Trump Wants Americans to Take Their Nation Back? ‘On Thursday We Did,’ Says One Reader.
Readers both hail and condemn the indictment and discuss the political effects.
Re “Trump Indicted” (front page, March 31):The well-deserved, long-awaited and expected indictment of former President Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury, favored by a majority of Americans, is nevertheless a jarring event in the history of the country that’s almost certain to cause already deep wounds in our politics to fester.
This could be merely the first salvo in what may be a series of indictments, virtually guaranteeing the former president’s presence on the national scene for a long time to come.
Mr. Trump’s early announcement of a third presidential run was clearly calculated and timed to politicize the indictment that he knew was coming. With the support of enabling loyalists, he has vigorously impugned the legitimacy of a duly elected district attorney and a grand jury.
In our system of justice
Donald Trump’s acts are far too egregious to ignore. But in a heavily polarized country, we may be forced to pay a heavy price to uphold our democracy’s founding principles.
Your March 31 editorial, “Even a President Should Be Held Accountable,” is correct in articulating that former president or not, Donald Trump is not above the law. But when reviewing the various streams of potential indictments, election tampering and inciting an insurrection loom large and powerful, making the Manhattan indictment on charges of a payoff to a former porn actress look petty and frivolous.
It would seem that the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, in his rush to be first, handed Trump supporters a rallying cry. He would be better served focusing on violent crime in his borough, as would Manhattan residents, and the country would be better served by having Mr. Trump stand trial for the damage he has done to this country as opposed to the shame he brought to his wife.
Your editorial is right to insist that Donald Trump must be held accountable for a host of crimes, including this first prosecution in New York. But the headline has the emphasis wrong by phrasing it, in the online version, “Even Donald Trump Should Be Held Accountable.” No, it’s most of all Donald Trump who needs to be brought to account after decades of lawless conduct and disdain for our justice system.
Mr. Trump has grossly undermined our democracy, divided the country with cynical lies, and spurred violence across the country by far-right extremists who use his rhetoric as their rallying cry.
And now, predictably but disgustingly, we hear the chorus of toxic lies and hyperpartisan attacks by morally bankrupt Republican politicians who previously swore they were devoted to law and order.
Posts
