Trump Indictment Epitomizes American Corruption

What’s happening: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on more than 30 counts related to business fraud. This historic event makes Trump the first former president to be indicted, though this frequently occurs in undemocratic countries. He is expected to turn himself in on Tuesday and go through the standard process of being fingerprinted, having a mugshot taken, and being read the charges against him.

The case against him: As Upward News previously reported, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment against the former president is weak—to the extent that liberal outlets and commentators have complained that this should not be the case to lead to an indictment. The case revolves around Trump’s former lawyer paying off porn star Stormy Daniels. The D.A. claims that the payment was illegally filed, constitutes business fraud, and violates state election law, making it a felony. The vast majority of Americans, nearly 2-to-1, believe the case is political.

Trump responds: In response, Trump called it “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history” and called out D.A. Bragg for ignoring crime in New York City while focusing on Trump. The former president is correct in many ways—amid a crime wave in the city, the Soros-funded D.A. called on his prosecutors to reduce charges for violent criminals. Additionally, both Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James had campaigned on investigating and indicting Trump before there was a clear case to do so.

Between the lines: Though the case is weak, that doesn’t mean it isn’t serious. The former president will face a Manhattan jury, a district Joe Biden won with 86.7 percent of the votes in 2020, making a conviction through political animosity a real possibility. In response to the indictment, Nancy Pelosi tweeted that “everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.” Though America’s justice system presumes everyone is innocent until proven guilty, her words indicate the not-so-secret intentions behind the countless legal efforts against Trump.