I had been on the fence as far as my choice for a Republican primary candidate, expressing some concerns about Donald Trump’s positions in my last column here, but that is now history.
If the establishment left fears Trump enough to continually go after him with phony scandals and questionable indictments, then he is my candidate, and he should be the choice for anyone who is concerned about the future of our Republic (please notice that I didn’t use the fallacious term “democracy” to describe our nation).
There are a few Republicans who want to see Trump go away. They belong to what I call the “Pierre Delecto Wing” of the party. They are the inheritors of the Bush legacy and its “we know what’s best for you, so shut up and eat your peas” attitude toward the voters.
I know a few of these folks and to them, good manners come before winning, and they labor under the delusion that somehow, if Republicans pick someone other than Trump, the Democrats will suddenly play nice and who knows, they may even like us!
Of course, the Democrats want no part of good sportsmanship, and will viciously go after any Republican candidate, whether it be Ron De Santis or Pierre Delecto (Mitt Romney) himself. You have to hand it to the Democrats; they play to win and want no part of getting a consolation prize. Moral victories are absolutely meaningless to the seemingly amoral.
The problem for the Democrats and the “Nervous Nellies” in the GOP is that their anti-Trump act has gone stale. As someone tweeted this week, “impeachment and indictment are two words that have become meaningless.” Both have been used as political weapons so much that the use of the word has little impact anymore and people really aren’t impressed with the threat of either.
The proof lies in the polls taken after the indictment. The latest Harvard-Harris Poll has Trump leading his nearest Republican primary rival, Ron De Santis by 45 points, 59-14%. Even more important than that, Trump leads Joe Biden in the general election poll by 6 points, 45-39%, and Kamala Harris by 7 points, 47-40%. In the same poll, 55% of the public, including 83% of Republicans and 55% of independents, look at the documents indictment as politically motivated, and 56% see it as election interference. The only group who sees the indictment as a fair application of the law is 80% of Democrats.
The indictment itself is also flawed, according to legal observers, including former federal prosecutor Will Scharf, who penned an excellent analysis in The Federalist published June 16. Noted George Washington professor and legal analyst Jonathan Turley won’t give odds on any conviction of Trump, and stated the following on his blog:
“On the merits, much can occur between now and a conviction. While the government has the advantage in this federal indictment, there are challenges being planned to attack the use of the Espionage Act, the use of statements made by Trump to his former counsel, and other issues. Moreover, with almost half of the country saying they view this prosecution as politically motivated, Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith could face a hung jury even if the indictment is found to be valid.”
The prosecution team will also come under scrutiny, as conflicts of interest abound there. One of the chief prosecutors, Karen Gilbert, has a long history of involvement with and donations to Democrats, including Joe Biden and Barack Obama, according to Breitbart. Gilbert was also reprimanded once by a federal judge for secretly recording a defense lawyer and an investigator.
Special Counsel Jack Smith also has some conflicts. His wife, Katy Chevigny, a film maker, donated $2,000 toward the Biden campaign in 2020 and also produced a puff-piece film about Michele Obama that same year, according to the New York Post in this article. Smith himself has a record of blatantly overcharging defendants and subsequently losing those cases in court or on appeal.
He was responsible for the prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose conviction was unanimously smacked down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and his cases against former Sen. John Edwards and Bob Menendez were likewise failures due to Smith literally creating a crime and then charging based on the creation.
All in all, this latest indictment of Donald Trump, instead of removing him from the race, may prove to be the thing that propels him back to the White House.
Dwight Weidman is a resident of Greene Township and is a graduate of Shepherd University. He is retired from the United States Department of Defense, where his career included assignments In Europe, Asia, and Central America. He has been in leadership roles for the Republican Party in two states, most recently serving two terms as Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party. He has been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1988, getting his first license in Germany, and is a past volunteer with both Navy and Army MARS, Military Auxiliary Radio Service, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor. In his spare time, he dabbles in genealogy and learning new languages.
