March 2023

Indicted

31/03/23 05:40

March 31, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 17) - April Fool's Day came two days early for Donald "The John" Trump and seven years too late for the rest of us. He was informed yesterday that he has become the first former President of the United States to face an as yet unspecified number of criminal indictments. Some reports suggest that he may face as many as 34 separate counts. It may not be until next Tuesday during an arraignment hearing in a New York courtroom that we will learn the particulars of the case. However, based on what we know, the defeated and now indicted former president is in a whole bunch of trouble. I think something Trump's neice Mary Trump said during an interview last night makes sense. To paraphrase her, it's OK to feel a sense of sadness and joy about Don "The John's" pending arrest. By now, everyone knows the backstory: Tycoon pays hush money to porn star to hide an extramarital affair that could derail his campaign for President of the United States. Another thing we know - at least based on the assessment of legal scholars of various political persuasions - is that this case is not a slam dunk. But is anything having to do with this lifelong grifter ever a slam dunk? The very fact that he was once elected president by a minority of voters should be a cautionary tale. Still another thing we know is that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a brilliant legal mind with a lot of experience in trying cases such as this, a case of falsifying legal documents. Trump may have added to his list of charges by his recent attempts to bully the prosecution. On several occasions in the past week, he has called for violence by his supporters in the same manner he did on January 6, 2021. Here's another interesting factoid: The United States Supreme Court has ruled on several occasions that no one, not even a President, is above the law. And yes, that shouldn't matter in this case because Trump is not president. Here's another little nugget: It doesn't matter whether Trump was indicted on misdemeanor or felony charges. A crime is still a crime and should be prosecuted. Of course, a felony conviction would cost him his right to vote and make him ineligible to hold any public office. Oh, and there's this: This is not the only criminal investigation Trump is facing. There are far more serious matters under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Georgia. There's a real chance Trump may face charges of sedition. There's certainly enough evidence on the public record to justify it. But for now, New York is the only game in town. As for the charges, should know a lot more by Tuesday's arraignment. So stayed tuned. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

What It's Like To Be Supoenaed

24/03/23 06:04

March 24, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 16) - Former President Trump's attorney is scheduled to appear today before a Washington federal grand jury to testify about the mishandling - I'd call it theft - of classified documents. It's an unusual case as attorneys do not normal testify against their clients - except when the client may have tried to use attorney-client privilege to circumvent the law. It's not a pleasant thing to be subpoenaed. I know because I have been subpoenaed three times. The first time was in 1976 when I was the news director of a radio station in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. A local dentist had been indicted on Medicare fraud and I had interviewed the district attorney about the case. The defendant accused the DA of violating ethical standards by participating in the interview and subpoenaed me and my tape of the interview. The problem was that I worked for a small town radio station, which meant I used my cassette tapes over and over again. By the time I was served, I had used the audio cassette to cover other stories. I thought, "Oh crap, I'm going to jail." Fortunately, I didn't. Actually, it was my testimony that I had gotten most of my information on the case from the subpoena I had received from the defense that blew the whole complaint out of the water. (By the way, the dentist was convicted.) The second time I was subpoenaed was as a reporter in upstate New York. This time, I was subpoenaed by no less than William Kunstler, famous for his defense of the Chicago 7 following the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. I'm not going to go into the details of that case, although it may be worthy of a future blog post. I will say this: Kunstler was one weird dude. The last time I was subpoenaed was in 1991 while serving as chief spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Correction. Some jackass of an inmate had escaped from one of our minimum custody facilities. He was eventually caught in Kansas. I was served a subpoena, along with about a dozen other people. The inmate had claimed that by doing my job and telling the world that he had escaped and that we were looking for him, I had placed his life in danger. (Really. That's just one of hundreds of dumbass defenses used by inmates-turned-Perry Mason during my four years as the spokesman for North Carolina's prisons.) I wasn't worried about the case. But I was told I'd have to testify the very same day I was scheduled to fly to (ironically) Kansas to interview for a position on the faculty at the KU School of Journalism. I considered ignoring the subpoena - I really wanted the job. However, I didn't fancy being a guest in one of my own prisons. In the end, I had the state Attorney General's office stipulate that my assistant could take my place on the stand. As it turned out, the suit was quashed and order was restored to the universe. (And, of course, I got the job!) Because of my experiences, I have some empathy for Trump's attorney. But not that much. After all: If you do the crime, you do the time. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

