By Lafe Tolliver, Esq
Guest Column
The trial of the century is over, and a jury of 12 men and women heard the overwhelming evidence presented against Donald Trump and agreed with the position of the state prosecutor which is: Trump is a con artist of the first degree.
Trump, the forever crybaby, went on a rant after the verdict and bemoaned the criminal justice system as being unfair and corrupt, knowing full well that if he were to have prevailed, he would be extolling how great things were and how there was no case to begin with.
These are my takes from the trial and the aftermath of the trial and in no particular order:
(1) Trump can now be called a convicted felon, a term that will drive him to distraction because his imperial armor has been pierced by a jury that was not in awe of his money (?) or name power. The aura of the name Trump has been soiled beyond repair.
(2) Alvin Bragg, the brilliant prosecutor of this case, and his highly skilled team of lawyers and paralegals brought the fight and won. And they won because these type of cases are the “bread and butter” of Bragg’s public integrity department.
Trump’s mischief did not escape him, and he was not deferential to the name Trump and its vainglorious New York history.
(3) If you peruse social media, the vile comments from MAGA world and others encourage acts of violence against the judge, the jurors and anyone else connected to this case simply because their Dear Leader has been held accountable to a power that he could not control or influence…a jury.
(4) Be on the lookout for further and future articles from MAGA world and the Steve Bannon’s’ and his ilk when they try to foment armed revolution against the Capitol and the judicial system. For Steven Bannon, it is his mantra that it all must be destroyed and yet he daily enjoys the fruits of the very system he rants against. Go figure! Hypocrisy, anyone?
(5) Up and until the day of Trump’s sentencing date (it could be changed due to whatever motions may be filed by the defense team), Trump will engage in negative histrionics and bellicose behavior that will set your teeth on edge.
(6) Don’t you wonder why those who would rally you to engage in criminal or civil disobedience, never lead the charge of the light brigade? No, they are the tin foil hat wearing generals who spout a lot of gibberish but when pushed to pick up a baton or a gun and say, “Charge!,” they are found shivering in a closet.
(7) The MAGA base has been duped about the facts of the case because they were fed an anemic diet of lies and distortions by Fox News and other outlets that are known for their history of being the news organs of Donald Trump.
They were told that the defense was shredding the prosecution’s weak case, and that Trump would win. Now, they are shell shocked that it was not true as repeatedly stated to them by their legal experts.
(8) Sadly, Trump, at his presser the next day, railed against the judge and prosecutor and even his, not so swift son, Eric, reduced America to a third world “sh*thole” country.
Such nice language from a person, when given the chance to stay in this country or flee elsewhere, would fight you to the death to keep his Starbucks rewards card.
(9) This trial revealed the soft underbelly of an America which is so polarized along political, economical and racial lines that one would despair to think that can such a Grand Canyon gap ever be reconciled.
(10) The judicial system will have to be reexamined because if Trump is allowed to run for a federal office as a convicted felon, what do we do with the thousands of ex-cons who served time in a federal prison regarding their rights to enter the federal civil service system seeking jobs.
(11) Based upon Trump’s 10 gag order violations and his demeaning conduct at his trial, will Judge Merchan, at his date of sentencing, dole out a judgment of jail time? If not, why not? Trump more than deserves it and if he does not get some jail time (even suspended), Trump wins…again.
(12) Will Biden’s re-election team use the moniker, ‘convicted felon’, as a tag for ads to run in the swing states? It is factual and they should not be scared of labeling Trump what a jury labeled him…a criminal felon.
(13) Some of the white evangelical churches soiled their righteous garments by backing a man who committed adultery with a porn star and tried to buy her silence so as not to hurt his re-election chances.
Some of those ‘leaders’ were issuing sham statements about the trial being a farce and a mockery of justice but they were clueless as to their positions being a mockery of the Bible that they professed to believe in. Go figure.
You would not find Jesus backing a porn star payment hustle and the constant lies from Trump about it and his acts of adultery. But, then again, some of the so-called religious leaders are simply hearers of the Word and not doers of the Word.
Overall, this national outcry regarding the trial results and the mean spiritedness of the upcoming election forebodes troubling times in America and coupled with a renegade Supreme Court that is beholden to no one, we can say that we are living in interesting times.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at tolliver@juno.com