For the first time in the history of the United States, a former president has been indicted. Yesterday, President Trump was indicted by a Manhattan Grand Jury for his alleged role in hush money payments, resulting in ire from the former President and rampant speculation on social media. Meanwhile, fears remain that former President Trump’s rhetoric could incite violence and erode democracy. Meanwhile, former VP Mike Pence has been ordered to testify before a grand jury investigating Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and has expressed willingness to share classified documents with bipartisan lawmakers.
Here’s what you need to know for the weekend:
Main Points for the Weekend:
1. Former President Trump is indicted by a Manhattan Grand Jury
A Manhattan grand jury has decided to indict former President Donald Trump for charges related to payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign, aimed at suppressing allegations of an extramarital affair. This marks the first criminal case against a former president. The indictment was confirmed on Thursday by Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, and others with knowledge of the case who were not authorized to discuss the confidential charges. Trump is expected to surrender himself to authorities next week. This unprecedented development follows years of scrutiny into Trump’s business, political, and personal affairs.
- Top point to make: In the United States, the principle that no one is above the law is fundamental to maintaining a just and democratic society. The recent indictment of former President Donald Trump underscores the importance of allowing the legal process to unfold without interference or prejudgment. It is essential that we maintain and respect the rule of law, so that we can ensure that justice is served fairly and equitably for all.
- If you read one thing: Washington Post, 3/30/23: Trump indicted by N.Y. grand jury, first ex-president charged with crime. A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump, multiple people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, making him the first person in U.S. history to serve as commander in chief and then be charged with a crime. The grand jury had been hearing evidence about hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, allegedly to keep her from saying she’d had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. The indictment has yet to be unsealed, these people said, so the charges and specific allegations were not immediately clear, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his investigative team were probing whether Trump falsified business records connected to the payments in a way that could constitute a campaign-finance violation.
2. Trump’s Incendiary Rhetoric Stokes Fear of Violence, Imperils Prosecutors, and Erodes Democratic Foundations
For the second week, there are widespread fears that Donald Trump’s divisive and violent rhetoric, targeting prosecutors and promoting false narratives, will fuel violence and undermine American democracy. This is becoming an even more acute issue in light of former President Trump’s indictment, which prompted another tirade on Thursday night.
- Top point to make: Donald Trump continues to pose risks not only to public safety and prosecutors, but also to the very fabric of American democracy. As was the case on January 6, 2021, Trump is not concerned about the sustainability of our nation’s institutions: only with himself. The former President has made it abundantly clear that he is willing to cast doubts on the legitimacy of our democracy, and even risk violence against public officials, to protect himself. We should expect more of the same from him in the wake of the indictment.
- If you read one thing: CBS News, 3/31/23: NYPD preparing for potential unrest following indictment of former president Donald Trump. The NYPD is mobilizing and preparing for any potential unrest following the indictment of former president Donald Trump. The grand jury voted to indict Trump on criminal charges Thursday afternoon. We don’t know the exact charges yet, but the case is focused on an alleged hush money payment during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. As CBS2’s Ali Bauman reported Thursday night, it was relatively quiet outside Trump Tower, but the NYPD is really facing an unparalleled security task in the days ahead. We’re told the department has been working closely with federal law enforcement, court officials and secret service to plan for both the former president’s arraignment, as well as any potential protests, but the NYPD tells us its officers are ready for whatever lies ahead.
3. Judge Orders Pence to Testify in Jan. 6 Probe, Former VP Agrees to Share Classified Documents with Bipartisan Lawmakers
Former Vice President Mike Pence faces increasing pressure as a federal judge orders him to testify before a grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, despite efforts by Pence and Trump to limit his testimony. The ruling by Judge James E. Boasberg allows Pence to decline answering questions related to his actions on January 6 itself, but requires him to testify about conversations with Trump leading up to that date. Meanwhile, Pence has expressed openness to allowing bipartisan lawmakers access to classified documents found at his Indiana home.
