The Donald Trump Trial: A New National Censorship Dramatic in the Light of the Trump Era and the Watergate Phenomenology

Given the extreme national political estrangement exacerbated by Trump, this case is likely to leave the country changed however it turns out. There will be fears that it will cause one of the last remaining precedents for political restraint to be thrown out and leave future presidents vulnerable to prosecution in a way that is akin to failing states. Yet at the same time, if Trump has indeed committed crimes, a failure to pursue him would send a message that the powerful can get away with behavior that ordinary Americans cannot.

It is the latest stunning barrier shattered by the nation’s most unruly president. It means that there will be a new national nightmare in the wake of a tumultuous four-year term with two historic impeachments, an election wrongly contaminated by Trump’s lies, and a mob attack by his supporters on Congress.

The grand jury in New York indicted Donald Trump on charges of covering up money paid to Stormy Daniels.

“We have been close before (but) we have never been at this point,” John Dean, former President Richard Nixon’s Watergate-era special counsel, told CNN. “No prior president – former, sitting or otherwise – has ever been indicted.”

The move was particularly surprising since Trump has a long history of ignoring the law and breaking the law in his personal and professional lives. Suddenly, Trump will finally be held accountable. The former president will have to start answering for his conduct, likely beginning in court on Tuesday after he travels to New York to be arraigned in what will be a high-security spectacle given his past incitement of violence.

In light of the speed and significance of this news cycle, it’s worth remembering that Trump also faces scrutiny in other investigations that could lead to charges of their own.

The ex-president immediately showed he was prepared to drive the country into a deep political crisis as he mounted his defense with wild claims of persecution. He accused Democrats of weaponizing justice to thwart his 2024 White House bid – a claim that threatens to shatter the credibility of the next election in the eyes of millions of his followers and further damage US democracy.

Trump wrote in block capitals on his Truth Social Network that this was an attack on the country that had never been seen before. Our once free and fair elections have been attacked again. The USA is in serious decline, as it is now a third world nation. So sad!

All Americans are entitled to a presumption of innocence and a full Constitutional right, as Trump attempted to overturn on January 6, 2021, the day he was indicted. The two most fundamental questions relating to American justice will be asked as a result of the case: are all citizens equal under the law and whether or not it’s former presidents and White House candidates who are? Is Trump being targeted because of who he is?

The fame and power of the alleged victim will make the case go to a public opinion, even if there is a relatively easy sell to a jury. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is under enormous pressure since if he fails to secure a conviction, he will be accused even more than he already is of building a politicized case that could tear gaping new divides in the country.

The indictment of former PresidentDonald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president, said Rep. Mike Johnson, who is a member of House Republican leadership.

The speaker of the house made a comment about holding Bragg and his abuse of power to account, which appeared to indicate an attempt by the government to intervene in an active case going through.

Steve Scalise called the indictment one of the clearest examples of extremists weaponizing government to attack their political opponents. The indictment was a political witch hunt and a dark day for America according to a statement released by the House GOP conference chair. Senate Republican LeaderMitch McConnell was silent, underscoring the differences within the GOP over Trump’s past assaults on American democracy and political aspiration.

It is not yet known how voters in the GOP primary will respond to Trump. It is unclear if a trial or more investigations would take place before the next election or if they will be after that.

Trump blames Pence for failing to intervene in Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory – a position that may limit the former vice president’s political ceiling in a party still filled with Trump loyalists.

Any immediate political boost Trump is able to engineer from the indictment could harm his potential strongest primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Although he has been portraying himself as a potential president with a hardline agenda, he had no political room to condemn the indictment because he had already condemned it.

The Florida governor said he would not help in an American request to extradite Trump. New York is where Trump had lived most of his life, but is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. DeSantis said that it was un-American. Florida will not help in an extradited Manhattan prosecutor given his political agenda and questionable circumstances.

The Florida governor’s threat was just one ill omen that suggests the months ahead will be divisive and dangerous to America’s democracy – whether Trump is found guilty or not.

The grand jury’s indictment — and Trump’s charges — remain under seal, and NPR hasn’t been able to confirm other media reports that the DA may arraign Trump on Tuesday.

Trump is likely to be charged with a violation of New York penal code 175.10, falsifying business records in the first degree, says Kim Wehle, a former U.S. attorney and now a law professor at the University of Baltimore.

