Every American deserves protection under the law, including the former President
The indictment of Donald Trump in the District of Columbia federal court regarding Trump’s post-2020 Election conduct is long on alleging Trump’s deceit but very short on showing criminality.
The 45-page document, like any indictment, is just allegations that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court, and Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Given the shoddy conduct of the Department of Justice and FBI in recent years, the accuracy of the allegations cannot be presumed.
But the allegations in the indictment do reference purported evidence, such as text messages, emails, contemporaneous notes, and testimony. If the evidence cited exists and is not mischaracterized, Trump’s perfidy in alleging election fraud sufficient to have changed the outcome of the election must be taken seriously.
The gravamen of the indictment alleging false claims of election fraud is not new, it has been the subject of countless pundits for years, but many of the details are new. Trump, it’s alleged, engaged in a wide-ranging scheme to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen, when in fact those closest to Trump at the time were telling him the most significant supposed examples of election fraud were not true.