Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, appearing in the federal courthouse that sits just blocks away from where his angry supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to keep him in power.
(The Washington Post, August 3, 2023)
This follows Tuesday’s post about Special Counsel Jack Smith announcing the indictment that led to this arrest.
Frankly, I’ve written too many commentaries on attempts to hold Trump accountable for his crime spree. So, as I did on Tuesday, I’m just going to share a few points:
Trump arrested for an attempted coup
- Today’s obsessive coverage is exactly why I accused the media of being Trump’s co-conspirators. CNN and MSNBC are the guiltiest. They pretend they’re presenting objective “breaking news.” But this is Trump’s third arraignment this year, for crying out loud.
- Instead, they’re just propagating Trump’s self-serving lies, political conspiracies, and juvenile insults. Some anchors even regale viewers with dramatic readings. They read his Truth Social rants as if they’re newsworthy. That, of course, is why Trump keeps posting them. He knows the media will lap them up like Pavlovian dogs and spread them like a Covid variant.
- The media do this because it generates ratings. Period. They couldn’t care less about aiding and abetting Trump’s presidential campaign – again! Their regard for the rule of law and even the welfare of the country be damned.
- Free speech has never entitled anyone to conspire to commit any crime, including a coup. But Trump has the media barking about it so much that all many people hear is that the DOJ is prosecuting him for exercising his First Amendment rights.
- Speaker Kevin McCarthy showed the Republicans’ cult-like support for Trump today with an unhinged defense. It was replete with “whataboutisms,” dragging in Al Gore, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and even Hunter Biden.
- Even Trump’s 2024 presidential rivals are rushing not to condemn, but defend him. Because they know the Republican Party has become a personality cult that worships Trump.
- Not all Republicans are members of that cult. So it would take unprecedented apathy among Democrats and Independents for Trump to win. That. Will. Not. Happen!
- Trump claimed he couldn’t get a fair trial in his Trump University fraud case because the presiding judge was Hispanic. He’s making the same claim in this case. The reason? The presiding judge is Black. But he’s claiming the White Judge in his classified documents case is perfect, especially because he appointed her. This racist oaf thinks he’s entitled to be tried by a Trump-appointed judge in a MAGA district where everyone thinks Trump can do no wrong.
- Republicans are parroting the racism Trump has normalized. Hell, even Tim Scott, his Black rival for the nomination, is parroting nonsense about the Biden DOJ subjecting Trump to a two-tier justice system.
Three down, one indictment to go! Everyone expects Fulton County DA Fani Willis to emulate Special Counsel Jack Smith next week. iPINIONS will comment in a similar, even if shorter, fashion after she announces her indictment of this serial criminal.
Legacy Note: With over 5,600 posts spanning 20 years, I am easily the most prolific blogger on the most eclectic array of topics on the web. That makes The iPINIONS Journal an unparalleled archive of informed political and cultural commentary. Visit the ARCHIVES section in the sidebar or search by topic. You won’t find a more consistent, independent voice on world affairs.