“It’s quite serious, even if the charge itself doesn’t reach the heights that some people would expect from a former president,” Wehle told NPR’s Adrian Florido on All Things Considered.

When Donald Trump Accused a Candidate to ‘Get Trump’ In Florida And Why He Hasn’t He Hedded to Stormy Daniels

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.

The money was transferred just two weeks before the election. And then after Trump won, Trump reimbursed Cohen, including with his own personal checks. Trump has denied having had an affair with Daniels, although he has admitted reimbursing Cohen for money paid to her.

The Trump Organization said that those reimbursement payments were for legal fees, which is not true. If it was done to cover up a crime, that’s a felony in New York, and probably violation of campaign finance laws.

NPR hasn’t been able to independently confirm whether Trump is still in Florida. The two reliable flight trackers that have tracked his private plane for five days have not registered any movement since the 757 flew to West Palm Beach.

Though he has yet to say he will run, he’s seen as a threat to Trump’s bid for reelection because he’s considered to be a top contender in 2024.

According to an account from POLITICO, he said he didn’t want to be involved in a circus made out of donations from billionaire George Soros. He’s trying to do a political stunt. I’ve got some real issues I have to deal with in the state of Florida.

The grand jury voted in favor of indicting the former president on charges of political persecution and election interference.

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable — indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” the statement from his website reads.

Dubeck wrote again to the House Judiciary Chair, the House Oversight Chair, and the House Administration Chair on Friday, because they were investigating the Manhattan District Attorney just days after Trump warned that he would soon be arrested.

The Democratic Party’s needs for blind justice were summed up by their slogan, “No one is above the law.”

The powerful and rich need to be held accountable, even when they hold high office. “When they do, especially when they’re a former impeachment manager,” said Rep. Adam Pelosi, D-Calif.

The indictment shows that nobody is above the law, but Cohen called on the court to make a decision about the matter.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is again slamming House Republicans for their efforts to intervene in its investigation into former President Donald Trump, accusing them of collaborating with Trump to “vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges.”

“As Committee Chairmen, you could use the stature of your office to condemn these attacks and urge respect”, Dubeck wrote in her letter.

Between October 2019 and August 2021, Dubeck specified that a portion of the forfeited money went towards Supreme Court litigation, as well as expenses relating to Trump or the Trump organization. In the last 15 years, Dubeck shared that the DA’s Office helped the federal government secure more than one billion dollars in asset forfeiture funds.

Dubeck also included details about the three federal grant programs the office participates in regarding its casework and shared, “no expenses incurred relating to this matter have been paid from funds that the Office receives through federal grant programs.”

“If you will not withdraw your request, we reiterate our willingness to meet and confer with you or your staff about how we can accommodate your request without violating our obligations as prosecutors to protect the integrity of an ongoing criminal prosecution.”

The potential 2024 Republican primary field quickly coalesced on Thursday around a strategy for responding to former President Donald Trump’s indictment: Attack Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor, but stop short of praising Trump.

Deriving Integrity from a New York Attorney General: Donald Trump and the New York Public Defender’s Campaign against a Political Candidate

He said that the NY attorney general’s campaign targeting one American in particular would offend many Americans who believe in equal treatment.

One thing we are worried about in Washington is the fact that if there is coordination between the DOJ, Garland and other entities that are going after Donald Trump, then we should be concerned about it. They’re doing everything in their power to create a narrative that will hurt Donald Trump.

“This is a politically-motivated prosecution by a far-left activist. A case like this would never happen if it were anyone other than President Trump. Instead of ordering political hit jobs, New York prosecutors should focus on getting violent criminals off the streets,” he said.

The congressman is close to the House GOP leadership and said that she is going to New York City to protest the indictment of Trump.

Johnson said that the person who was denigrating integrity, the integrity of our entire judicial system, was the political activist who was occupying the Manhattan district attorney’s office. He is spending all of his resources going after the former President. Why? The timing is important, because the President has announced he is running again.”

Asked if he would consider re-evaluating after seeing evidence, Moore replied, “I’m open to thinking that. But I’m in the garbage business, you know, and so a lot of times, I know how to spot a pile of garbage, and this thing looks like a pile of garbage.”

He predicted that the indictment could actually help Trump’s presidential chances. When he was a member of the state house, Moore was accused of perjury and was eventually found not guilty.

After I was indicted, more people came to our door than at any other time. They asked,… We did, because the people saw it for what it was. I think the American people view it in a certain way.