June 09, 2023 11:37 AM UTC

Trump's Federal Indictment Prompts Reax From Two Realities

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• by: Colorado Pols

AP reports in case for some reason you still haven’t heard the news:

Donald Trump has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, a remarkable development that makes him the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges by the federal government that he once oversaw.

The Justice Department was expected to make public a seven-count indictment ahead of a historic court appearance next week in the midst of a 2024 presidential campaign punctuated by criminal prosecutions in multiple states.

The indictment carries unmistakably grave legal consequences, including the possibility of prison if Trump’s convicted.

Much like Donald Trump’s earlier indictment in New York on charges related to his “hush money” payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, the first word of this historic development appears to have come from Trump himself yesterday:

The timing and source of the news of this indictment are important because a fake version of events is already being circulated by Colorado’s principal source of MAGA misinformation, Rep. Lauren Boebert:

We’re not sure who exactly “they” are in this case, since Trump broke the news of his indictment himself, and the full contents of the indictment are not expected to be released to the public until next week. We haven’t seen a response yet from Colorado’s other two Republican members of Congress Reps. Ken Buck or Doug Lamborn, but we expect them to fall in line with Trump’s Republican primary challengers and continue defending him. It’s politically inexplicable why those who have the most to benefit from seeing Trump rendered inert continue to prop Trump up as his legal troubles deepen, but that was again the response from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the also-rans bringing up the rear.

For an honest Republican assessment of the federal indictment against Trump, we’re obliged to look west, where Utah Sen. Mitt Romney seemingly alone has the courage to call it like it is:

“By all appearances, the Justice Department and special counsel have exercised due care, affording Mr. Trump the time and opportunity to avoid charges that would not generally have been afforded to others.

“Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so. [Pols emphasis]

“These allegations are serious and if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest, such as withholding defensive weapons from Ukraine for political reasons and failing to defend the Capitol from violent attack and insurrection.”

The dean of Colorado’s congressional delegation Rep. Diana DeGette agrees:

Never before has a former president been indicted for a federal crime. By indicting Trump & holding him accountable for his actions, America’s justice system is once again showing its strength & reminding us all: No one is above the law in this country, not even former presidents

— Rep. Diana DeGette (@RepDianaDeGette) June 9, 2023

We’re in an unprecedented moment in history in which the rule of law is itself on trial due to the actions of a man with no respect for the law, and who once declared he could shoot someone in the street and not lose support. If Trump really is immune to criminal accountability, that’s a far worse situation for the country in the long term than the short-term drama of holding a former president accountable for crimes he is alleged to have committed. In short, we’re either a nation of laws, or we’re a nation where political will can override the law.

For the sake of the country’s future, we need it to be the former.