The chaos of the legal proceedings surrounding Donald Trump reaches a new level this week, when the proceedings in the courtroom in New York coincide with a hearing in the Supreme Court in Washington.
For those who can’t keep up with all the tours: Trump has been charged with crimes in four different cases. The first trial – concerning the accounting of hush money before the 2016 election – has only started in New York. Donald Trump and his lawyers claim, as always, that he is the victim of a political witch hunt.
– It comes from Washington and it is coordinated with Washington, Trump said on his way into the courtroom on Monday morning.
The former the president, chained to the stake – it has been an effective image in the propaganda to the supporters. One might find it unfortunate that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg campaigned on promises to hold Trump accountable.
Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP
But the conflation of law and politics is part of the system in the United States. And one might as well claim that Trump is benefiting from it, through his three appointments of judges to the Supreme Court.
Because if he is right about the accusations of a witch trial – well, then his enemies must probably be considered knaves. At least when it comes to the really heavy charges.
It has been over 1,200 days since the storming of the Capitol. Still, the president’s responsibility for the attack has not been tried. The lack of time before the presidential election this autumn is becoming increasingly acute.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court in Washington will hold an oral hearing to determine whether Trump has immunity — or whether he can be held accountable for the propaganda and pressure that led to the riot.
Might have the prosecutor lost, no matter what.
If the Supreme Court makes a quick decision to deny Trump immunity, the trial could possibly be held toward the fall, with a tight schedule leading up to Election Day. If the judges choose to wait until the turn of the month June-July – when HD usually publishes fundamentally important decisions – then it will be difficult to make it before the election.
And if Trump wins, he could try to drop the federal charges, or pardon himself.
The Trump camp has also been able to benefit from the delay of the Justice Department
He and his lawyers have been successful in trying to slow down the legal process. They have been pleased by the members of the Supreme Court, who rejected the prosecution’s request for a quick ruling on the immunity. But the Trump camp has also been able to benefit from the Justice Department’s tardiness.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty
According to reviews in The Washington Post and the New York Times say that Attorney General Merrick Garland and his closest associates have been very careful not to appear partisan. Instead, they tried to restore confidence in the institutions by rushing the investigation slowly. The idea was to build a solid prosecution, from the bottom up.
The Minister of Justice and his employees could not have guessed that Trump would make a political comeback, and that they would thus find themselves under time pressure before the presidential election in 2024.
“In trying to avoid even the smallest mistakes, Garland may have made a big one,” New York Times reporters sum up.
To return to the parable of the witch trial, it appears right now as a somewhat unsuccessful Walborg bonfire. The wood is sour and the fire doesn’t want to start.
