Third indictment, focusing on Jan. 6 insurrection, accuses Trump of attempting to overthrow democracy; does that make him unfit to serve as president?

Donald Trump faces third indictment

 

Donald Trump was indicted yesterday for his role in the January 6 insurrection and other efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Torri Otten, calling this "the big one" of the mounting criminal charges against Trump, poses this disconcerting question at The New Republic: Is someone charged with attempting to overthrow democracy, fit to serve as president -- or in any public office, for that matter. Of the latest indictment to land at Trump's feet, Otten writes:

Third time’s the charm? Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday for a whopping third time, adding to an already sweeping list of charges against him.

Trump was charged for his role in the January 6 insurrection and other attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He faces four counts that include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to corruptly obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the right to vote. [Six co-conspirators were also mentioned, but their names were not listed in the indictment.]

Whew, that list of charges sounds uber serious. If there was any doubt about that, Special Counsel Jack Smith drives the message home with some pointed language. Writes Otten:

In the very beginning of the indictment, Jack Smith calls out Trump for his refusal to accept the election results.

“The defendant, Donald J. Trump, was the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for reelection in 2020,” the indictment states. “The Defendant lost the 2020 election.”

The indictment also notes that Trump knowingly spread lies about election fraud: “These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false. But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway—to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.”

Trump was warned in July that he was a target in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to reverse the election. The twice-impeached, thrice-indicted, and liable for sexual abuse and defamation former president is now forcing Republicans to answer the question: Is someone charged with trying to overthrow democracy fit to serve?

So far, Republicans seem unable to answer that question, which is fairly important. Have their responses to Trump's legal travails been lame? You make the call, per Otten's reporting:

Until now, Republicans have been up in arms, rushing to Trump’s defense. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested the potential indictment was because Trump was polling well, while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called Smith a “weak little bitch.”

What happened to "law and order" Republicans? Do they no longer exist? Has attempting to overthrow democracy become acceptable behavior for the "tough on crime" party? Otten concludes with a recap of the criminal charges facing Trump in various jurisdictions. Are Republicans going to stand behind a candidate because he's "polling well"? Has the postmodern GOP fallen to such depths? As for the electorate, are serious-minded people planning to head for the polls and vote for this guy? Folks from the political right can't come up with a like-minded candidate who might deserve their vote? The cupboard is so barren of respectable candidates that no one comes to mind for GOP voters -- and by "respectable," I mean someone who is not, you know, charged with multiple felonies? Writes Otten:

Trump has been charged with business fraud in New York for his alleged role in making hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. He also has been charged with keeping national defense information without authorization, making false statements, and conspiring to obstruct justice. And he is still under investigation in Georgia for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election—despite an attempt to block that probe.

How many legal minefields can Trump tiptoe through? The path to a Trump nomination -- and he holds a commanding lead in polls -- looks treacherous for the candidate and his party.