Donald Trump exemplifies the democracy v demagoguery battle in America. Nothing illustrates this more than his recent indictment in Georgia on August 14th. The 98-page indictment is so sweeping that it exposes everyone in the murky election plot hatched by the former president. With this, Mr Trump’s score of charges against him continues to move up. Even Mr Trump’s blind backers may miss a score or two in such a volatile indictment scenario.
Conspiracies Against Democracy
The indictment in Georgia ranks now high on Mr Trump’s list of notorious legal feats. In all, this indictment is his fourth and his second in a fortnight. The list of his dubious legal feats is replete with slimy statistics. As many as 13 new counts have been added to his score now, making his total charges 91. The Georgia indictment is so expansive that it charges 19 people with 41 felonies, all identified as conspiracies against American democracy.
Invariably, these 41 felonies highlight the dangers that lurk around the dark corners of American democracy. Or, anywhere in the world. As many as 22 of these counts relate to forgery, bogus documents and false statements, and eight pertain to impersonating public officers. Three of them relate to influencing witnesses, three to election fraud and three to computer tampering. One of the charges is about racketeering and the last is linked to perjury. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/14/rea d-41-count-election-fraud-donald-trump-full- indictment/70592581007/
Video Courtesy: YouTube/ABC News
The Murky Scorecard of Indictments
The Georgia indictment underscores Mr Trump’s greatest contribution to American democracy. The case marks his success in making conscience-shaking indictments of a former president look perfectly normal. Mr Trump’s scorecard of indictments also shows the two impeachments he survived while in office and his many civil cases. The federal charges brought on by special counsel Jack Smith are all Trumpian crimes committed against democracy. https://poliphoon.com/facing-his-fiercest-federal-storm/
The infamous Georgia tapes revealed Mr Trump pleading with Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, to find him 11,780 votes. This is precisely the number needed to turn Georgia’s November 2020 poll results upside down. As Mr Trump and his 18 accomplices proceeded with their diabolically elaborate plan to overturn the election results in Georgia, little did they realise it would end up in a major indictment on August 14th. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-55524676
The More Draconian Rico Law
The Georgia federal case is all about Mr Trump’s devious attempt to upend the 2020 election. The case is sure to squeeze Mr Trump in a suicidal pincer grip. Even if he becomes president again, Mr Trump cannot tinker with a case in an American state. Effectively, this means he cannot pardon himself under Georgia’s staggeringly elaborate anti-racketeering law called Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, aka the acronymous Rico law. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/15/politics/rico-explainer- georgia-trump-indictment/index.html
The Rico law is more expansive than its federal equivalent. It is more draconian too, as it was designed to counter mobsterism. Mr Trump’s sympathisers may argue that he is not a mobster. Yet, the Capitol Hill episode proves Mr Trump provoked his Trumpian mobs to launch the Capitol Hill insurrection. Mobster or not, under the Georgian racketeering law, it may not be necessary to establish that Mr Trump and his accomplices breached the law.
Penchant for Politics of Exaggeration
It would be just enough to prove that they knowingly collaborated with those who broke the law. Bad luck for Mr Trump, when the trial takes off, many of his co-conspirators may defect to aid the prosecution. However, democracy-destroying Trump may pull out a few tricks from his mucky hat. As detailed evidences pile up against him during trial, he may cry foul over an imagined witch-hunt. As is his wont, he may go on to pitch his cries to rally his Republican backers. https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/06/why-trumps-witch- hunt-cries-ring-hollow-in-face-of-doj-indictment/
His ardent hero-worshipping followers will not hesitate to stand behind him. In fact, they had heeded to his call earlier for his plotted upsurge at Capitol Hill. Bad luck for Mr Trump, he will be proved wrong this time. His penchant for exaggerating his political bonanza from such a dubious tactic is sure to land him in a bottomless abyss. Abyss or no abyss, most American voters know what they are going to do with Mr Trump in the approaching presidential election.
Sympathy will not Work this Time
Americans are sure they do not want someone as democracy-destroying as Mr Trump in the hallowed White House. Yet, Mr Trump will continue to trust his gut feeling that the more he gets indicted the closer he would move towards a win in the next presidential election. He will be prepared to back his convoluted theory with statistics showing how his lead over Republican rival Ron DeSantis widened after previous indictments. So much for his consolation. https://poliphoon.com/indicted-again-and-what-next/
In all probability, the sympathy factor will not work this time around. Much to his chagrin, Mr Trump’s ratings dipped within his Party after his June indictment over illegal storage of classified documents. Moreover, recent midterms show that there is a huge gap between voters’ expectations in the primaries and the general election. It is unlikely that an arrogant narcissistic Trump will appreciate that fighting criminal cases will sap his campaign energies. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trumps-indictments- favorability-primary-polls/
Not By-Products of Political Vendetta
Mr Trump is upbeat however. Presumably, he is banking on president Joe Biden’s inability to make Americans believe that it is all hunky-dory with the economy. Mr Trump is right to an extent. Yet, it will not make Americans back him en masse regardless of his Party’s record on emotive issues like abortion. Look at what happened in Ohio this month. The state rejected the constitutional amendment proposed by Republicans to eliminate abortion rights. https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-rights-constitutional- amendment-special-election-227cde039f8d51723612878525164f1a
Desperate, Mr Trump will use every trick in his dirty book to paint the Georgia indictment as witch hunt. This is where the role of America’s democratic organs comes into play. These arms need to hammer home the message that investigations and indictments are not by-products of political vendetta and witch hunt. By their resolute actions, they should prove their ultimate aim is to protect American democracy from bloodhounds like Mr Trump.
The Poliphoon’s Last Word
Americans today are aware of their basic rights and the need to protect their access to abortion. Moreover, they are enraged over Mr Trump’s diabolic plot to upend the democratically-held elections in state after state, as indictments continue to expose his conspiracies. They want to ensure Mr Trump does not return to the White House. As each indictment proves to be more severe than the previous, hardened Americans are growing more determined. They are sure to make the next presidential elections a battle for accountability.
