Trump’s indictment marks the emergence of the country from a terrifying period of institutional decline, systematic cronyism and democratic erosion.
Yesterday, a Manhattan grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump as part of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. It could be just the first of several indictments that Trump will face in the near future as investigations into his alleged wrongdoing proceed in other jurisdictions. The ex-president and his supporters are trying to paint the prosecution as politically motivated. But far from signaling America’s descent into banana republic status, Trump’s indictment marks the emergence of the country from a terrifying period of institutional decline, systematic cronyism and democratic erosion.
The case itself feels small in comparison to the magnitude of what it represents. Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s lawyer slash bag man Michael Cohen used a newly created limited liability company to make payments to two women who had previous sexual encounters with Trump, one of whom was the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump then reimbursed Cohen using Trump organization funds that should have been characterized as campaign expenses, since the silence being purchased was meant to benefit the Trump campaign. The Daniels story is also particularly lurid (and damaging), as she claims she and Trump had sex in 2006, months after Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Cohen went to federal prison in 2019 for this little caper.
The Stormy Daniels hush money imbroglio happened just before Trump became president, but it was part of a lifelong pattern of behavior—alleged sexual assaults, non-payment of contractors, tax evasion, housing discrimination, and money laundering.
