to the case, and the White House has stated that Biden learned about the indictment after Trump publicly disclosed it. Trump also launched a personal attack on Special Counsel Jack Smith, labeling him as “Deranged Jack Smith.” Such ad hominem attacks not only weaken Trump’s nickname game but also indicate why he struggles to find and retain attorneys.
Most of Trump’s speech avoided addressing the charges against him directly. Instead, he focused on his alleged right to possess the documents under the Presidential Records Act and his power as president to declassify them. However, these arguments are neither new nor relevant, as Trump has been using them since the Mar-a-Lago search without providing any evidence for declassification.
Unfortunately for Trump, his indictment bypasses these matters. Trump complained that the charges did not mention the Presidential Records Act, which is true. Instead, the charges primarily revolve around his actions after receiving a subpoena in May 2022 to return the documents. It is alleged that Trump went to great lengths to hide the documents from the federal government and even his own lawyers, which is the focus of Smith’s investigation.
Trump’s explanations were hard to follow for those not immersed in right-wing discourse. He presented a conspiratorial word salad, intertwining unrelated cases such as the Clinton socks case, acid-washing of emails, and the Burisma controversy. While Trump partially addressed the question of why he was so determined to keep the documents by claiming they contained personal belongings, including shirts and shoes, chaotic storage is not a valid excuse for violating the law or avoiding the handover of crucial military attack plans.
In his recent speeches, Trump has become more concise, and tonight was no exception. After just 30 minutes, he complained that the Justice Department broke an unwritten rule by prosecuting a former president and current presidential candidate. While there are risks associated with allowing Trump to continue flouting the law with impunity, the indictment itself also carries risks.
Ultimately, Trump unintentionally provided the most illuminating commentary of the day when he commented, “You just don’t [prosecute a former president], unless it’s really bad.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
