Trump indictment was inevitable but still sad for America

After all the bluster, breathless coverage, and circus, a jury of everyday Americans will decide his fate.

By Shekar Narasimhan

A Manhattan grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump last week, believed to be for payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her from disclosing an affair she claimed she had with him in the mid-2000s. (Charges have not been made public, as the indictment remains under seal.)

The indictment has triggered a huge backlash from Trump supporters, who have leveled all kinds of accusations against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, and the Biden administration.

It is important to sift the facts from all the noise and bluster, so here goes:

Does Trump’s indictment make the US a banana republic? 

Absolutely not. The US President is granted unprecedented immunities by the law while in office, with the only remedy for malfeasance being impeachment or removal by his Cabinet. After he leaves office, he becomes an ordinary person and the axiom that “nobody is above the law” holds true.

The fact that this has not happened before is because there has never been anyone elected as President as corrupt and untruthful as Donald Trump. Trump not only flouted all ethical values and spouted hate speech but also many laws. At some point, this all catches up with you and results in indictments.

Does the fact that Trump is running for President or any other office change this?
No, anyone eligible can run for any office and that does not prohibit prosecution. Else, every criminal would be running for office to avoid prosecution!

It does create the perception that this is a political prosecution, of course, so we should all look at the facts (when we have them), watch the trial if one occurs and then make our own judgment.

Will this help or hurt Trump’s campaign?
Trump himself famously said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK.” So, what is he worried about?

It probably helps him in the short-term with his base— which is apparently not going anywhere anyway— and helps him raise money and to see who the true loyalists and sycophants are in the Republican party.

Is this New York State case constitutional?
Yes, it is a State indictment and Trump had his businesses and resided in New York for six-plus decades.

Does Trump have additional legal jeopardy and will all it be described as political persecution?
Yes, and yes (in the eye of the beholder). There are three other known legal cases in the process: two connected with Trump’s overt attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 elections despite all evidence to the contrary that they were free and fair— in fact, many Republicans won seats in those same elections across the country.

One criminal investigation in Fulton County, Georgia,  focused on Trump’s documented demand of the Georgia Secretary of State to “find” 11,780 votes— which happens to be the margin by which he was defeated in the State.

READ: Shekar Narasimhan: Biden is sane, sensible and understands India; he’s better for New Delhi (October 8, 2020)

The second, which is federal and could be the most serious, focuses on Trump’s role on January 6, 2020, when the US Capitol was stormed by Trump supporters to prevent Congress from ratifying the results of the 2020 Presidential elections.

And the third relates to Trump’s handling of classified documents and potential obstruction of justice regarding them. This is also a federal case.

And to summarize, at the end of the day, evidence in any or all these cases will be placed before a jury of everyday Americans, and they will decide—after all the bluster, breathless coverage, and circus— if it merits a conviction.

What I ask myself every day is: how did so many people vote for this man who is only about himself and wants to destroy the very fabric of America? Win or lose, it is a sad day for America.

(Shekar Narasimhan is a Democratic Party activist and Chair of the AAPI Victory Fund.)

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