It matters not if Donald Trump is found guilty or not after trial. What matters is that his indictment has shown that for a society to endure, strong institutions must supersede strong men
By Olukorede Yishau
Many men of God said there would be a way where there seemed to be no way. We thought their spiritual binoculars could see what we could not see, and we were on the edges of our seats waiting for the miracle of miracles.
We were hoping their Father in heaven is different from ours and would shock us. But, we were disappointed. Donald J. Trump lost as American president. His administration dawned at dawn on January 20, 2021. His era ended, and Joe Biden’s began. Trump has known no real peace since then. A Jury indicted him in the midst of his plot to return to power.
He was arraigned on Tuesday in New York.
Trump faces several counts related to business fraud. The indictment is from a Manhattan grand jury. It is the first time in US history that a former president is set to face criminal charges. The ex-president described his travail as “political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history”.
The indictment is not unconnected to Trump’s alleged role in a secret money payment scheme and cover-up involving a sex film star, Stormy Daniels, during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Before his arraignment, the spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, said Trump’s attorney was contacted to “coordinate his surrender” for arraignment on “a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal”.
“Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected,” he added.
The payment relates to a $130,000 payment made by Michael Cohen, Trump’s then-personal attorney, to Daniels, days before the 2016 presidential election, to stop her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier. Trump continues to deny the affair. The Trump Organisation is said to have reimbursed Cohen.
Court filings in Cohen’s federal prosecution shows that the Trump Organisation authorised payments of $420,000 to the lawyer to cover his $130,000 payment, tax liabilities and a bonus. Defiant Trump has said he “wouldn’t even think about leaving” the 2024 race despite the imminent trial.
Cohen admitted to paying $130,000 to Daniels. He also admitted helping to arrange a $150,000 payment from the publisher of the National Enquirer to Karen McDougal to kill her story of a 10-month affair with Trump. The ex-president also denies an affair with McDougal. Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail. Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, has agreed to be a witness. In a book in 2018, she described the alleged affair in graphic details.
Trump’s travail speaks to the strength of the American institutions. They follow the facts. Party affiliations or any other affiliations matter not. It is mostly about what the law says.
A Trump supporter, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham sees the indictment as “legal voodoo”.
“This is literally legal voodoo, this is political persecution, this is a combination of political hatred and selective prosecution on steroids,” Graham told Fox News.
The Senator used the interview session to seek donation to Trump’s campaign. Trump sent an email to donors after news of his indictment broke.
“You need to help this man, Donald J. Trump. They’re trying to drain him dry. He spent more money on lawyers than most people spend on campaigns. They’re trying to bleed him dry. Donaldjtrump.com, go tonight,” Graham said.
“We’re not going to give in. How does this end, Sean? Trump wins in court and he wins the election. That’s how this ends,” Graham said. “They’re trying to destroy Donald Trump because they fear him at the ballot box.”
Mike Pence, who was Vice President in the Trump administration, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “I really do believe that this decision today is a great disservice to the country and the idea that for the first time in American history a former president would be indicted on a campaign finance issue to me, just smacks of political prosecution, and I think the overwhelming majority of the American people will see it that way.”
The Trump years were of more troublemaking and less troubleshooting. He made troubles with almost everyone. His friends were mainly white supremacists and those who benefitted from his policies. African-Americans felt left at the back. Europe didn’t get along with him. He treated Africa as a shit hole and dealt with the Chinese like lepers. Immigrants were objects of misgiving and mimicry. Mexicans were treated with disdain and he began walling them off. He also separated children from their mothers in an inhuman immigration policy. Over 500 kids, according to a report in The New York Times, were as at when he was leaving office, yet to be reunited with their parents because officials who separated them have no records of where their parents were deported.
The rule was: Cross Trump and get tongue-lashed. Reporters had their fill. News conferences were avenues for the immediate past president to thrash the media for a perceived wrong. CNN, to him, meant fake news. New York Times, Washington Post, and others were despicable. Even Fox News that started as an ally ended as a traitor. For Trump, there were no permanent friends. The only thing that was permanent was his interests and once you were against his interests, you automatically switched camp and were dressed down in the worst language possible.
Even Pence can testify as he was quickly re-christened a weakling for not working against the greater good. He eroded core alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, provoked traditional partners and pampered autocrats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Never had America seen such an era and it could take some time for such a mistake to be made again. Some say the mistake can never happen again. But with democracy, never say never. Even ‘fools’ at times appeal to the majority and get the coveted crown.
White supremacists had a field day. So free were they that they threatened fire and brimstone if their man was not re-elected, and taking over the Capitol was the height of their madness. They wanted the head of Pence and Speaker Pelosi, and others they considered traitors. They broke glasses and desecrated the hallowed chamber. Reports suggest that dozens of law enforcement officers, active-duty military members, and veterans participated in the global giant’s moment of shame. Now, the Capitol has a high wall and the National Guard is out to keep the dogs of war away.
But Trump was not all bad news. He is credited with overhauling the U.S. judiciary, especially with the appointment of three Supreme Court justices and the fast-tracking of the appointment of more than 200 federal judges.
He is also respected in some quarters for pushing through massive tax cuts for corporations, expanding the economy faster than it was under Barack Obama, and crashing unemployment to a record low—before the economic gains were washed away by the Coronavirus.
He also normalised relations between Israel and four once-antagonistic Arab neighbours, and he condensed U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, but like a commentator noted all these were “dwarfed by what Trump got wrong”.
My final take: It matters not if Donald Trump is found guilty or not after trial. What matters is that his indictment has shown that for a society to endure, strong institutions must supersede strong men.
* Yishau is a newspaper columnist and author.