Trump Being Charged!

On March 30, 2023, American history was made. For the first time, a former president was charged with a crime. Donald Trump, in fact, was charged with over thirty crimes, which have yet to be disclosed.

The press is quite cheerfully reporting on all the gruesome details. That is awfully sweet of them, but the fact remains that most common people are not Philadelphia lawyers. For that reason, if no other, many people are quite confused. As that is the case, and as so many people are interested, it is time to explain a few things.

We can start by facing the fact that the journalists are now crowing about Trump being ‘’indicted’’ by a Manhattan Grand Jury. This is a legal term which just means that he has been charged. Perish forbid they should just use plain and simple English!

There is a big difference between a Grand Jury and a regular jury. 

A Grand Jury is composed of twenty three citizens, supposedly chosen at random. We are concerned with the Grand Jury which issued ‘’indictments’’ for Trump, in New York City.

The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, is the prosecutor. He ‘’convened’’ a Grand Jury. He then presented evidence, to that Grand Jury, in support of his contention that one or more crimes has been committed, by Donald Trump. This evidence included witnesses. We have no way of knowing what was said, as the only people who are allowed into the room are the prosecutor, the jurors, witnesses and a court reporter. 

It is significant that no judge or defence lawyers are allowed into the room, so that there can not possibly be any cross examination of any witness. Further, the defence cannot present any evidence. In fact, the people who are the focus of the investigation may not even be aware that they are being investigated!

After Bragg, the DA, presented his case, he asked the Grand Jury for an indictment, or a number of indictments, in order to charge Trump. Apparently they responded, with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

In all cases, the Grand Jury is told that if they consider it ‘’more likely than not’’, that the defendant is guilty, then they should vote to indict. A simple majority is required for an indictment. This means that if only twelve jurors, out of twenty three, vote to indict, then the defendant is charged. 

It should come as no great surprise to anyone, to find that the Grand Jury almost always votes to indict. That is the source of the ridiculous expression that ‘’a Grand Jury can vote to indict a ham sandwich’’.

Perhaps the strangest part of these proceedings, is the fact that the alleged ‘’crime’’ in question, that of paying ‘’hush money’’ to a porn star, is nothing more than a misdemeanour, one which took place seven years ago. By law, the maximum penalty for a misdemeanour is one year in jail, but this almost never happens. Yet the DA is arguing that the payment was documented incorrectly, and was used to commit another crime, a felony. As that is the case, the ‘’hush money payment’’ was also a felony. 

A great many legal experts are suggesting that the DA is ‘’standing on rather shaky legal ground’’. This is their polite way of saying that they expect the courts to throw out the charges. That is certainly the goal of the lawyers who work for Trump!

By law, a felony is a serious crime, usually punishable by imprisonment for a term of several years. By contrast, a misdemeanour is a less serious crime, so that those who are convicted, rarely go to jail. No wonder the lawyers who represent Trump are trying to get those felony charges thrown out of court!

As yet, we do not know just which charges Trump is facing, as the indictments are ‘’under seal’’, to use the legal expression.

The next step in this ‘’gong show’’ involves the ‘’accused’’, in this case Trump. He is expected to ‘’surrender’’ to the police. This is to say that he is expected to ‘’present himself’’ to the police, at a certain agreed upon time.

His lawyers are trying to work out the details, which are complicated by the fact that he is under the protection of the Secret Service! Just how the Secret Service is supposed to protect Trump, while in police custody, or even in jail, is a mystery!

After Trump ‘’surrenders himself’’, to the police, he can expect to be ‘’booked’’. This is to say that he will be treated in the same manner as all other ‘’criminal suspects’’. He will be photographed and fingerprinted!

Then he will be taken to the Supreme Court of the state of New York, in the borough of Manhattan, for his ‘’arraignment’’. In other words, he will be taken into court, escorted by the police, and brought before the judge. It remains to be seen if he will be wearing handcuffs!

While in court, before a judge, the criminal charges against Trump will be read aloud. At that point, he will become aware of the charges against him. And so will we!

He will then be expected to ‘’enter a plea’’. No doubt that will be a plea of ‘’not guilty’’. This is all part of the arraignment process. 

At that time, there is also something referred to as ‘’discovery’’, so that a prosecutor must turn over all evidence to the defence attorneys.

We can expect Trump to be released on ‘’PR Bond’’, also known as ‘’personal recognizance bond’’, which is a type of bail bond that does not require the defendant to pay any money up front. Instead, the court issues an order releasing the defendant from custody on the condition that they agree to appear for all scheduled court appearances.

It is only those who cannot afford to post the bail bond, who are required to come up with that money! Those who are filthy rich, are relieved of that burden!

