By Mark Figley
Guest Columnist
As the sham criminal trial against Donald Trump continues to play out in New York City, America is witnessing election interference and the deliberate destruction of a legal system which was once the envy of the world. It’s just another nail in the coffin of the rule of law; all in the name of lawfare.
Trump is accused by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who campaigned for office as the best candidate to pursue criminal charges against him, of falsifying business records to conceal an affair with Stormy Daniels. Bragg never met a felony he liked and prefers misdemeanors, except when it comes to Trump, whose 34 counts are as flimsy as a loaf of soaked bread. But it doesn’t begin or end with Bragg.
The judge in the case is none other than Juan Merchan, a Democrat who refused to recuse himself in the case despite making financial donations to Joe Biden and whose daughter is a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser.
Then the Manhattan district where Trump’s trial is being held is predominantly comprised of Democratic voters, the very people who make up the jury hearing the case. Yet by now, most Americans who breathe air realize that the Bragg case is just one of several Democrat-manipulated prosecutions of the former president. The fix is in.
All told, Trump faces four separate criminal trials which contain some 91 felony counts against him. And this doesn’t include the fact that approximately 35 states have launched challenges to Trump being on the ballot for president in 2024, with efforts in Colorado and Maine being legally shot down. Of course, these actions were linked with Trump allegedly leading an “insurrection” to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a crime he has never been formally charged with.
Is this coincidental, especially when the court cases were manipulated to be filed in an election year? Interesting too that when Trump says publicly what everyone knows to be true, and points to the circus atmosphere of the Manhattan proceedings, he is cited for violating the court’s gag order, an order not imposed on anyone else, which violates Trump’s Constitutional right to free speech.
Only Rip Van Winkle could seriously argue that the multifaceted prosecutions of Trump are not coordinated at the highest level to remove him as a candidate for president. Trump resides in the heads of Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. They are determined to discredit his candidacy for president on the way to destroying him, both financially and personally. And any conviction, including locking him up, will be used as a campaign issue.
Never before has a sitting president pursued his predecessor criminally. This is not because the actions of previous presidents didn’t call for prosecution but because the good of the nation was considered paramount.
As history has shown, countries around the globe that have placed partisan political power above the interests of the nation have been made all the worse for it; with their government institutions permanently weakened through rampant corruption.
Many questions remain unanswered as our nation grows closer to the most monumental presidential election since Lincoln’s victory in 1860. Will Donald Trump be convicted in any of the criminal cases filed against him? If so, what will the resulting sentence be? And will any sentence ultimately be imposed considering that appeals will certainly follow?
The danger is right in front of us. If this can happen to Donald Trump, it can happen to anyone who challenges the system. America has ventured down a dangerous path. Democrats control the levers of power today, but Republicans may someday turn the tables. Dems, and Trump haters alike, be careful what you wish for.
Mark Figley is a political activist and guest columnist from Elida. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
