History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure rhymes Will Rogers
This is why I wouldn’t miss an episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, not even for my own funeral. As we all know, as of yesterday El Pendejo Presidente attained a pinnacle that was the last one he wanted. In our 240+ year history we have never filed criminal charges against a siting President. And until yesterday, we had never criminally charged a former President either. Richard Nixon would have been the first, but then President Gerald Ford took that off the table by giving Nixon a full and unconditional pardon. And so, Trump is the first.
But as Rachel pointed out just minutes ago, as a country we have criminally indicted a Vice President. And not just a former Vice President, but the sitting Vice President, Spiro Agnew in 1973. A cool 50 years ago, almost to the day.
Rachel knows of what she speaks with experience. Maddow exhaustively researched Agnew’s chicanery for her podcast Bag Man, which sat on top of the podcast list for so long that they almost constructed a separate pedestal for it. And what was so important wasn’t the indictments themselves, but the outcome.
In March of 1973, Richard Nixon was a dead man walking. The House was almost guaranteed to vote to impeach Nixon, and it was becoming equally clear that if impeached, the Senate would almost certainly vote to convict Nixon and remove him from office.
Which left the DOJ with a problem. At that time, they had an airtight corruption case against Agnew. I mean they had this sucker hermetically sealed. But if Nixon resigned before Agnew was indicted, then they wouldn’t be able to indict President Agnew. And even if Nixon resigned after Agnew was indicted, but before he was convicted, they couldn’t try him until le left office. Which means a corrupt international laughing stock as President for three long years. The DOJ made the decision to indict Agnew as quickly as possible, and I mean they threw the book at him.
For those of you not old enough to remember that time, Spiro Agnew was that generation’s Donald Trump. Loud, arrogant, brash, innately and almost proudly corrupt, vicious and vindictive. He immediately launched a terror campaign against the DOJ in general, and the three prosecutors in particular, trying to get them to back off and drop the indictments, including veiled threats of retribution. And fortunately the prosecutors blew him off like a fart in church.
And then they made him the deal. With the charges that would be proven against him, Agnew was looking at spending the rest of his life in federal prison. And the DOJ offered to drop the majority of the serious, long time charges, and let him plead guilty to low level charges that would carry only probation and a stiff fine. In return for which Agnew would swear as part of his plea deal to never run for public office again. Agnew huffed and puffed, but he signed the deal.
As Rachel asked, could that be Bragg’s endgame here? After all, if Trump is convicted of multiple business tax and election fraud, it could literally cost him billions if his lenders immediately go to court to call in his markers. Taking this deal would at least give him a chance to keep his boiler shop operation afloat. And all Trump is really giving up is running for office again, when a criminal state conviction would make him unelectable in a general election. Better to batten down the hatches.
But there are things that counsel Trump against taking that deal. The biggest one being that Bragg isn’t the only sheriff in town. Fani Willis in Fulton County and Jack Smith at DOJ are working on their own criminal probes, and any Trump deal with Alvin Bragg won’t affect those in the least.
But there is at least sensible reasons to at least speculate that both Willis and Smith might be willing to play ball. Keep this in mind. On Monday and Tuesday, the circus is coming to town in New York. And whatever insanity ensues in the coming months in New York, Willis and Smith can look forward to seeing recreated in Atlanta and Washington DC.
And then there’s the logistical problem for all of them. Come on, how do you jail a former President? They’d have to place him in isolation, and then how do you deal with the logistics of his 24/7 Secret Service security detail? And a good lawyer could go to court and fight that placing a non violent criminal in isolation, with one hour a day of outdoor time constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. And with todays SXOTUS, who knows how that goes? Politically Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in the world. Get him off of the playing field, and it will have been worth all the time and trouble.
And if that scenario comes true, the biggest loser is the one that deserves it the most, the Republican party. Trump has a rabid, rock solid 33% base. And if Traitor Tot takes the deal, the scales will finally fall from their eyes. After all, no true Messiah would ever cop a plea, especially if he was innocent! He would instead smite them down with fire and fury! After all, His Lowness is their retribution! And it they tip to the fact that Trump played them for chumps, then that means that every GOP incumbent who parroted Trump’s line was playing them for suckers too.
Look, we haven’t even had the opening faceoff yet, we’re still at the National Anthem. But we all know that Trump is totally transactional. And if the personal legal and financial pressure gets to be too much for him, he’ll cut the best deal he can, and then deal with the rest when it comes knocking on his door. It’s what he always does. Just something to think about.
