Introduction
Former President Donald Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. An indictment was released on Tuesday, April 4, detailing the charges against him. The records in question are related to hush money he gave to two women prior to the 2016 election.
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Campus Conservative, Marisa Powers
In my view, the indictment is a political charge against the former president. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the indictment of Trump is politically motivated. A poll from CNN reports that 61% of Democrat-leaning and 94% of Republican-leaning Americans think the indictment was politically motivated. It could have something to do with the fact that it is the year before the next presidential election.
Some legal experts are also saying that the case against Trump will be difficult to prove. John Coffee, a Columbia Law School professor, said, “Trump’s attorneys could argue that the case should be dismissed because prosecutors have not sufficiently demonstrated the former president falsified records to conceal another crime.” Each count they are charging Trump with on the indictment reads similarly: “The defendant […] with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise.” Since there is no indication from the prosecution of what crime(s) Trump was allegedly trying to cover up by falsifying the records, it is only a misdemeanor under New York law. They will have to prove that he covered up another crime in order for it to be a felony.
I agree that it is difficult to trust those in political power as they sometimes have motives that are not entirely principled. However, former President Trump should be granted the same amount of fairness and scrutiny as others accused of criminal activity.
Campus Liberal, Tasha Khosla
Former President Trump’s indictment feels very politically motivated but is not necessarily a bad thing. In reference to the CNN poll, MSNBC describes the main issue of “America’s surging crisis of trust.” According to 2022 survey results from Gallup, trust in the criminal system declined even more and trust in the Supreme Court is at its lowest levels in decades. Yet, 60% of Americans agree with the indictment, despite many believing that it was politically motivated. The lack of trust in American institutions appears to be the bigger issue and is what both parties should be focusing on.
Still, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not wrong to have gone forth with the indictment. Although some question “whether this case would have been brought against any defendant not named Donald Trump,” the fact that this case is moving forwards is a feat of its own. Former President Trump is the first president to be charged with criminal activity, which could potentially open up a new era of accountability.
As we know, there is the prospect of another indictment in Georgia due to “his January 2021 phone call to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State, in which he pressed Mr. Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to recalculate the results and ‘find’ him enough votes to win,” after his 2020 election defeat. Bragg has set a new precedent that could open the door for Georgia prosecutors to charge Trump with more serious crimes if they have evidence.
There is no denying that this indictment comes across as politically motivated and as a manifestation of broader issues facing the nation. Regardless, this situation is unprecedented and could potentially foster progress by furthering a culture of accountability.
Conclusion
Both sides agree that the indictment of former President Donald Trump is politically motivated due to the upcoming presidential elections. However, the liberal side acknowledges how the indictment could be a good thing for the country while the conservative side points out the unfairness behind it.
