Everything points to it A federal criminal complaint against Donald Trump is imminent in the case of the stolen documents. It will stir.
On Monday, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith summoned the ex-president’s lawyers. This appeared to be the final step before formal indictment.
It was Trump himself who blew the whistle by posting a fiery message on his TruthSocial network. These allegations will come as no great surprise, but they will undoubtedly have political ramifications.
Big crimes, damning evidence
Of all the criminal charges hanging over the ex-president, the documents he took with him when he left the White House are the ones most likely to lead to a guilty verdict.
The evidence already known is overwhelming. Trump stole the documents. He claims these were released and that he was entitled to keep them. It is wrong.
He and his team are apparently guilty of multiple obstruction of justice. The recent revelation along those lines merits a burlesque scenario: security videos would have been destroyed during the draining of the Mar-A-Lago swimming pool. You can’t imagine that.
Other, more disturbing, revelations suggest that sensitive documents about Iran’s defense arrangements have been leaked to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have been showering millions on Trump and his cronies for some time, but that’s just a coincidence.
These are serious crimes. An American air force general has just been sentenced to three years in prison for a similar case. Also, whatever Trump says, there is no common yardstick between the allegations against him and the cases of secret documents falsely kept by Joe Biden and Mike Pence.
Political Fallout
If there is a trial, it will happen in the middle of the 2024 primary, which won’t stop Trump from winning the Republican nomination.
As in 2016, Trump will play the role of victim of a malicious state and he will not hesitate to involve his supporters in this victimization. In addition, he will manage to convince his constituents of his completely fictional version, even if the evidence against him is crystal clear. Since most of Trump’s Republican opponents are very afraid to disagree with him, it won’t be difficult.
Trump will also say he is the victim of electoral interference by a justice system he accuses of being paid for by Democrats and the deep state.
Another important part of Trump’s response to his impending impeachment is his thinly veiled call to violence, calling on his supporters to fight for his defense. There will be no large demonstrations in the streets, but isolated acts of violence from his most fanatical supporters are to be expected.
Therefore, the next presidential campaign will not be normal, especially since Trump has a good chance of losing control. Losing control doesn’t improve his chances in court, but the electorate isn’t a court, and this ex-president, accused of serious crimes and hungry for revenge, still has a chance of being brought to justice.