The journalists are speculating that the lawyers for Trump will ‘’file a motion’’ to have all charges dropped, or more likely, a great many motions. After all, there are ‘’higher courts’’. This particular court is the Supreme Court of the state of New York, not of the country. As Trump can afford to hire a small army of lawyers, he can no doubt drag this through the courts for many years, if need be. 

Strangely enough, these charges, in the state of New York, are considered to be the ‘’weakest’’. Several other investigations have also been going on, for several years, but as yet, no prosecutor has ‘’worked up the courage’’ to charge Trump. Now that Bragg has dared to perform his duty, this may well ‘’open the flood gates’’. 

Possibly the most serious charges may soon be placed by the state of Georgia, in that they are considering charging Trump with ‘’attempting to overturn the federal election of 2020’’. Such an accusation borders on treason!

It is reported that a Grand Jury, in that state, has completed their investigation, on January 24 of this year. Now it is up to the District Attorney to ‘’take the plunge’’, to press charges against Trump. Feel free to ‘’grow a set’’!

Legal experts said that Trump may have violated at least three state election laws, all of which are very serious. A conviction of any one of those charges could result in a lengthy prison sentence.

On the federal level, the United States District Attorney may charge that Trump ‘’improperly retained classified records’’ at his Florida estate, after he left office, and then ‘’attempted to obstruct a federal investigation’’. 

The House of Representatives has requested that the Justice Department also charge Trump for the role he played, in that which they refer to as the ‘’January 6 Insurrection’’. For that reason, the Justice Department is also ‘’investigating his actions in the 2020 election’’.

As well, the Attorney General of the state of New York is reportedly investigating Trump, and his family, for allegations of various acts of fraud, in their business dealings. They claim that Trump and his company, Trump Organization, owe them 250 million.

They also maintain that they have uncovered evidence of ‘’criminal wrong doing’’, which was promptly referred to the federal prosecutors and the IRS. Another one who should ‘’grow a set’’!

Those people certainly know how to ‘’pass the buck’’!

It is entirely possible that the investigation, by the state of New York, into allegations of fraud, by Trump and his family, may become his biggest headache. Trump may not be the only one who could be facing a lengthy stay in prison!  

While there is a law forbidding married couples from testifying against each other, there is no law against children testifying against their parents! Further, there is a vicious rumour to the effect that at least one of his children has been spending some ‘’quality time’’ with the FBI! It is doubtful that these were social calls!

Numerous -former!- ’’business associates’’ of Trump can testify to the fact that he does not hesitate to throw anyone ‘’under the bus’’, if it suits his purpose. It is entirely possible that he has taught his children well!  Trump may soon find himself joining so many others, ‘’under the bus’’! Thrown there by one of his own children! One who is a ‘’chip off the old block’’! The old ‘’better you than me’’!

We have decided to go into considerable detail, concerning the charges against Trump, only because the common people are interested in this. Not for a moment, do we believe that sending Trump to jail, will change anything!

As is well known, those who are extremely rich, the billionaires, are above the law. They can do almost anything they like, and get away with it. So what is going on with Trump?

Even though Trump is a billionaire, a member of a class which we refer to as the bourgeoisie, the class of people who are in charge, he is considered to be a renegade. 

As he is a ‘’loose cannon’’, the other members of his class have decided that he must go. For that reason, they have given the ‘’go ahead’’ to various District Attorneys, across the country. Send Trump to jail! It is now ‘’open season’’ on Donald Trump!

In fact, this is just part of the ‘’process of dissolution going on within the ruling class’’, as the capitalists are losing their ‘’grip’’ on power. 

It is becoming abundantly clear that capitalism is in a state of crisis. Further, the capitalists can no longer rule in the old way. It is also just as clear that the ‘’lower classes’’, the working people, are no longer content to live in the old way, and are demanding change. This is the very definition of a Revolutionary situation! 

Now for the Revolution to be successful, it is necessary that a ‘’majority of the class conscious, thinking and politically active workers, should fully realize that Revolution is necessary’’, according to Lenin.

To such people, the working people who are demanding change, we can only stress the importance of becoming class conscious. Feel free to read the most important works of Marx and Lenin, including the Communist Manifesto, the Essential Works of Lenin, and Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. 

Those works stress the importance of Revolution, of overthrowing the monopoly capitalists, of smashing the existing state apparatus and setting up a new state apparatus, in the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. That is necessary, in order to keep them from returning to power.

Bear in mind that the only reason this article was focused on Trump, is because that is what people are talking about. Capitalism is capitalism, regardless of the individual who is president. All presidents serve the same class.

The Revolution will break out soon. That much is clear. What is not clear, is whether or not it will be successful. That largely depends upon the most advanced strata of the proletariat.

With that in mind, may we suggest such slogans as:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Scientific Socialism!