PanamaTimes

Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

'Trump enjoys being the victim.' Alvin Bragg's 34-count indictment could help him argue he's been unfairly targeted, ex-prosecutors say.

'Trump enjoys being the victim.' Alvin Bragg's 34-count indictment could help him argue he's been unfairly targeted, ex-prosecutors say.

"You've got to work hard to make President Trump a martyr," Rep. Nancy Mace said, adding the indictment "managed to do just that."
Former President Donald Trump has long framed himself as a victim being unfairly targeted by the establishment, and his recent indictment could provide more fodder for him and his allies to cling to.

The indictment was unveiled Tuesday, revealing the former president was being charged on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection to a $130,000 hush-money payment that was made to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied the affair and being involved in the payment.

But former prosecutors told Insider the indictment was underwhelming, noting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not specify exactly what underlying crime Trump allegedly committed that would've justified the bumping the charges up to felony status.

They also said the 34 counts could be viewed as excessive — and even give Trump and his team fuel to argue he was being unfairly targeted.

"Trump enjoys being the victim in all this, and that's what he's going to lean into," Joshua Ritter, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor and partner with El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, told Insider. "It begins to look like you're piling on when you charge it this way."

Ritter said there was nothing improper or illegal about charging Trump on each individual document, but that it's not a universally common practice. For instance, he compared it to someone breaking into and robbing a safe, in which case the suspect would typically be charged with burglary, rather than being charged on each individual piece of jewelry that was stolen.

The 34 charges may not impact how the case is viewed in the criminal court, Ritter said, "but in the way it plays out in the court of public opinion, it's probably going to work to his benefit — when you realize this isn't 34 independent criminal acts, but 34 steps towards the same criminal act."

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, also told Insider the 34 counts appeared to be inflated, adding: "We know Trump is going to do everything he can to take advantage of this politically — he feels Republicans on Capitol Hill see this as a win for them. They're going to say everything they can to make this out to be a witch hunt conducted by unruly prosecutors."

Ambrosio Rodriguez, a former prosecutor in the Riverside County district attorney's office in Southern California, also expressed concerns about the case, telling Insider that Bragg "should have taken into account the precedent that this sets and whether or not this particular set of facts was worth it."

The former prosecutors also said that in a case like this that was so politically charged and unprecedented, Bragg's indictment should've been a slam-dunk.

"When you are about to make history you would expect you would have something rock solid. This is not anywhere near rock solid," Ritter said.

Trump was leaning into his victimhood even before Tuesday's arraignment, sending a fundraising email with the subject line: "My last email before my arrest." During a speech from Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night, Trump called the charges "a persecution, not an investigation" and said: "The only crime that I've committed is to fiercely defend our nation."

He struck a similar chord in a fundraising email that followed: "The more they try to frame me, slander me, and destroy me, the stronger my resolve to complete our mission." And on Wednesday, he claimed the indictment was actually paying off for him.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Tuesday was "an unbelievable experience, perhaps the Best Day in History for somebody who had just suffered Unjustifiable Indictment!" and added that $10 million had flowed into his campaign coffers because of it.

Even some of Trump's critics saw the indictment as a win for his victimhood narrative.

"You've got to work hard to make President Trump a martyr. Congratulations to Manhattan DA , Alvin Bragg, who has managed to do just that," Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who Trump sought to oust last year, wrote on Twitter. "This clearly political prosecution sets a dangerous precedent."
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
AI Regulation Takes Center Stage in 2024 US Presidential Campaign
Cuba's Power Struggles: Nationwide Blackout Strikes Again
Meta Faces Legal Battle Over Teen Social Media Addiction
UK Government Proposes Weight-Loss Injections to Combat Obesity and Boost Employment
Russia's Call for a BRICS Financial System Alternative
Indigenous Groups in Brazil Protest Carbon Credit Deal
Tesla's Robotaxi Design Strikes Controversy
Boeing to Reduce Workforce by 10% Amid Financial Strain
Brazilian Man Arrested for Decades-long Abuse and Imprisonment of Family
Donald Trump Amplifies Anti-Migrant Sentiments in Colorado Speech
Mass Looting of Chicago Cargo Train: 50 to 150 Looters Ransack Containers in Chaotic Scene
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
US Election 2024: A Deadlock Between Trump and Harris
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Elon Musk's X Faces Fines and Account Error in Brazil
Scott Jennings leaves CNN panel speechless as he tears apart Tim Walz's flimsy excuse of being "too dumb to tell the truth."
Earth Faces Severe Geomagnetic Storm from Solar Flare
China-Led Bloc Challenges The Quad in Indo-Pacific Region
Biden-Harris sent forklifts to open the border when Texas built a razor wall.
Storm Helene Devastates Eastern and Midwestern US, Claims 44 Lives
Trump Taps Elon Musk to Lead Federal Spending Cuts, Promising Trillions in Savings
Importing voters: With an election looming, the U.S. is approving citizenship applications at the fastest speed in years.
Hurricane Helene Set to Slam Florida with 'Unsurvivable' Conditions
El Salvadoran President Bukele at the UN: "Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
Google Commits 120 Million Dollars for Global AI Education: Sundar Pichai
Tennessee Woman Sentenced for Attempted Murder-For-Hire
Amazon Rainforest Suffers Massive Deforestation
Earth's Planetary Boundaries Breached
Elon Musk’s X Circumvents Brazil’s Supreme Court Block
Brazilian Judge Accuses Elon Musk’s X of Circumventing Court-Ordered Ban
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Coerced into Recognizing Maduro's Victory
Brazil's Firefighters Battle Amazon Blazes and Arsonists
X Social Media Platform Ordered Offline Again in Brazil
Global Workdays Required to Afford iPhone 16
In his podcast, Joe Rogan rightly questioned, "YOU NEED A VACCINE PASSPORT FOR FOOD, BUT VOTER ID IS ‘RACIST'?!"
Trump Unveils New Cryptocurrency Venture Amidst Campaign
X Update Enables App to Bypass Brazil Ban, Say Internet Providers
Delta Airlines Sets Strict Wardrobe Guidelines for Flight Attendants
Norway Achieves Milestone in Electric Vehicle Adoption
Hezbollah Hit by Explosive Pagers in Lebanon
Ex-Soldier Describes Trump Assassination Suspect's Troubled Ukraine Stint
Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex-Trafficking Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court
El Salvador's Bold Move: President Bukele Declares End to External Debt Reliance, Thanks to Bitcoin
Murdoch Family Succession Battle Begins
TikTok Faces Potential Ban in the US Amid Free Speech Concerns
Secret Service Investigates Elon Musk's Controversial Social Media Post
Meta Bans Russian State Media Networks
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
×