Trump's Second Indictment Shows Democrats Uninterested in 'Fair' 2024 Election
01:13 GMT 10.06.2023 (Updated: 06:44 GMT 10.06.2023)
© AP Photo / Jon Elswick
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The federal indictment against former US President Donald Trump was unsealed earlier Friday and revealed he was being charged with 37 felony counts, 31 of which were for violating the Espionage Act through his "willful retention" of classified records. The remaining offenses were for false statements and obstruction of justice.
The latest indictment filed against former US President Donald Trump highlights how much Democrats are uninterested in holding a "fair election" ahead of the 2024 presidential cycle, Ethan Ralph, a conservative political commentator and host of the Killstream, told Sputnik.
Ralph noted that "Democrats don't seem to be interested in a fair election."
"The increase in lawsuits, indictments, and other legal assaults on Trump is directly related to the viability of his 2024 candidacy," the commentator said. "The Democrats themselves do not seem to think that they can beat Trump in a fair fight. Just look at their actions."
The latest indictment filed against Trump centers around classified documents retrieved by FBI agents during a raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence. Although Trump has stated records were unclassified prior to him leaving office, his claims have not proven concrete as he did not follow government protocol.
Prior to this week's indictment, Trump was previously hit with a 34-count indictment in New York for business fraud in April, and was later found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in early May in relation to a civil case filed by columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Asked whether the indictment had the potential of affecting the former president's chances at returning to the Oval Office, Ralph admitted it was not likely Trump would wind up behind bars before the election kicked off.
"The latest federal indictment could hurt him with independents and other potential voters, but the polarization of the electorate and hardened views on Trump himself mean that it's unlikely to hurt him very much," he pointed out.
Not long after records were retrieved from Mar-a-Lago, classified documents began to turn up in the possession former US Vice President Mike Pence and US President Joe Biden.
In Biden's case, several documents had been found at his Delaware home and office, as well as the Penn Biden Center in Washington, DC. However, unlike steps taken at Trump's Florida residence, both the Biden and Pence cases did not involve a full blown raid and they haven't received the same treatment in the media.
Ralph pointed out that "it's particularly egregious" in how American media treated the cases - specifically that involving Biden. He noting that if outlets are going to cover the topic, it's best to "have an equal playing field for Trump and non-Trump alike."
"Last night on the cable news, you heard them making excuses for Biden's behavior. But the fact remains; he mishandled classified material," he pointed out. "It's my opinion that this is a pretty common thing that goes on. It seems to cross both parties. It would be better not to politicize it to this degree."
In the hours since Trump first revealed via a Truth Social post that he had been indicted, multiple political figures have come forward to condemn what they see as the weaponization of the US justice system against the former commander-in-chief.
Among the critics are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who said late Thursday that it was "unconscionable" that Biden indicted "the leading candidate opposing him" in the 2024 election.
While the Biden White House has claimed it only found out about the indictment through the media, Ralph stated that the weaponization of federal law enforcement by Democrats is unlikely to ease up.
"I think as we move forward, the real danger is not just political retribution that the parties take on each other, but the retribution they eventually try to take on the other side's voters," Ralph said. "If empowered by a reelection and perhaps gains elsewhere, there's a likelihood they take things further."
"The useless US media certainly won't do anything other than cheerlead the moves," he concluded, pointing out that the "trend is towards repression by the West."
