Feeling the heat from 49-year-old Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, 76-year-old President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to blast what he calls another partisan Democrat. Bragg continues to convene his grand jury looking into charges against Trump for having his 56-year-old former personal attorney AKA “fixer” Michael Cohen betray him to Bragg’s grand jury. Since his falling out from Trump, Cohen kept his mouth shut, only while completing a three-year-prison sentence for multiple felonies, including wire and bank fraud, income tax evasion and breaking campaign finance laws for paying $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels. Daniels, a former adult film star, alleged an affair with Trump in 2016, 10 years before he ran for president. Yet Bragg wants to charge Trump with violating New York laws paying hush money to keep Stormy from going public before the 2016 election.
When you consider that House Democrats spent a year-and-a-half investigating Trump for things like “incitement of insurrection” or planning and orchestrating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, dredging up the Stormy Daniels seems inconsequential. Yet Bragg has pushed ahead with possible charges against Trump for violating New York laws. House Jan. 6 House Select Committee worked feverishly on collecting cherry picked evidence against Trump to turn over to Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland for eventual prosecution. House Select Committee Democrats and two Republicans found Trump guilty of planning and orchestrating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, despite the fact that they have no proof. Garland appointed Special Prosecutor Jack Smith Nov. 18, 2022 to see whether the former president should be charged with breaking the law on Jan. 6, 2021 or on taking classified White House documents.
With all the really serious charges swirling around Trump, you’d think that a partisan New York DA would stay away from salacious charges related to an alleged 17-year-old tryst Trump with a former adult film actress. Bragg has used convicted felon Michael Cohen as his star witness against Trump, a disbarred attorney who did time in prison. Yet that doesn’t stop Bragg from grandstanding, taking the spotlight way from Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland and Special Counsel Jack Smith. Neither has said when or whether they would charge Trump with anything related to Jan. 6 Capitol riots or Mar-a-Lago classified documents. Speaking at the first campaign rally for the 2024 campaign today, Trump let it all hang out in Waco, Texas. Trump told the audience that Bragg was out of his mind trying to charge him with a crime, “only a dangerous psychopath that truly hates the USA.”
Trump told his followers on Truth Social March 18 that he was going to be arrested on Tuesday, March 22, that he would be handcuffed, arrested and booked at New York City jail for partisan fabricated charges. He asked his audience to protest if he’s arrested, much like they did Jan. 6, 2023. “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who go more votes that any sitting President in history and leading candidate [by far] for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also know that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. New York police and FBI took closely at Trump’s words, beefing up security in Manhattan should Bragg charge Trump sometime next week.
Trump’s insinuated call to violence was registered by the FBI and NYPD, concerned that violence could erupt should Bragg indict Trump. FBI and NYPD officials said there’s no unusual Internet chatter like there was for Jan. 6 that anything would happen if Trump’s arrested and charged in the Stormy Daniels case. Some of Trump former backers, like Stop-the-Steal organizer Ali Alexander, remained skeptical Alexander warned Trump’s followers to think twice about breaking the law, noting the legal consequences to Jan. 6 rioters. Some of Trump’s supporters aid they hoped Trump would get arrested, knowing what they’ve suffered since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Bragg rejected Trump calls for “death & destruction,” noting that his office would not be intimidated. Bragg said Trump “create a false expectation that he would be arrested” last weekend, something that never happened.
Trump told a Waco audience today that he had clue how Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg could pursue charges against him, protesting his innocence. Calling Bragg a “degenerate psychopath,” Trump showed his defiance only days before a possible indictment. When it comes of a nationwide hue-and-cry from Trump’s supporters, it’s doubtful anything would happen from Trump’s charges. So many Americans have heard daily warnings that Trump could by charged with any variety of crimes over the last two years. If Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland declines prosecution, you’d think that Bragg would drop his case against Trump, especially because it’s entirely unclear what law Trump broke paying off a disgruntled former acquaintance. If Bragg follows the law, he’ll decline to prosecute Trump, if for no other reason, New York City doesn’t need a costly show trial to deplete the City’s treasury.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
