David Marshall
(4/2023) Criminal felony charges against a former U.S. president would be unprecedented. As a Manhattan grand jury hears evidence concerning Donald Trump’s role in a criminal case involving hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, it represents uncharted territory for our nation. After informing supporters of his possible imminent arrest, Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign received $1.5 million in grassroots contributions. Meanwhile, top Republicans, including some of Trump’s potential rivals for the party’s nomination, rushed to defend the former president "
The idea of indicting a former president of the United States is deeply troubling to me, as it is to tens of millions of Americans," said former vice-president Mike Pence. House speaker Kevin McCarthy said a possible indictment would be an "outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA [district attorney] who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance" against Trump.
While the responses from Pence and McCarthy are not surprising, there are several critical questions which should be asked. Was Mike Pence and Kevin McCarty, along with tens of millions of Americans, objective by considering the fact that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, could be telling the truth? Cohen has said that the hush money was paid at Trump’s direction. Federal prosecutors charged Cohen with campaign finance crimes related to payments to Daniels in addition to Playboy model, Karen McDougal, arguing that the payouts amounted to impermissible gifts to Trump’s election efforts. Cohen pleaded guilty, served prison time and was eventually disbarred. In other words, Michael Cohen was held accountable for his illegal actions.
Would an indictment from the New York County District Attorney’s office be considered a "witch-hunt" as Trump claims or is it the application of Democracy’s rule of law, in which the laws and procedures are meant to apply equally to all citizens? The rule of law means independent courts can (and should) punish corruption, no matter who is guilty. The rule of law means no one is above the law, not even a former president. It is about ethics, and ethics is what guides us to tell the truth, keep our promises, or help someone in need. It refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong.
Our society pays a heavy price when too many good-willed people become numb and turn a blind eye resulting in corruption being allowed to exist with little or no accountability. In light of our toxic political environment, America is becoming a nation where partisan politics redefines what is right versus what is wrong. We see it in the manner unethical behavior conducted by members of the opposing political party is called out in order to gain political points. While the same behavior by members of one’s own party is downplayed in order to avoid political damage.
The Lady Justice Statue, which is seen often in many courthouses, has become the most recognized symbol of American justice. It is portrayed as a blindfolded woman carrying a sword and a set of scales. She represents the morality and fairness of the legal system. The blindfold tells us that justice is blind in its impartiality and objectivity of the law. External factors such as partisan politics, wealth, status, race, or fame should be removed so they do not prevent the execution of an honest and objective process and decision by the courts.
Justice does not see who is before her, regardless if they are rich or poor, black, white or brown, friend or foe; everyone has equal treatment. Balance is the key, and the scales represent the balance of justice. The scales implies we have a systematic rational process of fairness where both sides of a case will be considered even-handedly. It counters the reality of a shameless segment of society with its ‘thumb on the scale’ approach to justice. An approach where too much weight (or biased influence) on one side will cause the scales to tilt unfairly in one direction. This is what makes America great where justice works with ethics the way it was intended without interference and abuse of power.
When the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg demanding his sworn testimony on the "politically motivated prosecution" of Trump, was this an unethical move on the part of Jim Jordan? Unfortunately, the answer for many people will depend if they are Republican or Democrat. Truthfully, Chairman Jordan has no constitutional oversight over an elected county district attorney, therefore his actions were simply a move to wrongly intimidate local officials, ignore the rule of law and to tip the scales on behalf of the former president.
It is the inconsistency which also makes Jordan’s letter unethical. Most likely, if the former president was Bill Clinton rather Donald Trump, such a letter to the DA would not have been sent. The Republican Party still remains the party of Trump, and he knows it. He has claimed that "death and destruction" potentially awaits the U.S. if he is criminally prosecuted. Trump’s words matter and they have already proven to be deadly.
Regardless of your political persuasion, this is a sad moment for our country to have a former president make these dangerous threats and intimidations while his allies sit back and condone it. It is especially sad knowing that many good-willed voters will remain silent despite the events surrounding the January 6 insurrection. When dealing with politics and the uncharted territory we face, as responsible citizens we should remind ourselves of the Golden Rule.
The Golden Rule is a rule of ethical conduct and reciprocity (mutual benefit). It is a moral principle that denotes treating other people as one’s self would prefer to be treated. If we want justice for ourselves, then we should want it for others. If we want democracy to work for ourselves, then we should want it to work for others.
By standing on the Golden Rule, a person will always find themselves first supporting what is right instead of supporting what benefits their political party.
David W. Marshall is author of the book "God Bless Our Divided America" and member of Country First. Country First is focused on recognizing that Republicans, Democrats or Independents don’t have to be enemies just because they have different experiences and perspectives. To learn more about Country First visit www.country1st.com
