The conviction of former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts in a New York court of law is a “good news, bad news” situation.
The good news is that he was convicted not by a mob, but by a jury of 12 citizens, who put their lives on hold (and at potentially great risk) for six weeks, after listening to evidence presented by competent counsel on both sides of the case, under the supervision of an experienced judge, in a trial where the defendant had all of the protections afforded by our Constitution.
And, he will now have the right to have his appeal heard by higher courts.
All of that is what accountability looks like, and the rule of law calls for.
The bad news is that Trump’s reaction was to denigrate all players in the system, and therefore the system itself. He immediately repeated that the Biden administration was behind the case for political purposes, that the judge is conflicted and corrupt, that the jurors are radical Democrats, that the trial was unfair, etc.
Not surprisingly, his most faithful base will believe him. But what is saddest is the fact that so many high level elected and nonelected Republican officials, many of whom graduated from the nation’s most prestigious law schools, and who actually know better, were immediately parroting his lies and comparing this trial to what goes on in banana republics and authoritarian societies.
These statements serve no purpose other than to undermine confidence in our legal system, the countless people who work hard every day to uphold that system, and the rule of law itself, which is a foundational pillar of a civilized society.
Trump has made no secret his desire to further undermine our democracy and legal system if he is elected in November. Above all the other important issues on the ballot, hopefully enough fair-minded people will vote to prevent him from doing so, as we as a country would then be heading down a very dangerous path.
Ira Rubinfeld, Springdale
