Has Anybody Checked on NYC Today?

Has Anybody Checked on NYC Today?

– By Ed Kociela –

Deadlines being what they are, we are cobbling together these thoughts a bit before what could yet be another ugly day in American history: Donald Trump, Part II, as we sweat out what he claims will be his arrest in New York City today.

On Saturday, the former president went to social media, telling anybody who would listen that he expects to be arrested today and that his followers should rise up in protest.

“Protest! Take our nation back!” he told his social media followers.

The charges, we are told, would be those attached to the $130,000 in hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump, who, by the way, denies he had a relationship with the woman who his attorney went on to accuse of extortion.

The arrest would culminate in a lengthy investigation into whether to issue an indictment in the matter.

The timing?

Well, with the way the New York City caseload goes, it would take about a year before sworn testimony in the case is taken, landing the whole mess in the middle of the 2024 election. And, for the record, a person under indictment may run for president. I can only imagine what would take place should the trial move forward during the campaign and a jury finds him guilty. It would certainly deserve a paragraph or two in the history books to be sure.

But, the matter at hand is that Trump is accusing somebody of illegal leaks when he is the sole source for the statement. And, once again, he sits at the head of the table of mental instability, such as that which led to the Jan. 6 attempted overthrowing of the United States government when thousands gathered at the Capitol to prevent the Electoral College tally of the vote that seated Joe Biden as president.

Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, and New York City law enforcement officials are taking it all seriously.

In an e-mail to those who work in his office, he said, “we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York. Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment.” He also said his office has been working with the NYPD and the New York Office of Court Administration to shore up security.

He also slammed the door on an additional comment.

“As with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly and speak publicly only when appropriate.”

This is all coming together rather rapidly, mostly on the heels of testimony by Michael Cohen, the attorney who, it is believed, actually made the payments to Daniels. He recently testified before the grand jury and is believed to be the final witness in its probe.

Cohen was unceremoniously pegged as the fall guy in all of this until he realized prison orange was not his best look. He has since pretty much thrown Trump under the bus.

He was not surprised by the Trump screed on social media.

“It’s eerily similar to the battle cry that he put out just prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection, you know, especially including the call, you know, for protest,” he told MSNBC. “And, I agree…it would have been smart for Donald to write ‘peaceful protest,’ but he doesn’t want a peaceful protest.

“These fools that are representing him, this clown show of lawyers, what they believe is that this will propel him into the White House by having another violent insurrection.”

Without question, New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world. It has a certain strength, culture, majesty that makes it unique. There is an energy, a vibe that you cannot help but pick up on as you walk her streets and take in all the sights, sounds, and character of this glorious lady. The U.S. has some remarkable places but none as special or powerful or glamorous, or thriving as New York City. She has been battered, but never beaten, as we learned in the days following 9/11. And she will not be beaten by Trump and his minions.

Still, I worry about the 9 million people who live there and the danger they could possibly face should the Trump crew put together yet another violent force. I hope I am worrying about nothing here, but as we have seen, there is no limit to the ignorance and depth to which some will sink to keep this guy afloat as he makes another run for the White House.

The problem here is that whatever the disposition is for the hush-money case, there are a number of other legal entanglements the former president is caught up in – from his request for Georgia officials to “find him” enough votes to swing the presidential election his way to the illegal possession of classified documents, his involvement to incite the Jan. 6 coup attempt, to a number of civil lawsuits with criminal penalties.

There is enough out there to make something stick, to be sure, but we have never been in such a position before in American history. What should happen? What will happen? Who knows? The odds, of course, are pretty much stacked in his favor. He is a rich, powerful old man who will probably run out of time before he runs out of appeals, to be honest. Would there be a purpose in locking him up behind bars? Depends on a lot of things. If you are among the rich and pampered, you will not like the idea that Trump could actually be held accountable because then, suddenly, you, too, could be vulnerable. If you come from the middle or lower economic class, it would put a little faith in you to see the system play out as it should, where nobody is above the law.

The over-arching question here is whether Trump will face jail time.

The hush-money debacle is rather complex in scope and culpability. There are a lot of wormholes to crawl through and a lot of pitfalls to knock it out of the box so I would be very surprised if that one ended up with him going into the clink.

The possession of classified documents is similar, particularly since so many others have been found with classified docs in their possession. It seems a rather lax enforcement of the rules and procedures and could potentially be booted for political bias with new regulations put in place.

The Jan. 6 insurrection would, in all common sense, be the prime vehicle for a guilty verdict, except for the thorny fact that there are still a lot of Trump cronies and appointees in the system to make prosecution difficult. Plus, add in the cops and folks in authoritative positions who commiserate with him, and you have a stinking mass of human refuse that was willing to kill for him. Guilty? You bet. But, will a jury of sheep find him so? A real crapshoot.

The strongest case, in my weak legal mind, is, of course, in Georgia, where he is caught, on tape, asking for the state to generate votes that simply are not there. There is plenty to indicate there was criminal intent to falsify election results directly from Trump’s mouth. He can’t unsay what he said, and it is all there in recordings.

Will it be strong enough to put him behind bars?

If this one doesn’t get him, nothing will.

Put your money on Georgia and take the overs. This one will be a nail-biter but should keep him out of harm’s way – a.k.a., unable to take public office – for the remainder of his life.

And that is, I think, the best we can hope for at this point.

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