Op-ed by Elad Hakim | Photo: Alamy
According to some anti-Trumpers and others supporting a different Republican candidate on Twitter and elsewhere, Democrats want to run against President Donald Trump, which is why they are pursuing various criminal charges against him.
Let the absurdity of this argument sink in for a moment.
The “argument”
In essence, these people argue that Joe Biden’s Department of Justice and/or various left-wing prosecutors have indicted Trump and threatened to throw Trump in jail for the rest of his life because they want him to be the Republican nominee and eventual candidate, allegedly “knowing” that Trump “can’t win.”
Problems with the “argument”
This argument is ludicrous for several reasons.
First, there is absolutely no evidence to support this position. Some of these people point to polls showing an increase in Trump’s support among voters after each indictment as “proof” that Democrats want Trump to be the nominee. However, logic dictates that this increase does not prove Democrats’ intent but shows that many Americans are behind Trump because they feel that he is being persecuted and that the system of justice is being weaponized against him. In other words, just because Trump’s poll numbers are going up after the indictments does not mean that Democrats want them to go up nor that they want him to be the nominee. Those pushing such a conclusion are erroneously doing so.
Second, if Democrats are using the indictments to “ensure” that Trump becomes the Republican nominee, it seems only plausible that they will dismiss and/or end the various indictments and/or investigations once Trump becomes the nominee. After all, why continue them if Democrats have accomplished their alleged goal?
Clearly, there is no evidence indicating that prosecutors in the federal documents-related case in Florida or the criminal case in Manhattan are on the verge of voluntarily dismissing either case nor is there evidence that the investigation and possible charges against Trump in Georgia will be stopped if Trump becomes the nominee. On the contrary, some reports suggest that prosecutors could pursue additional charges against Trump in other venues. Despite this, some continue to push the unbelievable narrative that this is all a scheme by Democrats and/or anti-Trumpers to make Trump the nominee because he is allegedly “unelectable?”
Finally, the argument that the indictments are meant to “bolster” Trump’s chances of being the Republican nominee are further eroded by the fact that Trump has been attacked since the day he initially announced his candidacy for president. Were Democrats looking to ensure Trump’s nomination with the Russia hoax, the first and second impeachments, the partisan January 6 committee and subsequent one-sided “hearings,” the suppression of speech relating to the infamous “laptop from hell” and/or so-called “misinformation,” or in any of their other countless efforts to take Trump down?
The real purpose behind the indictments
The indictments of President Trump do have a purpose, but it is not to ensure a Trump primary victory. Rather, the purpose is to hurt him, to try to keep him off the ticket, to imprison him for life, and/or prevent him from being the Republican nominee. Democrats and anti-Trumpers are terrified of Trump and the America First movement. They do not want to ensure that he becomes the nominee because they know, deep inside, that he continues to have tremendous support, is doing very well in the polls, leads all Republican contenders by a very large margin, and can win reelection in 2024 against a highly unpopular Joe Biden.
Mr. Hakim is an attorney and columnist. His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, American Thinker, and other online publications. He is also a regular guest on OANN’s Tipping Point, and has appeared on Newsmax, Steadfast and Loyal Podcast with Allen West, The Dave Weinbaum Show, and Real America’s Voice. The views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not constitute legal advice.