Donald Trump was indicted for mishandling government secrets last week, but this is not his only legal problem. Other charges and investigations may ultimately deliver an even more stinging rebuke than this.
In April, Trump was indicted for trying to cover up hush money payments he made to a porn star with whom he had an affair. Paying hush money is not illegal, but falsifying financial records to hide them is, and he is charged with 34 counts of them. In June, Trump was indicted for mishandling classified documents and obstructing efforts to recover them. In August, prosecutors in Georgia are expected to announce indictments for Trump’s efforts to overturn that state’s election results by coercing the Georgia Secretary of State to find 11,780 votes. Trump could also be charged for attempting to coerce the Secretary of State to substantiate the false claim that Fulton County ballots were destroyed, or efforts to pressure the governor to call a special session of the General Assembly where Trump-supporting electors would be chosen for the electoral college. Elsewhere, Trump is under investigation for his effort to stop the US Senate certification of electoral college results and stoking a riot to do it. (Trump is also embroiled in a civil suit with the state of New York over whether he overvalued assets to obtain more favorable loan terms.)
It’s hard to have a form of government based on rule-of-law run by someone who doesn’t believe in it. Trump, while a sitting president, simply didn’t believe the laws applied to him. Such an attitude weakens the credibility of a democracy for it supports exceptionalism, where special privileges are awarded to special people, and then to special families, with special friends; over time, authoritarianism rises, where the few rule the many.
Interestingly, of all the potential charges Trump faces, mishandling classified material may be one of his lesser crimes. Trying to overturn a state election and attempting a coup d’état directly attack our government, whereas mishandling of national secrets could be seen as mere negligence. In a further twist, the hush money case is scheduled to go on trial in March 2024—right in the middle of primary season. This smallest of cases may actually have the greatest impact on our nation’s future.
Source:
Ben Protess, Alan Feuer, Danny Hakim, “Donald Trump Faces Several Investigations,. Here’s Where They Stand,” New York Times, 16 June 2023; access from https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-investigations-civil-criminal.html
Ellen Loanes, “The Georgia Trump Election Investigation Keeps Getting Bigger, Vox, 4 June 2023; accessed from https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/6/4/23748503/georgia-trump-investigation-rico
Aaron C Davis, Carol D Leonnig, “Takeaways from Post’s Examination of DOJ’s Jan. 6 Investigation,” Washington Post, 19 June 2023; accessed from https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/06/19/jan-6-investigation-trump-fbi/
Photo: US Department of Justice