They Got Capone For Taxes

20/03/23 07:04

March 20, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 15) - As I went through my morning routine of perusing the news today, this passage from a CNN story about the impending indictment of Donald Trump caught my eye: "Trump lawyer Alina Habba told CNN's Paul Reid Sunday there would be serious consequences if Trump were to be indicted for a mere misdemeanor - one possible outcome of the Manhattan probe. 'It is going to cause mayhem, Paula. I mean, it's a very scary time in our country,' Habba said. But she also said that 'no one wants anyone to get hurt' and Trump supporters should be 'peaceful.'" After reading that, my blood started to boil. Not only did the morally corrupt former president suggest that there may be violence if he is - as he predicted - indicted this week for his alleged payment of hush money to a porn star, his legal mouthpiece went on national television to suggest the same. We have also heard this weekend from a variety of Republican weasels, such as the sycophantic Mike Pence and spineless Kevin McCarthy, who are trying to delegitimize the criminal justice system by criticizing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Let's clear up a few things. The Republican argument comes down to this: How can you take down a former President of the United States on such a minor violation?" First, we are not talking about a misdemeanor. What we have here is a criminal conspiracy to circumvent federal campaign law through the obstruction of justice. Second, if the facts of case would justify the indictment of Joe or Joanne Sixpack, where does the law say that a former president should be treated different? There is no presidential immunity in this matter. That's not my opinion. That's what the federal courts have repeatedly said. Finally, if Trump - a man who may well be indicted in other jurisdictions for sedition, tax evasion, stealing highly classified documents and espionage - is finally taken down for obstructing justice and paying hush money to a high-priced call girl, so be it. After all, the feds took down notorious gangster Al Capone for tax evasion. (It's a damn shame we can't hold Trump accountable for the hundred of thousands unnecessary COVID deaths he caused.) You use whatever tools you have. It's time to shut down Public Enemy Number One: The Don of the Trump Crime Family. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

Glory Days

09/03/23 07:41

March 9, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 14) - With March Madness now fully underway, I can't help but think back to one of the most important days of my life some 55 years ago. On March 9, 1968, the Easton High School Warriors completed a perfect 23-0 season to win the Maryland State Class B Boy's Basketball Championship. (For you editors out there, I'm not certain the championship should be treated as a proper noun. But it sure feels that way to me!) I was the manager of that team, not to be confused with the coach. The coach was a young fella, a basketball player right out of West Virginia University named Gary Shaffer. He would go on to be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. I was the manager, a/k/a towel boy, ball boy, water bottle boy…you get the picture. However - and this is important to me - I was there for every practice, every game doing whatever the coach asked me. I worked harder during the game than some of the players who sat on the bench. (I am not knocking them: Even the bench warmers made the same time commitments I made. Those who serve include those who sit and wait.) While I didn't score a single point or gather a single rebound that season, I was still a part of what made that team tick. Sure, I took some ribbing from those who thought I was a glorified janitor in a suit on game nights. But, guess what? On championship night, it was my name the announcer at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House called out to collect the game ball. My name is on the championship trophy. And I was also inducted in the Easton High School Athletic Hall of Fame with the rest of my teammates in September 2019. However, as I noted in my remarks at the Hall of Fame ceremony, the most important thing that came out of my experience was riding Tuesday and Friday nights on the team bus with black players. The Talbot County, Maryland, school system had only recently been integrated. This team gave me my first real exposure to people of a different race and it changed my world view. I began to question a lot of things I had thought were true. More than a champion, I began to become a better human being that magical season. It is natural for a person of my age to reminisce about the past. But, like Bruce Springsteen, I don't believe living in it. Still, where I am going is influenced by where I have been. And that special night 55 years ago today was influential in how I became the man I am today. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.