Trump Faces Criminal Investigation, But He Will Go Scot-Free
Trump said there is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime.
By Rakesh Raman
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has proved time and again that he is above the law and the weak American judiciary cannot hold him accountable for his countless crimes. The American laws have, in fact, succumbed to Trump’s blatant refusal to obey them.
First he refused to appear before the special counsel Robert Mueller who was investigating his ties with Russia to steal the 2016 presidential election. Instead of insisting on Trump’s appearance, Mueller ignored Trump’s refusal and submitted a sketchy report that was dumped without proper discussion.
Then Trump was caught red-handed when he was forcing Ukraine to implicate his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden in a frivolous corruption case.
When the House of Representatives – the lower house of the United States Congress – started impeachment proceedings against Trump, he obstructed the impeachment inquiry by refusing to provide related documents and also stopped witnesses from participating in the impeachment hearings.
The House had passed 2 articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. But Trump has no respect for any law and he kept behaving as a dictator. While his trial was supposed to begin in the Senate, Trump issued the diktat for the Republican Senators to end the trial without proper investigation.
Also, despite multiple legal attempts, the authorities failed to obtain Trump’s tax returns. It is believed that Trump refused to show his tax and financial records because he has amassed plenty of illegal wealth through shady deals.
According to a CNN report of May 18, the real reason that Trump refused (and refuses) to release his taxes is because they revealed him having paid almost zero actual taxes to the federal government for 10 of the previous 15 years and showed that he had (and has) massive debts coming due that he has personally guaranteed.
Now, the New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ office has opened a criminal investigation into the dealings of the Trump Organization. James’ spokesman indicated that her office’s probe is being conducted in conjunction with the criminal investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
According to a CNBC report of May 18, both investigations are exploring claims by Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that the Trump Organization misstated real estate valuations to reduce their tax liabilities, and get better loan and insurance terms.
In response, Trump said there is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. “But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here. The Attorney General of New York literally campaigned on prosecuting Donald Trump even before she knew anything about me,” Trump wrote in a haphazardly written blog post on his “Save America” website.
Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. also shared a video to defend Trump. Baby Trump said in the video posted on May 19 that the witch hunt in New York continues. “Here’s what my father had to say,” he argued in the video about the criminal investigation.
Meanwhile, the House voted on May 19 to approve a legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the violent insurrection on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol. The final vote was 252-175, with 35 Republicans breaking with their party to support the bill.
Trump was accused of incitement to insurrection, as the House of Representatives had delivered the charge to the Senate on January 25, setting in motion Trump’s second impeachment trial. However, Trump was acquitted because the Democrats could not get sufficient support from Republicans in the Senate.
The Senate voted that Trump was not guilty of inciting the violent riots on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol. In the final verdict pronounced in February, 57 senators found Trump guilty to 43 who said he is not guilty. Democrats needed 67 votes to convict Trump.
Republican Trump has become the only U.S. president who has been impeached twice by the House and the first to face trial after leaving office. Democrat Joe Biden had defeated Trump in the November presidential election to assume office on January 20.
Although the Trump-led mob violence is a case of failed revolt against the elected government, he will again dodge the legal system to go scot-free.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
