Yeah, that really did happen. A former president is being prosecuted for the first time in American history.
Several sources close to former President Donald Trump revealed to NPR on Thursday that a grand jury in New York decided to indict him on charges relating to hush money payments made to allegedly cover up affairs Trump had.
The Trump GOP machine then got to work, releasing a political playbook designed to protect the outgoing president among his supporters. That has seemed to work with them, but an unusual split has appeared: Although Trump’s brand has been toxic with many Americans, it has been strengthened with Republicans.
Trump claimed in a statement late Thursday night that “This is Political Persecution and Electoral Interference at the greatest level in history.” He said that it was “an act of blatant Election Interference” that would “backfire” on Democrats, and he blasted the New York district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who brought the charges.
Trump uses his indictment to unify GOP
The indictment was referred to as a “extraordinary abuse of authority” by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan put out a one-word statement that just said: “Outrageous.”
Of course, a prosecutor or judge didn’t simply decide to bring an indictment against Trump. A grand jury considers whether there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against a person after hearing the prosecutor’s testimony. So they did.
If there is a plot, a jury of his peers is also involved.
High stakes
Politically speaking, an indictment differs greatly from a conviction, and there are uncertainties surrounding Bragg’s actual case.
This all contributes to the atmosphere of resentment. Trump, a billionaire from New York, created that which he has used to advance his political fortunes. He has successfully argued to his base of supporters that the left is out to get him and them, that the system is corrupt, and that the indictment and inquiry in New York are all politically motivated
nothing more than an attempt to sabotage his presidential campaign due to political motivation.
In his remarks on Thursday evening, Trump returns to that tired cliché:
The Mueller Russia investigation, two impeachments, the FBI search of his Florida home where they found boxes of classified documents, and with regard to not only this case but the other three criminal investigations stemming from his actions after the 2020 presidential election he lost and his role in the buildup to the Jan. 6 uprising are all right off the greatest hits heard during the 2016 campaign.
It seems to have helped him secure another GOP nomination and, in some cases, more generally with the New York case.
In response to Trump’s rhetoric, a Quinnipiac poll issued on Wednesday revealed that 6 in 10 respondents believe the probe is politically motivated and that 2/3 of all respondents believe the accusations in New York are not that serious.
