To hear his supporters tell it, Donald Trump is the embodiment of their dreams. He is the Chosen One, the MVP, the Teflon Don. He is Lord God Emperor Trump, and they would love nothing more than he anoint himself as President for Life.
Never mind that the Constitution forbids it. Forget that he’s a thrice married, twice divorced, womanizing philanderer who was found liable for committing sexual assault because he is viewed as someone who supports family values. Ignore that the alleged billionaire uses every opportunity to dupe his followers into sending him their hard-earned cash while never letting anyone know where the money goes to.
Typically, Trump has avoided the consequences of his actions by throwing money at the problem. Despite being indicted for his shady business dealings, it’s more than likely that he will get off with a hefty fine. And what does he care? No doubt he will pay off the fine with fundraising drives, selling glorified e-trading cards or selling another shoddy coffee table book.
But his current situation presents more dire consequences if he is convicted. The possibility of facing actual jail time has his supporters foaming at the mouth and taking to the airwaves to claim, despite overwhelming evidence, that Trump is the subject of a politicized witch hunt. It’s the same rationale they used when they refused to hold him accountable during either of his sham impeachment trials.
Following his first impeachment trial, many Republicans admitted that Trump had committed impeachable offenses, but they would let the voters decide if it merited removing him from office. They reneged on this pledge after it became apparent that Trump lost and instead made multiple attempts to overturn the results by demanding recounts, (but only in the states where Biden won), filing over 50 lawsuits, (which they overwhelmingly lost) and even tried to introduce an alternate slate of electors who had cast their votes for Trump.
Had they accepted the results, it’s possible the horrific events of January 6th would not have happened.
But they did, resulting in his historic second impeachment. Again, Republicans refused to hold him accountable. They delayed the proceedings until after President Biden was inaugurated and they reasoned that since he was no longer in office, the impeachment process was moot. Mitch McConnell made what was, for him at least, an impassioned speech blasting Trump for causing the insurrection, but then concluded that the matter should be left to the justice system.
Had they held him accountable under provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits anyone who engages in an insurrection from ever holding public office, the potential fiasco of the possibility of Trump regaining the White House would not be possible.
But, since he is the Lord God Emperor, they remain steadfast in refusing to hold him accountable. Like in the classic fable, no one is willing to tell the emperor he has no clothes.
The Mess at Mar a Lago
Trump is facing legal issues on multiple fronts. There is the New York case dealing with his illicit payment to Stormy Daniels (along with several other questionable business practices), the Georgia election interference investigation which, despite having him on tape, has dragged on for years, and the January 6th investigation into the insurrection.
A House select committee has reached the conclusion that Trump is solely responsible for the events of January 6th and should be held criminally responsible for the chaos of that fateful day, Unfortunately, they are unable to bring criminal charges. That is up to the Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Seeking to show impartiality, Garland assigned the role of investigating the matter to Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.
Smith was also assigned the onerous task of determining if criminal charges are warranted in the case where classified documents were discovered at Trump’s Mar a Lago resort. It is this case that has Trump in the greatest legal peril. And it’s all of Trump’s own making.
The Presidential Records Act of 1978 details that all presidential documents belong to the American public and will be maintained in the National Archives. Trump had already shown a careless disregard for maintaining these records, allegedly tearing up documents after reading them, flushing them down the White House toilets, or even eating documents he didn’t want to be made public.
The Red Flag for NARA was the missing “love letter” from North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un. Trump proudly displayed the letter to the media, but did not reveal the contents. Further investigation revealed even more missing documents leading NARA to request they be returned to the National Archives. Trump ignored the request. He also ignored the subpoena that followed, leading the FBI to execute a search warrant to retrieve the illegally purloined papers.
And that could have been the end of it but Trump chose to make it an actual Federal case by announcing that his Mar a Lago home had been illegally “raided”. Despite the fact the FBI tried to be discreet, even abandoning their signature jackets that advertised their affiliation, it was made public by Trump, thus sealing his own fate.
Like a petulant two-year-old, Trump began shouting “Mine!” as news of the contents of the multiple boxes were revealed. Also like a toddler standing by a broken lamp with a baseball bat in his hand, Trump continues to claim he’s done nothing wrong.