This case may not go to trial for months, possibly years. It’s way too early in the game, especially with all the other shoes to drop, for TFG to be making a deal. Also, his scam fundraising would dry up and that’s the only thing paying his bills now. That deal would not affect any civil suits currently pending and those directly impact his bank balance. He’ll play his delay, delay, delay until Tish James wipes him out this fall.
Current estimate is 8-12 months to a trial date, with regular procedural appearnces until then…
Unlike I suspect damned near everyone else that reads this I’ve actually been inside a maximum security federal prison. AND on military bases. The prison I refer to is the one at Marion, IL which took the place of Alcatraz way back when. It’s out in the boonies and on the edge of a large National Wildlife Refuge with extensive, gently rolling hills with clear fields of fire for those in the guard towers. It’s got to drive them nuts during deer season to see all those deer including trophy bucks out there and not be able to take a shot! Anyway, I was part of a group of former college basketball players that would go to Marion, or a state prison over in Chester to play against inmates. The worst offenders have long since been removed from Marion as “super Max” prison became the thing. My point though is that having seen the layout, it would be relatively easy to have a special wing for Trump – and other high profile prisoners. It would be simple enough and well worth the cost to create an enclosed exercise yard, and even a special kitchen to prepare meals. Plenty of space to create a room to meet with lawyers, a small library and so on. A LOT nicer than what Trump deserves but one has to take into account his Secret Service detail. Oh, and there’s a nearby VA Hospital, and it would be easy to land a helicopter in an emergency.
The same could be true of a secluded spot on a military base. Perhaps near the FBI’s training academy at Quantico. The point is that there are actual federal facilities, not some private prison where the logistics of incarcerating CONVICT Trump aren’t nearly the challenge so many people assume it would be.
But first things first. We have to convict his ass and on charges that will warrant a term in prison.
And take away his post term benefits like Secret Service. He will have prison guards that he can suck up to for drugs & sex.
Sadly, he will require a Secret Service presence around him till the day he dies if only to monitor who he speaks to (Russians, Saudis, Chinese and who knows who else) as he will give away national security stuff if only to “get even” for his situation.
All of his telephone calls are recorded in prison. They are in Kansas which includes Leavenworth.
A couple of possibilities regarding how and where he does his time
He gets a psychiatric examination and is sent to a secure mental institution
A batch of warders are deputised as ‘Secret Service agents’
Or loan a SS agent (or 2 or 3 or 8 more) to the prison as wardens with special duties.
I like your plan, Daitha!
Good analogy. I certainly remember Agnew but didn’t know the undercurrents of his plea bargain. He did indeed become an absolute nobody after his conviction, and that could well be trump’s fate. But though Agnew was as vicious and as corrupt as Putin’s poodle, he was also far brighter and could realize the reality of his situation and the advantages of the deal he was offered. The orange guano dump may not and could double-down on his threats, which would of course be just what Bragg needs to put him away forever. Whatever happens next week, he’s done politically, and we will see new GOP presidential candidates coming out of the woodwork soon.
I hope you’re right, Roger!
You cannot assume he is done politically – that is the problem, if he can run from jail he sure will. There is now NOTHING beyond him since he has already been indicted, so why would he care ? We are dealing with the Devil himself IMO !
I’d give him the electric chair. As long as he lives he will remain a thorn in everyone’s side. Just end it.
Let’s hope treason, as a charge, is in there.
I cannot wait to see Smith indict the numerous currently elected political hacks that participated in trying to overthrow the government.
Detroit has an empty prison that would be a perfect place to stuff the motherfuckers.
Right there on Mound and Davidson, it’s a perfect place to put traitors.
No fucking rolling pastures for the fucks and if they happen to wander away, good luck.
Fuck the republiCLOWNS.
Don’t count on Trump’s base withdrawing their support when he is convicted. It will.just prove (to them)that Donnie was railroaded by evil Dems and the Deep.State. They will .expect the. loyal military to break.him out of jail and restore him as president. After all,Q,said so.
It is very difficult to.reprogram cult members because it requires them to.recognize how easily they were sucked in and that they will lose their whole support network(that is why people seldom break away from.Evangelical. churches, because everyone they know, including family. will.shut them.out).
Trump could, and almost certainly WOULD, make a HELL of a lot of trouble for this country even if he could never run for office again. He deserves something a lot stronger than that, and then he wouldn’t be able to run for office anyway. And a lot of other things he wouldn’t be able to do.