Tears For A Clown

 I suppose of all the things going on in the world, we should deal with the large, loud, flabby orange elephant in the room, the indictment of Donald Trump. 

As I posted here on Friday, "Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday for his role in a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election."

I also posted a linked to "Ding Dong The Wicked Witch Is Dead" from the Wizard of Oz which may be a bit much. 

Indicted only means Li'l Donnie has been charged with a crime. He hasn't been arrested with the prerequisite perp walk and we're not likely to get one. The Secret Service are trying to navigate the totally new territory of what exactly to do when a former President under their protection has been charged with a crime and needs be arrested. 

Donald Trump has not be found guilty of a crime. But the mere act of being indicted is as close as we've seen Donald Trump actually being held accountable for any damn thing, well, excuse me for getting a little excited over that. "Ding dong!" indeed. 

But Li'l Donnie's slippery tendency to avoid actual legal trouble may yet prevail. When it's time for Trump and his lawyers to answer the charges in the indictment and whole kerfuffle is worked on in open court in front of a jury, Donald Trump may still scamper back to Florida a free man.  

But news of the indictment on Thursday was greeted as if a bent and beaten Donald Trump in a orange jump suit and shackles was being lead away the gallows. 

On Fox News, there was such a wailing, a rending of garments and gnashing of teeth over the mere act of Trump being indicted. Sen. Lindsay Graham was on the edge of frickin' tears for Christ's sake as he begged and pleaded for Trump supporters to go Trump's website and donate money to help their billionaire buddy fight this travesty of justice. 

One Fox News pundit confessed to having tears in his eyes when he heard about the indictment.  

What exactly pray tell is this "travesty". Well, as I am writing this, we don't really know.  We know it relates to the money Trump paid to porn star Stormy Daniels but as to the specific laws that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his grand jury are alleging Li'l Donnie actually broke, we won't know until the indictment is unsealed. 

The prevailing assumption is that Bragg would not have signed off on this indictment if he didn't really feel like he had something solid to go on. I've seen enough Law & Order to know district attorneys do no like bringing charges against a high profile target without making damn sure that every fucking duck is a fucking row.

As the adage goes, "When you come gunning for the king, you best not miss."  

But there is a prevailing concern that pursuing criminal charges against a former President for questionable payments to a porn star is a rather specious basis for a criminal case. Even people who don't support Li'l Donnie think this is a shaky foundation to launch criminal charges. 

Well, if that doesn't work out, there's always Georgia's investigation over Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Or the forthcoming trial relating to Trump’s alleged 1990's rape of E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan.

OR the special counsel probing the events of Jan. 6, 2021 and Trump's involvement in the Capitol riot.

OR the OTHER special counsel investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and potential obstruction of that investigation.

There will be other opportunities for Lindsey Graham to shed more tears for this clown.