In these contentious, rhetoric-fueled times, it can be difficult to be guided by facts rather than emotion. But in a society that professes to be a nation of laws, such restraint is necessary.
That is the duty facing all Americans in the wake of Donald Trump’s arraignment Tuesday. The former president has been charged with 34 felonies in a Manhattan criminal court. He pleaded not guilty.
Perhaps no person in American history has powered the level of communal passion that Trump engenders — on both sides of the political spectrum. For supporters and opponents, there is little room for discussion or sober analysis of Trump’s actions — both during his presidency and throughout the 26 months since he left office.
Indeed, Trump’s combative personality is the foundation for that passion on both sides. What some people see as a feature, others consider to be a bug; there is no middle ground with the former president.
As such, supporters will reflexively insist that Trump being charged with multiple crimes is an act of political retaliation. Opponents will claim that he long has flouted the law and surely is guilty. Such reactions arose from the moment it was revealed last week that Trump had been indicted. Many Americans reached conclusions about the case even before the specific charges and alleged crimes were publicly revealed Tuesday.
While opinions about the case will persist, those opinions must have no impact on the outcome that will be decided in court. Nor can they impact other criminal investigations that Trump is facing.
The current charges relate to alleged hush money his campaign paid an adult-film actress during the 2016 presidential race. But investigations continue into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, his possession of classified documents after leaving the White House, and his role in the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has not been charged with crimes in those cases.
While his supporters will echo accusations of political persecution, some facts about our system of laws are pertinent.
One is the fundamental principle that nobody is above the law; if Trump has violated various statutes, he should be held accountable. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump supporters gleefully chanted “Lock her up!” in reference to Hillary Clinton — despite no criminal charges against her. For them to now profess concern about political persecution is an absurd act of hypocrisy.
Another notable fact is that charges were recommended by a grand jury of citizens in New York. To suggest that they are the result of some nefarious “deep state” is to cast doubt on our foundation of jurisprudence.
Of course, Trump’s political career has been built upon tilting at imaginary villains and tearing down the nation’s foundation. That in itself is not criminal; many people voted for him in the hope he would do just that. While we can argue about whether or not he was an effective president, our opinion does not mean that he is guilty or not guilty in this case.
Now, as Trump faces charges that will be parsed and diced and minced by pundits, it will be important to remain focused on the facts. It also will be important for citizens to be discerning regarding their sources for news about the case. As revealed in a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, the network’s hosts have a history of willfully sharing information they believe is false if they think that’s what their viewers want to hear.
The indictment of a former U.S. president is unprecedented. But the uniqueness of the case should not overshadow the facts.
