Mr. Trump Has Been Found Guilty On 34 Felony Counts In A New York Court. What’s Next For Him?
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Donald John Trump was found guilty last Thursday in what was called the hush money trial. He was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiring to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
His sentencing date will be July 11th which will be days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Will he go to prison? I don’t think he will. This will be the first time in American history that a former president has become a convicted felon. America, let that sink into your thinking. Mr. Trump has called the trial rigged and a disgrace.
The 12-person jury deliberated roughly 12 hours to reach this unanimous verdict. Trump supporters like Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Mitch McConnell have voiced their strong opposition to the guilty verdict. However, Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney said, “We follow the law without fear or favor. I did my job.”
This guilty decision has most Republicans in an uproar and foaming at the mouth. The former president has been saying for months he did nothing wrong. He has been spouting these words for so long that he has millions of people believing him.
This rhetoric has given rise to a smorgasbord of untruths and unethical behavior. The Trump folks ignore best practices, and they bypass the truth. This has become standard operating procedure for them.
Republicans are lining up to tout his greatness. Recently, Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned surgeon said, “I would carefully and prayerfully consider an invitation to run as vice president with Mr. Trump.” If you recall, he served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his administration.
Some years ago, I had a reading group that consisted of six elementary school boys. One of the books that we read was Gifted Hands which is about the life of Ben Carson growing up in Detroit.
If you recall according to verified records, he led a group of surgeons in 1987 to separate conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. Dr. Carson was a role model for many aspiring doctors and healthcare professionals. There is no debate there.
However, the question on the operating table is what happened to Dr. Ben Carson? How in the world did he get mixed up and tangled up with Donald Trump? That sentence is a bit crude for a man of Dr. Carson’s fame. Ben Carson born with a little and Donald Trump born with a lot. One gave hope to others while the other created divisiveness.
Mr. Trump practices one-sided loyalty. You are loyal to him, but he is not loyal to you. Many have fallen victim to his reckless and selfish behavior. Any rational thinking person realizes he was responsible for the January 6th insurrection. He has also caused Steve Bannon, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort to go to prison on his behalf.
The former president is now a convicted felon and that doesn’t sound good by any measure. It doesn’t matter how his Republican friends try to spin it.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement: Extremist Democrats have undermined democracy by weaponizing the courts and abusing the judicial system to operate like a banana republic that targets their political opponents. These sentiments come from a Republican in Louisiana. His home state is last in almost every quality-of-life category.
Mr. Trump held a post-guilty news conference on Friday at Trump Tower. He blasted everything and everybody having anything to do with the trial. His lawyers will certainly appeal the sentence. Remember, Mr. Trump has three other court cases coming up. Mr. Trump will be the Republican nominee for president. In the 24 hours after the trial, he raised over 58 million dollars. However, the only way to beat him is at the polls in November.
