Chomsky put it best when he said “As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please”.
There have been many autocratic presidents in many dictatorial nations of the world. Most of them, with an ample geographical distance from the United States, but it was in 2016, when they too, saw an alien crisis inundate the White House. Donald Trump has been a household name, since the early 2000s, if not earlier.
He’s been a Real Estate Giant in the Big Apple while building an International Organization, not to mention his ever-so-popular show, which was the basis for much of his early political lobbying in Washington. As an early Birther (those who didn’t accept President Obama’s birthplace as Hawaii), he was a popular right-wing activist, peddling unprecedented ideas, and starting a campaign which was to change the face of the earth for years to come.
Trump has arguably created countless crises for the Global Coalition. From downplaying the Coronavirus Pandemic to nearly sparking European conflicts and using un-diplomatic means to connect better to dictators, than functional democracies. His efforts to cast doubt on the democratic system of Government helped him incite a violent mob on the US Capitol, back in January of last year as well. But recent developments, in and around his legal troubles is amounting to just a fraction of rebuttal for four years of destruction and inconsistency.
There have been many autocratic presidents in many dictatorial nations of the world.
According to an Affidavit released by the Department of Justice, with the permission of the Court for the Southern District of Florida, Donald Trump hid 11000 documents, belonging to the Government and the National Archives, in his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Of those documents, 100 were marked classified, and Top-Secret. Some, only US eyes are witnessed to see and contain the biggest state secrets.
Now, Trump claims he had every right to do so, as a former President, but are his claims, equivalent to the constitutional requirements? The answer is no, and he knows it. His legal team has not explained why the documents were at his residence and even went as far as denying their presence. This claim was later found to be untrue after the FBI conducted a raid (with a warrant) of his resort.
Recently, the Trump legal team requested an independent Special Master, for the court to manage the evidence. The evidence in question is no ordinary evidence, and is top-classified, only to be seen by SCI-classified individuals, and not a district judge. That’s why an appeals court handed the documents back to the DoJ, but all of this is up in the air, especially considering the fact, that Trump can take the case to the Supreme Court.
Trump, said in a recent interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, that he believes he can de-classify documents just by thinking about it. He also believes that new investigations into his family and his organisation are just a “witch hunt”, and blames Attorneys General, both federal and state-level, for his legal troubles.
Now, some may call this political prosecution, but it’s just not. This is the law coming into force, showing that everyone can be held accountable, whether the rich, the poor, or the President.
Speaking of rich, the former POTUS isn’t that rich anymore. According to leads, tips and investigations conducted by the New York Department of Justice, the Trump Organisation is in a perfect place to be criminally prosecuted. NY Attorney General Letitia James has made it clear, that she wants the organization’s board to dissolve itself, and face criminal charges for financial crimes, from tax evasion to declaring higher contributions to the economy.
Now, the AG is demanding a 250 million dollar lawsuit as well as a thorough investigation into his family and considering barring them from holding an office of high esteem in New York’s business sector. She also alleges that Trump lied more than 200 times about his asses and his value.
With all these crises looming, Republicans are facing troubles for their 2022 midterms, with the party divided by Trump’s lies. But is this a preface to the future of American Politics? We shall see in 40 days.
The writer is a columnist and a linguistic activist.