The Case
The case seems pretty cut-and-dry. Trump has been caught red-handed in illegal possession of top-secret government documents. The 37 counts in the indictment include obstruction, conspiracy and violation of the Espionage Act. Based upon this information, many legal experts already have concluded that Trump will be found guilty.
But that would be up to the jury. With a jury pool being chosen from heavily populated Trump country, it could serve to prove his boast that he could shoot someone in the head on Fifth Avenue and not face any consequences. Such is the devotion of his followers to their Lord God Emperor.
While a judge is supposed to be impartial, they can make or break a case based upon how they rule on motions from the opposing attorneys. With Judge Aileen Cannon being the presiding judge, the possibility of judicial bias is a cloud hanging over the case. She had previously sided with Trump when his lawyers attempted to slow the process of reviewing the evidence by demanding the appointment of a Special Master to determine what could and could not be used in determining guilt in this highly sensitive case.
Although her decision was ultimately overturned on appeal, it could signal her willingness to side with the defense instead of being impartial. Her actions will be carefully scrutinized and there have even been calls for her to recuse herself based upon her alleged partiality in her earlier decision.
Her first decision, which will undoubtedly be a defense motion to dismiss, will determine the direction the trial will take. The defense could argue that the search warrant was improperly executed or obtained. They could claim the case is based upon the malicious prosecution of a political rival. They could argue that the case be delayed until the upcoming elections were decided. Or, they could come up with something that no one has thought to challenge yet.
One such possibility is to challenge a ruling by Judge Beryl Howell to waive attorney/client privilege based upon the crime fraud exception. The judge was convinced that Trump’s attorney, Evan Cochran, must testify because he was convinced that he had knowledge of criminal wrongdoing. If Trump’s attorneys are able to convince Judge Cannon that the decision was incorrect, and if the search warrant was based upon Cochran’s testimony, she could exclude the evidence based upon the Fruit of the poisonous tree provision.
So, depending on how the search warrant was obtained, the case could be severely hobbled from the onset. But if the prosecution overcomes that hurdle and the search warrant was legally obtained, it could spell doom for the defense.
Once again, it’s all up to the jury. Will they remain loyal to their duty as impartial jurors or will they maintain their fealty to their Lord God Emperor and allow him to once again escape responsibility for his actions, the same as he did in his two impeachment trials.
Defending the Indefensible
There are no more loyal subjects to the Lord God Emperor than the Republican sycophants in Congress. By voicing their unwavering support for Trump they hope to gain the backing of his large base of what now comprises the Republican Party. Yet In trying to defend him, they are twisting themselves in knots and, in some cases, even admitting his guilt, but with a “So what?” shrug of their shoulders.
To them, the emperor can do no wrong. Instead, they are calling the multiple investigations, and now criminal indictments, politically motivated. They want you to ignore the multiple classified documents Trump illegally had in his possession. They want you to move on from January 6th. They want you to forget the other “perfect phone call” where Trump tried to coerce the Georgia Secretary of State to fraudulently claim that he had won the election.
Instead, they are desperately trying to find anything to use to smear Joe Biden. They are using the guilt-by-association ploy, claiming that misdeeds by Hunter Biden naturally are connected to the president. They insist there is some elusive bribe that they just haven’t gotten around to finding. And of course there is the oft repeated smear that Biden has engaged in illicit behavior with underaged girls.
Loudmouth Rep. Jim Jordan attempted to defend Trump, but ended up proving he was wrong. He started by refuting CNN’s Dana Bash by saying Trump had declassified the documents he was showing during an interview with Mark Meadow’s biographer. When Bash pointed out that Trump admitted they weren’t declassified, Jordan challenged her with the lame, “How do you know?”. Bash repeated Trump’s quote, which made Jordan do the verbal equivalent of a face plant. He said that Trump definitely declassified the documents he was mentioning, then shouted that he would go on Trump’s word, which was exactly the point Bash was making.
Lapdog Sen. Lindsey Graham claimed it was outrageous that Trump was charged under the Espionage Act. (He ignored the other charges). He stated that Trump wasn’t a spy, conveniently ignoring that spying was only part of the illegal activities covered by the Espionage Act. Graham also had an obvious bout of amnesia because he also forgot that Trump shared classified information about Israel with the Russian Foreign Minister.
