"Not guilty."
That was the attorney's answer in Miami when Donald Trump was officially asked in court about his behavior. Now it's up to the federal lawyers who brought the 37 charges against the former president to prove their accusations.
Whether the case proceeds in a "timely and expeditious" fashion, as lawyers would phrase it, is another issue.
Define "timely and expeditious."
That's yet another thing lawyers can and likely will argue about.
Many legal commentators have said the evidence strongly supports the charges filed against the former president, but many of his supporters insist the evidence is fake and was planted by his political opposition, while these same opponents are themselves guilty of similar misbehaviors, and therefore "it ain't fair" to pick on one alleged perpetrator and not the others.
This claim ignores the reality of similar probes against the opponents. One difference is that charges have not been filed against the opponents.
Yet.
Will they?
That depends on when, whether and if prosecutors gather enough evidence to support their allegations.
In turn, that raises the issue of trust in the American legal system. Or are political leaders immune from prosecution because they are above the law?
If so, does that apply to all political leaders or just the ones you like?
Is a puzzlement.
Meanwhile, the hope for trust in the American legal system is on the line.
That was the attorney's answer in Miami when Donald Trump was officially asked in court about his behavior. Now it's up to the federal lawyers who brought the 37 charges against the former president to prove their accusations.
Whether the case proceeds in a "timely and expeditious" fashion, as lawyers would phrase it, is another issue.
Define "timely and expeditious."
That's yet another thing lawyers can and likely will argue about.
Many legal commentators have said the evidence strongly supports the charges filed against the former president, but many of his supporters insist the evidence is fake and was planted by his political opposition, while these same opponents are themselves guilty of similar misbehaviors, and therefore "it ain't fair" to pick on one alleged perpetrator and not the others.
This claim ignores the reality of similar probes against the opponents. One difference is that charges have not been filed against the opponents.
Yet.
Will they?
That depends on when, whether and if prosecutors gather enough evidence to support their allegations.
In turn, that raises the issue of trust in the American legal system. Or are political leaders immune from prosecution because they are above the law?
If so, does that apply to all political leaders or just the ones you like?
Is a puzzlement.
Meanwhile, the hope for trust in the American legal system is on the line.
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