- Top point to make: The recent developments surrounding former Vice President Mike Pence’s willingness to testify and share classified documents signify a positive shift and potential breakthrough in the ongoing investigations. As someone who has had close access to Trump and key insights into his conduct, Pence’s cooperation could provide crucial information for understanding the events leading up to January 6 and Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. This openness to engage with investigators and lawmakers hopefully demonstrates a commitment to transparency and upholding democratic principles, which may encourage others to come forward and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.
- If you read one thing: New York Times, 3/28/23: Pence Must Testify to Jan. 6 Grand Jury, Judge Rules. A federal judge has ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to appear in front of a grand jury investigating former President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, largely sweeping aside two separate legal efforts by Mr. Pence and Mr. Trump to limit his testimony, according to two people familiar with the matter. The twin rulings on Monday, by Judge James E. Boasberg in Federal District Court in Washington, were the latest setbacks to bids by Mr. Trump’s legal team to limit the scope of questions that prosecutors can ask witnesses close to him in separate investigations into his efforts to maintain his grip on power after his election defeat and into his handling of classified documents after he left office.
Expert Voices
Meena Bose, executive dean of Hofstra University’s Peter S. Kalikow School of Government and runs a presidential history project: “said that a country plagued by polarization and concerns about democracy would be stronger by enforcing responsibility on its leaders. ‘An active and continuing commitment to making sure all public officials follow the rule of law is essential to addressing those challenges’[.]” New York Times
Michael J. Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina: “A president impeached by the House and convicted and removed from office by the Senate “shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law,” Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution declares. ‘Generally, we consider that language to suggest that, whatever may happen with respect to an impeachment while a president is in office, he still may be held liable civilly or criminally after he leaves office for his misconduct in office,’ said Michael J. Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina. In other words, no former president was immune from criminal liability. ‘The framers would have been horrified at the possibility of a president ever being above the law while in office or after leaving it,’ Mr. Gerhardt said.” New York Times
Barbara F. Walter, expert in violent extremism and professor at U.C. San Diego, re: Donald Trump’s “Western civilization” message at his Waco rally: “The message is that America is, a country of white Christians. And, in fact, sometimes, he will go further. It’s white male Christians. He will talk about how that is the America, that it’s always been that way and should always be that way. When he talks about this baby boom, he is talking about white babies that need to be born in order to ensure that whites will remain a majority in this country, which, as of today, they will not. The only way to prevent whites from becoming a minority in this country is for white people to have more babies. And that’s what he’s calling for.” PBS NewsHour
Noah Bookbinder, president for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW): “[M]embers of Congress are expected to represent the American people. They’re expected to look out for our system of our democratic system of government. And after January 6th, 2021, that really was this opportunity for members of Congress across the political spectrum to come together and condemn what was truly an attack on our democracy because they were there. They saw how horrific it was. They were worried for their own lives. And instead, what you’ve seen is members of Congress like Marjorie Taylor Greene but also Speaker McCarthy concluding that it was in their political interest to essentially downplay what happened on January 6th and make excuses for the people who attacked them. And, you know, that is members of Congress themselves undercutting, undermining the democracy that they are supposed to be representing. And there are real ethical problems with that…we have this altering of reality and this kind of complicity at the highest levels of Congress that is really laying the groundwork, sort of adding a sense of approval for this growing violent rhetoric and the possibility that, you know, we could see events like January 6th or like the kind of targeted violence that, you know, that we’re just talking about coming in the future. And that’s really, really distressing.” WBUR
Tim Heaphy, former U.S. Attorney who served as Chief Investigative Counsel for the House January 6th Committee: “I was a prosecutor in Washington, D.C., so I know exactly the facility in which [Jan. 6 detainees] are held…the conditions under which these Jan six pretrial detainees are being held is frankly better than the average prisoner who’s held pending trial in D.C. And of course, we heard nothing about that for years and years for Marjorie Taylor Greene or anyone else. The conditions under which black and brown people who are charged with other offenses in Washington, D.C., are held pending trial. So it is an attempt for her and others like her to use some sort of political narrative into a situation without justification.” WBUR
