Here’s what I think happened. I think Trump took things that he thought he had a right to keep. The document he allegedly showed to a reporter shows why he did so: he wanted to refute claims by his political enemies.
The problem for him is that he seems to say on the transcript that he didn’t actually declassify the document before leaving the White House (though he could have). So he could be convicted.
My feeling is that this case never should have been brought and the investigation should have been handled with greater fairness and transparency. Raiding and then prosecuting a former president and opposition leader is so Third World that it really would only be justified in extreme circumstances. Selective prosecution is a reality.
I think DOJ can’t see how bad they look — “one law for all”? really? — because they hate Trump, because there was no accountability for past abuses, and because they see everything through the lens of January 6.
Here’s where we are. Trump could be acquitted and he will still face state charges in NY and soon GA that are purely political. He could face the rest of his life in prison or in court, largely for bullshit. He may have no choice but to leave the country, which is what happens in the Third World. In fact, if I were him that is what I would do, given that he has a plane and has places to go and live comfortably.
We have been brought to this point because people who hated Trump could not be satisfied by following the law and the constitution but sought every possible means to destroy him and humiliate his supporters. And for what? On the whole, he was a very successful president who gave up his private fortune and fame for public service. He is a casualty of our failed elite’s determination to hold onto power. Their policies have failed and and now they have doomed public faith in democracy.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
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This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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