Through the smoke >> Happy Trump indictment day, part 2
Red Meat For Mushy Moderates
I have progressive friends on Twitter who are high-fiving each other over the reported indictment of former President Donald Trump on criminal charges under the Espionage Act. As I have written many times over the years, Trump is a despicable man — both in his career and in his personal life — but the federal indictment of a former president does not make me happy. I feel satisfied whenever our justice system works, but my contentment does not hinge on the identity of the defendant.
In some ways, I find it to be a solemn occasion — more so, if as has been reported, Trump’s possession of the classified documents is related to his personal business dealings with foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia and China. That could explain Trump’s reluctance to turn over the documents after receiving a subpoena, a refusal that resulted in an FBI raid on his Palm Beach estate. We do know, for example, that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner received a $2 billion investment from the Saudi government shortly at Trump left office.
The reaction among GOP leadership in the House of Representatives has been one of outrage over President Biden’s alleged “weaponization” of the Justice Department. Most Republicans are clearly still afraid of the former president, even in his weakened state. Those howling in protest include Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, whose upstate New York district borders my own. Her response: What about the Bidens?
Interestingly, as of this writing, most members of the Senate have been quiet. A handful of Trump’s rivals for the GOP presidential nomination have spoken out, with most, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, defending the former president. Others such as Trump foe and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have taken a wait-and-see posture. Alone among Trump rivals, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has called on Trump to withdraw from the race.
There appears to be a growing consensus among legal observers that, given the overwhelming evidence of his guilt, the only way Trump can avoid jail time is to agree to negotiate a plea bargain and admit guilt to lesser offenses. His lawyers have in the past insisted there is “zero chance” he would ever do that.
We could have a situation in which a former president is running from his jail cell to regain his office, or is forced to wear an ankle bracelet while campaigning. How anyone could celebrate that I do not know.
P.S. Here’s what Trump said about Hillary Clinton’s email scandal: “In my administration, I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law.” Shouldn’t he be held to his campaign promise?
Oh Canada, we don’t stand on guard for thee …
Like just about everyone who subscribes to this newsletter, I’ve been struggling with how to deal with the smoke and lack of sunlight associated with the wildfires in Canada.
Words like “hellscape” and “post-apocalyptic” have been used to describe what we’ve been looking at for the last few days. As the above photo taken on my daily walk shows, there is a certain otherworldliness to the scene. On the two worst days, such as this one taken on Tuesday, when the sun became visible it was so small that it almost looked like it was trying to disappear. Part of me expected to wake up one morning to find that it hadn’t risen at all.
But as a journalist, I was struck by the coverage here in the United States. The U.S. coverage in general has focused of how the wildfires and the resulting smoke are affecting Americans. It’s an important part of the story, no doubt, but where was the coverage of the location of the fires in Canada, the firefighting strategies and any international efforts that were being made to help Canada battle this unprecedented natural disaster?
As I wrote on Twitter:
There are literally hundreds of separate fires in Ontario and Québec that continue to burn. What if you’re interested in where the fires are, how they are affecting Canadians, or what kind of help Canada is receiving from the rest of the world?
Answer: bypass the U.S. press and go to Canadian media itself. The CBC has done a commendable job. The network’s signature evening newscast is available in the U.S. on Youtube. See last night’s edition below: After a breaking news report on the impending Trump indictment, the wildfire segments begin at 3:05:
Other sources I recommend:
I am concerned about the appointment of Judge Aileen Cannon, however; I feel she should recuse herself. Let's hope the Rocket Docket is indeed that!!
Our powerful and beautiful sun can only do so much.
What a sad photo.