Donald Trump is officially the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted as on Tuesday he was charged with 34 counts of falsification of business and tax records connected to hush money payments made days before the 2016 election. In court, even with gobs of makeup and hair spray, he didn’t look too happy. He has called Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg "a Soros backed animal," and a "degenerate psychopath who "hates the USA." (Sounds like projection.)
Trump also vilified highly respected Judge Merchan. Citing the indictment Trump has warned "there will be death and destruction." Like father, like son, Don Jr. posted a photo of the judge’s 34-year-old daughter putting her entire family in danger.
On Tuesday Trump surrendered to face criminal charges stemming from a three-part scheme. With the help of the National Enquirer’s CEO David Pecker the plan was to keep the voting public from knowing about presidential candidate Trump’s vast illicit life. Pecker would buy ("catch) the rights to these stories and then "kill" them.
The first was in 2015 for $30,000 to a doorman who claimed Trump fathered a child born out of wedlock. The second was $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal who had a 10 month affair with Trump. He even gave her a tour of despicable Donny’s Trump Tower penthouse, including Melania’s bedroom while she was out of town!
The most infamous payoff was $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump’s lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen coughed up the cash via a home equity loan. Cohen’s "reward" netted him disbarment and a three year prison term in a prosecution that mentioned co-conspirator "individual one." An audio recording of Trump and Cohen discussing the plot made it abundantly clear "individual one" was Trump, then President and safe from prosecution. (Until now.)
For the indictment, Trump demanded his followers protest and "take our country back," but there was a sparse crowd of uninspired Trumpers. (The more violent MAGATS are in prison.) But "Jewish space laser" Marjorie Traitor Greene arrived with "lyin" George Santos. She spoke briefly to a group with ties to white nationalists and compared Trump to Jesus. (Raising the question did Jesus die his hair?)
So far Republican politicians are squarely behind Trump and yet consider the following: In 2015 Lindsey Graham said, "You want to know how to make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell!" He added, "If the Republicans nominate Trump for President he will destroy the Republican Party and we will have deserved it!" He described Trump as a"race-baiting xenophobic bigot." But he described Biden as "As good a man as God ever created," adding "If you have a problem with Joe Biden, that’s on you."
Currently teary-eyed Lindsey is pleading for people to send Trump donations. "If you can’t afford $5, then pray for President Trump." Lindsey cries and prays for Trump but not for murdered school children. Frankly I can’t tell which evangelist shill Graham reminds me of more, Jimmy "Lord forgive me for I have sinned" Swaggart, or a sobbing Jimmy Baker sans handcuffs and Tammy Faye. (Maybe recently divorced MTG could be Lindsey’s Tammy Faye?)
And remember when Ted Cruz said, "Trump is a pathological liar"? Or when little Marco Rubio said, "We can’t let a con man be the leader of our party!" Or more recently, when Kevin McCarthy said, "Donald Trump bears responsibility for January 6th."
Despite desperate phone calls to the White House begging Trump to end the insurrection, for 186 minutes Trump was enjoying watching it on TV. Later, when told the insurrectionists had chanted "Hang Mike Pence!," Trump replied, "Maybe he deserved it."
Trump better keep the jet fueled. On April 25 he’ll go to civil trial against writer E. Jean Carol for defamation and sexual assault and may come out of that with the label "rapist." As early as May Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis could bring charges against Trump for illegal efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. On October 2, Trump will be in a civil case brought by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James that could result in a $250 million fine. On 1/24, Trump will be in a civil trial, along with his children and the Trump Corp. over an alleged fraudulent multilevel marketing scheme.
In 1989 five black and Latino teenagers were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. Before the trial began Trump took out a full page ad in the N.Y. Daily News calling for the death penalty. After decades in prison, the teens were exonerated after a confession from the real rapist and irrefutable DNA evidence. Naturally, Trump never apologized. One of the five, now in his mid 40’s, has a single word for defendant Trump: "Karma!"
Jack can be reached at: jackdailypress@aol.com