When it became obvious that this defense wasn’t working, Graham switched to the tried and true tactic of whataboutism. He claimed that Hillary Clinton was guilty of the same indiscretions Trump is being accused of. He reasoned since Hillary wasn’t convicted, or even charged, Trump should receive the same treatment.
Graham also threatened that indicting Trump would result in riots in the streets. He was backed by other Congressional Republicans who called for all-out war in an apparent effort to cause another January 6th type of unrest. Trump has been indicted twice, but no such violence has occurred thanks largely to an overwhelming police presence.
Speaking of a police presence, the Republicans claim to be the party of law and order. Following the deaths of several Black men and women at the hands of the police, the Black Lives Matter movement called for defunding the police, which drew right wing outrage. Yet, when the multiple investigations into Trump were launched, there were cries from the right to defund the FBI and the Department of Justice, such is their devotion to their Lord God Emperor.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wasn’t lacking for advice when it came to how Trump should be handled. He stated that indicting Trump would disrupt the nation. He suggested that Biden treat Trump the same way that Gerald Ford dealt with Richard Nixon and issue a pardon for the good of the country.
Thanks for the suggestion, Kev. It should be pointed out that Ford lost the next election, thanks in part to his issuing a pardon, so let’s just ignore that friendly “advice”.
But McCarthy wasn’t done dispensing his wisdom. He made the bizarre defense that Trump was keeping the documents he illegally possessed secure by storing them in a bathroom because bathrooms have locks. Except he ignored the fact they lock from the inside so unless someone was permanently stationed in said bathroom, locks are useless.
As the race for the Republican nomination heats up, many candidates have switched from attacking Trump to defending him. Yes, politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. Some candidates are trying to use the current situation to drum up support. Despite being long shots to win the nomination, they are promising to pardon Trump if elected. Others, like Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson are warning of what a second Trump administration would be like, with Hutchinson even suggesting that Trump withdraw from the race.
But Trump has no intention of dropping out. He has vowed to remain in the race even if convicted. And it may come as a shock, but there is no Constitutional restriction preventing him doing so, which raises the prospect of him being elected from prison and issuing himself a pardon once he’s sworn in.
During the 2016 race, Trump declared that Hillary Clinton would be ineligible to serve because she was under federal investigation. Well, the rules are different when you’re the Lord God Emperor. No such restrictions would apply to his candidacy, which some Republicans are using to argue is election interference on the part of the Biden White House. They believe that, despite no votes being cast yet, Trump should be given the same protections he had when he was in office.
Defending the Lord God Emperor certainly requires an extensive imagination, not to mention a tenuous grasp on reality. By twisting the facts, deflecting blame and just plain ignoring what’s plainly in front of your face, Republicans are continuing their Quixotic quest.
L’etat C’est Moi
In days of old, rulers claimed their status was given to them by Divine Right. Therefore, any attack on the king is an attack on God’s Chosen One. In a quote attributed to French King Louis XIV, he declared he is the state, meaning his rules are the ultimate authority and going against them is equal to treason.
It’s a concept that Trump has embraced as Lord God Emperor. He equates any perceived threat to his authority as an attack on America. On multiple occasions, he has declared someone who is a Trump hater (or sometimes a never Trumper) must also hate America. At the end of the 2020 campaign, he declared that Joe Biden hated America and even took it a step further saying Biden hates God.
Any attack, whether real or imagined, on Trump is always described with hyperbole. It’s always the most historic, most heinous, most illegal or most outrageous thing that has ever been done. Playing the victim is tops in the Trump playbook.
Trump has his followers convinced that the multiple investigations and indictments are because those conducting them are out to destroy our once great country. He has stated that he isn’t the actual target, but each of his supporters are. Using those who are currently either imprisoned or facing charges for their roles on January 6th, he taps into their delusions and warns them that they could be next.
Such is the stuff if authoritarian rulers. By creating this us against them scenario, while also convincing them that they are on the side of righteousness, the Lord God Emperor has us once again on the brink of Civil War. If his followers remain unconvinced that he is truly guilty of the crimes he is being charged with, our country is truly doomed.