(Todd A. Smith)
Former President Donald Trump has used the term witch-hunt so often that alleged criminals like Sean “Diddy” Combs have started using it as an excuse for their abhorrent behavior even when video evidence shows that they should face incarceration.
With the recent convictions of Trump and Hunter Biden, Trump and his acolytes should no longer be able to reasonably use politics as the reason for his convictions.
On June 11, Xerxes Wilson and Bart Jansen of USA Today reported, “A federal jury convicted Hunter Biden of federal gun charges, a historic first for the offspring of a sitting president, after a trial featuring wrenching emotional testimony about his drug use from his ex-wife and sister-in-law.
“President Joe Biden’s son faces up to 25 years in prison for three charges—lying on a federal screening form about his drug use, lying to a gun dealer and possessing the gun—although first-time, nonviolent offenders typically get shorter sentences.”
Likewise, on May 31, Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Eric Tucker and Michelle L. Price of Associated Press reported, “Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes…as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.”
What is happening in politics is something that has happened since the beginning of times.
When people run for public office, society expects more of them.
Therefore, all their dirty laundry will eventually hit the streets.
One cannot expect to ascend to the highest office in the land and expect people to keep your crimes a secret just to aid your political ambitions like Trump does.
But what Trump has done that is truly ridiculous is consistently taunt, harass and malign judges, district attorneys, jurors and the entire legal system, especially when those people are responsible for his legal future.
If someone has dirt on a person, the dirty person should try to fly under the radar.
They should exude humility instead of hubris.
They should not threaten people who could easily sink their battleship.
More importantly, if a person knows they have a felonious past, presidential politics is not something that they should voluntarily sign up for.
Many people say that if Trump was not running for president, he would not have faced so many felony charges.
I must agree with that sentiment.
Likewise, if Hunter Biden was not the son of the current president, he would not face the same scrutiny as another addict.
The younger Biden would probably experience more empathy from the public than he has.
But that has always been the name of the game when it comes to presidential politics.
Former President Bill Clinton faced scrutiny for his sex life.
Former President George W. Bush faced scrutiny over his past substance abuse.
Former President Barack Obama faced scrutiny because of the words of his past pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Obama even faced some scrutiny for his admitted dabbling into illegal substances while a young man in school.
All those realities beg the question, why would someone with so many skeletons in his closet like Trump want to subject himself to such ridicule?
While Trump has always had his critics, especially in the Black community because of his racist past, most Americans probably could not have cared less about Trump’s fraudulent work as a businessman if he was still a normal civilian, working in the New York real estate field.
But Trump could not find comfort in just being a billionaire tycoon, who inherited millions from his father Fred Trump, Sr., who himself received millions in handouts from the government to build affordable housing for veterans returning home from World War II.
Trump had to put hundreds of millions of dollars in jeopardy because he wants to be a dictator who seeks revenge on his political enemies.
And when he finally faces consequences for decades of criminal and shady behavior, unlike the Bidens he throws his typical temper tantrum.
After his felony convictions, Trump said, “This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”
And honestly, I agree with Trump when he said that the real verdict will be on election day in November and that people know what happened in the courtroom.
What happened in the courtroom for Trump and Biden is the law working equally for everyone, Democrat and Republican.
And that is the way the justice system should work, although people know that certain people get away with more than others based on race, power and wealth.
Furthermore, the people will see that Trump’s claims of a rigged and weaponized justice system are just the typical lies and fake news that comes out of his mouth.
If the Biden justice department was weaponized against him, the same justice system would not have convicted Biden’s son of three felonies.
Smart people know that it is Trump that wants to weaponize the justice system by going after his political enemies if he returns to the Oval Office.
Thankfully, America has a decent human being in the Oval Office who will not weaponize the justice department to go after his enemies.
But just thank about if Biden did that.
Think about if Biden did have presidential immunity like Trump says he should have.
The country would have far less conservatives and Republicans.
Additionally, the Republicans would not even have a living candidate at the top of their ticket in November.
That is what America would look like if the system was truly rigged against Trump and his allies.
Hopefully, this country will not face that reality, right or left.
What we have now is high level politicians and their families facing high levels of scrutiny, and if they cannot stand the heat in the White House kitchen, they should never occupy the White House again.
