So What Happens IF Trump Is Indicted

Donald Trump is possibly facing an indictment for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels back when he ran for president in 2016. Remember that story? He denied it. She sued him, she lost. We all thought that was the end of it, right? Well, the left didn’t forget. The Manhattan District Attorney has gone through about six of the seven key witnesses that have already testified in front of a Grand Jury in New York City. The seventh? That would be Michael Cohen, Trump’s long-time “fixer”.

It’s a very rare instance that a prosecutor would take a full week to have pretty much all of the players other than the two that were involved (Trump and Daniels) testify before the Grand Jury, and NOT indict someone. Neither Daniels, nor Trump were subpoenaed to testify.

The question is what happens in the even that Trump is indicted? He has already adamantly stated that indictment be damned, he’s going to continue running for president. He certainly can do that, as there is nothing in the Constitution that says he can’t run for president if he is indicted, or even convicted. There IS a section of the Constitution that would ban someone for running for federal office if they had “engaged in rebellion or insurrection”. That was what the whole January 6th thing was about. But it’s doubtful the Department of Justice is going to go after Trump on that account.

So, even if the Manhattan DA decides to indict Trump, there’s nothing legally that takes him off of the ballot in 2024, should he get the nomination. And even the most ardent anti-Trumper would have to argue that paying hush money to someone certainly doesn’t rise to the level of insurrection or rebellion. It’s merely a cover-up. And God knows, we’ve seen tons of those things from a lot of people on that account. In fact, if the whole Hunter Biden thing were to blow up over the next two years, it could also apply in spades to the sitting president.

What would be most damaging to Trump if he was indicted would be what John Q. Public would think of the whole thing. Trump’s base is very loyal, there is no doubt about that. But that loyal base isn’t big enough to get him elected, even in the best of times. He needs other Republicans and Independents to come to the polls to get elected. And that’s what could throw a monkey wrench into this whole project.

My initial thoughts are that this may go through because I’m sure that Michael Cohen wouldn’t be invited to testify if the DA thought that he was going to back Trump on this one. I’m sure he’s going to have some damning evidence for the Grand Jury to consider. But to try and hang him on a charge of hush money? That’s a really lame stunt.

Look, the Democrats have tried everything possible to keep Trump from running. They see him as a bigger threat to this country than Russia and China combined. I don’t know what they are afraid of, but they are scared out of their wits. First they tried to impeach him after he left office, so they could get him on the rebellion and insurrection thing. That didn’t work. Then they raided Mar-A-Lago for those classified documents. Well, that didn’t work out so well, when it was discovered that Trump’s classified documents were under lock and key and properly stored. Joe Biden meanwhile, had his sitting in open boxes in his garage. Oops. That charge came to an abrupt end. And now we’re down to hush money? God forbid that Trump actually has open parking tickets out there somewhere!

What will be interesting to watch in the coming couple of weeks is whether or not his poll numbers drop measurably if he is indicted on this charge…and whether they draw this thing out to go 18 months. If they do, you could have someone that’s been indicted on a crime running for president…and that will scare some people away.

Of course, Ron DeSantis is probably sitting in the wings watching, and quietly hoping he DOES get indicted. That would boost him into the number one position for the Republican nomination. At least the GOP has a much deeper bench than the Dems. If Biden were in this situation, that party would be screwed!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

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