Cornered Donald Trump Launches Verbal Assault on DOJ and FBI
Donald Trump was arraigned in New York yesterday in a historic moment for the country. The former POTUS has been
Tristan Green
Donald Trump was arraigned in New York yesterday in a historic moment for the country.
The former POTUS has been charged with 34 felony counts, fingerprinted and booked – and will now await trial.
It would be a good time for Trump to keep his thoughts to himself and avoid any outward signs of instigating violence. But that does not seem to be a part of the former President’s plans.
Trump has already turned to Truth Social to lash out against the DOJ and FBI, and rail against his potential criminal culpability.
See: DONALD TRUMP REVEALS WEIRD OBSESSION WITH THE WIVES OF HIS RIVALS
Donald Trump Lashes Out at FBI and DOJ
During his arraignment, Trump was cautioned by Judge Juan Merchan not to “engage in words or conduct which jeopardizes the rule of law, particularly as it applies to these proceedings in this courtroom.”
But it would seem the former POTUS thinks himself above the judge’s rules, and he took to the podium at Mar-a-Lago to rail against the indictments upon returning to Florida late Tuesday.
Then, in another apparent sleepless night for Trump, the former POTUS took to Truth Social early Wednesday to verbally assail the Department of Justice and FBI.
Trump wrote, “REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE TOTALLY WEAPONIZED LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR COUNTRY AND ARE VICIOUSLY USING THIS ABUSE OF POWER TO INTERFERE WITH OUR ALREADY UNDER SIEGE ELECTIONS!”
It’s an interesting turnabout for the former President who once sneered at Democrats’ calls to “defund police.”
And earlier this morning, he wrote, “Almost every legal and political analyst has said that the unfair and morally disgusting Indictment filed against me yesterday has NO MERIT, and is not even a case. There was no crime and, anyway, the Statute of Limitations has been violated by many years.”
It’s similar to the theme Trump has embraced all along, that experts say there’s no case against him – but that’s patently untrue.
What Happens Next for the POTUS?
Donald Trump during his arraignment. Courtroom sketch by 🎨 Jane Rosenberg pic.twitter.com/DdfXkHhnUA
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) April 4, 2023
What happens next for Trump is out of his hands – kind of.
To get to trial unscathed, Trump has to avoid inciting violence or crossing any lines of decorum Judge Merchan laid out for the pre-trial period.
But Trump is already showing that he’s resistant to behaving the way he’s expected to, so he could likely face an official gag order.
If a gag order is issued, Trump will have few chances to violate it without the seriousness escalating. And it could result in jail time during the pre-trial period, if he violated it enough times. But that’s speculation based on a gag order which is presently not in place.
What is reality is that Trump could face a century in prison, if he were convicted of all the felonies he’s accused of.
Vanity Fair reports, “Reuters and others report that should Trump be found guilty of all 34 class E felonies, he could be sentenced to up to 136 years in prison—which, as one former president might tell you, is an incredibly yuge number of years. While a conviction is not a sure thing, and a sympathetic judge could go for the lower end of the sentencing guidelines, Trump, who is 76 years old, would obviously die in prison if he were to get the maximum time behind bars.”
The former POTUS looked drawn and humiliated when he sat in court yesterday, and while he may have come back out swinging today, it’s clear that he’s more scared that he’s willing to let people see.
What all of this means for the country is unclear, because this is completely unknown territory for the US. It seems unlikely that Trump will face prison time, but it also seems unlikely that he’ll be cleared on all 34 charges.
After all, experts point out, DA Alvin Bragg would never have brought a case this high-profile and fraught without rock solid evidence.
What comes next is anyone’s guess.