“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must…undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” (Thomas Payne)  Well, the Trump indictment was unsealed and the proverbial stuff hit the fan. The most serious charges are 31 counts – one count for each document – alleging Trump violated 18 USC § 793(e) – part of the Espionage Act – by retaining and not returning documents relating to national defense. The remaining six charges allege conspiracy, false statements, and canceling documents. If the DOJ has evidence to support these charges, which I believe they do, at least to some extent, then Trump should be indicted, at least if we believe no one is above the law…but so to should President Biden, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Mike Pence, and Hunter Biden…just to name a few. And therein lies the problem. President Biden had a habit of walking off with classified documents while he was a senator and later Vice President. Of course, he stored those documents in highly secure areas such as his garage in Wilmington, Delaware and a “locked closet” in his Pen Biden office in Washington, DC. Not sure which is more secure – the garage with his Vette or a locked closet in DC with its crime. In any event, Biden had no business keeping classified records as a senator or as a former Vice President. In H. Clinton’s case, the FBI found 110 emails in over 50 separate email chains that were classified at the time they were received. Emails in eight of those chains were classified as “top secret.” She obtained all of this material while Secretary of State and kept it on her personal unsecured server at her personal unsecured residence – not only while she was Secretary of State, but also after she left the government. Comey’s reason for declining to recommend prosecution was he had “reasonable confidence that there was no intentional misconduct.” That’s nice, but “intent” is not required to violate 18 USC §793(e) (Espionage Act) or 18 USC §1924, both dealing with removal and retention of classified information. Of course, former Vice President Pence had to join the ‘let’s meander off with classified documents club.’ Following the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, Pence was asked on three separate occasions if he had taken any classified documents when he left office. Three times he replied no. About a week after a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate President Biden taking classified documents, Pence informed the National Archives he found some of those pesky documents he took when his term as Vice President ended. Those documents were found in four boxes he had in his Indiana residence. Oooops. As for Comey, well he not only had classified documents in his home – after being fired from the FBI – but shared that classified information with his lawyers – who were not authorized to see it. Two of those documents contained information classified as “secret” and two others contained information classified as “confidential.” Additionally, Comey had his friend, Daniel Richman leak an unclassified memo to the press in the hopes it would force the appointment of a special prosecutor. Then of course, there’s his involvement in the Steele Dossier. Talk about the deep state. Let us not forget Hunter who is alleged to have engaged in bribery and tax fraud. To be fair, these are still allegations. What is fact, is that he lied on ATF Form 4473 (background check to purchase a firearm) and was unlawfully in possession of a firearm because he is, or was at the time, “an unlawful user of or addicted” to a controlled substance.” Both of these are felonies. Yet, here he is walking around smoking crack, smacking hookers’ ass, and blowing paint through straws to create high priced “art.” Must be nice to be one of the chosen. No matter how you shred that paper, wipe that hard drive, or spin those facts, President Biden, H. Clinton, M. Pence, and J. Comey all violated 18 USC §793 (Espionage Act) and 18 USC §1924. So, riddle me this, why is Trump charged under 18 USC §793 but not the other four? For those who want to argue that Biden, Clinton, Pence, and Comey cooperated with the government whereas Trump did not – don’t. Cooperation is relevant to mitigation – lessor sentence – but not a defense to the commission of a crime. Besides, Clinton (remember the BleachBit?) and Comey did anything but cooperate. As for Biden, well he had classified documents he took… some for close to 30 years and others he took from a SCIF. As for Hunter, granted he didn’t take classified documents. He’s just the son of a once powerful senator, Vice-President, and now President who committed at least two felonies the FBI has known about for years and yet he’s not been indicted – even though he’s been under investigation since at least 2018. Instead he’s palling around with his Dad – “‘the Big Guy” – on Air Force One. I’m not arguing Trump should not have been indicted. What I am arguing is indicting one of Biden’s leading political opponents a year before the election, while not indicting Biden and other favored people, four of whom violated the exact same law Trump was indicted for, is third world banana republic politics. This bass ackward policy has the potential to cause a constitutional crisis and will, without a doubt, result in the further loss of trust in governmental institutions. I believe the consequences of the later will be far worse than the former. First, neither an indictment nor a conviction can prevent Trump from becoming President. Simply put, a felon in jail can be elected President if he receives 270 electoral votes, though ironically, he would not be able to vote in presidential elections. The only requirements for a person to be President are (1) the person must be at least 35 years old; (2) they must be a natural born citizen of the U.S.; and … Continue reading The Trump Indictment: Justice Or One Step Closer To The Loss Of Our Liberties?