Banana Republic stuff (UPDATE: Trump is a buffoon)

Multiple things can be true. 

• Donald J. Trump should never be President of the United States again.
• There is a two-tiered justice system where people like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden seemingly get off scot-free while Trump is indicted for much lesser affronts. 
• Trump's latest indictment is not over something petty or insignificant. 

First off, Andrew McCarthy of National Review lays out what is happening with this latest kerfuffle. 

The most notable thing I’ve seen is that, in charging Trump with an Espionage Act offense, prosecutors are relying on a provision that criminalizes willful violations of the rules that government officials are required to follow in handling national-defense intelligence. This seems like an obvious effort to distinguish Trump’s alleged crime from President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, which the White House and the media-Democratic complex have described as inadvertent — the result mainly of sloppy staff work, not willfulness.

No one who has been following our analyses at NR will be surprised to hear that Trump is reportedly charged with a conspiracy to obstruct justice. What intrigues me about that allegation is that it takes two to tango — i.e., one can’t conspire alone. To have conspired to obstruct justice, prosecutors would have to prove that Trump had at least one co-conspirator who knowingly agreed to obstruct the government’s investigation. At this point, it is not clear with whom Smith alleges Trump conspired. When the indictment is made public, perhaps it will shed light on that question.

Trump is also said to be charged with making false statements. As I’ve previously related, one theory the special counsel appears to be pressing is that Trump is responsible for a false sworn statement his lawyers conveyed to the FBI — for transmission to the grand jury — on June 3, 2022.

In the short-term, this will actually elevate Trump among GOP voters in that they believe this to be a miscarriage of justice. But in the long-term, this will hamper Trump's ability to run for President. The lion's share of the money he raises will be used to pay legal bills, so he likely won't be on the campaign trail as often as he'd like. And while the Trump cultists will stick with him regardless, will there be enough GOP voters to peel away in order to elevate, say, Ron DeSantis as a legit threat to wrest the nomination away? Time will tell. 

So how will the other GOP hopefuls message this? Erick Erickson floats multiple scenarios, but I am most intrigued by this one. 

(They can) claim Trump is owed a debt of gratitude and this is all bad, awful, and unfortunate. But we need to find a candidate who can run unshackled to avenge Trump. Therefore, vote for me and I’ll honor Trump, win, and get revenge while he’s in court fighting them there. Not sure it will work, but it might. It really is, I think, a great pivot here for the rest of the field. Just argue that, however sad and unfortunate it is, Trump cannot both fight the feds, the City of New York, and Fulton County, Georgia while also fighting the Democrats politically at the same time. Promise to avenge the man if nominated and elected. Get the nomination, go after Biden on culture and pocketbook issues, then be a winner not named Trump. When the press demand to know if you’ll pardon Trump, smile with a twinkle in your eye, look straight into the camera, and say, “Elect me and find out.”

The non-Trump GOP hopefuls also need to stay on a general election message as well. The walking cadaver in the White House as been an abject failure as President and people are experiencing real world pain as a result. Naturally the media will look to keep the focus on Trump given he's their rating elixir, but there are workarounds in today's era of campaigning. Stay on message, gang!

Oh, and Erickson reminds us of one other legal saga that will soon emerge. 

 

.....Fulton County, Georgia will be indicting him too more likely than not. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Remember what a bizarre, surreal campaign we endured with the Trump-Clinton matchup in 2016? I now miss those gentler times. 

UPDATE: Trump was done in by his own arrogance and stupidity. No amount of "what about-ism" can overshadow that fact.

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