Trump Indicted in New York Court

I want to remind all readers that Donald Trump is still innocent until a jury of his peers finds him guilty of any or all charges. However, this is historic. A former president will face a court of law for the first time in American history. We should have had this happen with Richard Nixon, but a presidential pardon (fun fact, Nixon accepted his guilt when he accepted it) prevented his crimes from reaching a jury; ever since, Presidents have been treated as quasi-kings.

Now Donald Trump has been indicted on reportedly over thirty counts. This matters for Trump, the rule of law, and democracy. There will be a lot of ink spilled, buckets of ink to be exact. This will be the trial of the century. And if the other cases in the pipeline lead to indictments and trials, it will continue to be historic. And ever larger amounts of ink will continue to be spilled.

What I want to point to is not just Trump’s reaction. Reportedly surprise. First, Trump’s statement tried to claim there was no crime. There is enough of something for a grand jury to indict. We all know the old saying that a grand jury indicts a ham sandwich, but a sandwich still needs to be. Here is his statement as posted on Truth social. One is his post; the other is the fundraising email. Here Trump sets the pattern for talking points, including electoral interference.